Refrigerate baklava?

August 1, 2011 11:16 PM

Does baklava need to be refrigerated? It is fresh from a restaurant?
posted by woolite to Food & Drink (8 answers total)

how long are you leaving it out for? for a few hours, it can be covered with wrap, to keep it from getting too crusty by oxidation, and left at room temp.

I personally would refrigerate it or freeze it, after about 6 hours at most
posted by thelonius at 11:23 PM on August 1, 2011

just make sure it is in an airtight container and it should be fine without refrigeration.
posted by mulligan at 11:27 PM on August 1, 2011

Not necessary unless you're leaving it out for a really long time. The high sugar and low moisture content makes it surprisingly effective for preservation. It will go yucky if you refrigerate.

Fresh from a restaurant? Not sure what this means, but some places will make it from scratch, some will buy it from distributors. If you mean, is it frozen in the restaurant and thawed, the answer is most definitely not.
posted by smoke at 11:27 PM on August 1, 2011

No need to refrigerate. It will keep for longer than a week with a loose cover in my experience (and won't get soggy as long as you clarified your butter).
posted by halogen at 11:43 PM on August 1, 2011

huh, informed.

I figured bacteria would grow well, among the sweet sweet layers of thin pastry

I've seen it left at room temp for days, back when I worked in a Greek-American restaurant, but I assumed that this was another example of their generally slack kitchen discipline
posted by thelonius at 1:30 AM on August 2, 2011

Best answer: I used to buy baklava from an old Lebanese man who would first sprinkle it with rose water ("For love!") and then waggle a finger in my face and say, "DON'T put it in the FRIDGE!". So no, it doesn't need to be refrigerated, and shouldn't be if you want to maintain optimum texture. Baklava is pastry and nuts soaked in honey, and honey is a preservative. Just keep it dry and in a sealed container, away from insects.
posted by embrangled at 1:57 AM on August 2, 2011 [1 favorite]

During 2 whole years in Turkey, I never encountered a family who refrigerated their baklava. Everyone always left it out on the counter, either in it's box, or a plastic container. Mind you, it was rare for a box of baklava to ever last more than 2-3 days without being eaten up :)
posted by hasna at 3:09 AM on August 2, 2011 [1 favorite]

Baklava is the skata.

I've never had it last long enough to need a refrigerator. Or a container. Or a counter to leave it on.
posted by Benny Andajetz at 5:20 AM on August 2, 2011