Phyllo

Fyllo simply means leaf, and the word covers a wider range than the single product sold frozen abroad. Horiatiko, or country phyllo, is thicker, rougher and rolled by hand for savoury pies, giving spanakopita a chewier and more substantial base; the tissue-thin sheets sold for baklava are a machine-made product designed to be layered many times over with butter.

Handling is most of the skill. A block is thawed slowly overnight in the fridge rather than on a warm counter, and once the roll is open the sheets dry to brittle scraps within minutes, so the stack stays under a clean tea towel, lightly dampened, with only one sheet lifted at a time. A tear inside a pie disappears under the next layer and matters far less than beginners fear.

For baklava, the whole tray is cut into portions before it is baked, since cutting a baked tray shatters it. The syrup rule is the other thing to know: one of the two must be cold, so hot syrup goes over a cooled tray or cold syrup over a hot one. Two hot elements meeting produces soggy pastry every time.