This Giant Tray Of Baklava Has Costco Shoppers Divided
The people at @costcobuys on Instagram just found something at Costco that might appeal to lovers of buttery, honey-filled, flaky pastry. We're talking baklava: a dessert that a number of Mediterranean nations claim as their own, including Greece, Turkey, Armenia, and Lebanon. In true Costco fashion, this box of Costco baklava is big and priced right. You get roughly 40 pieces, weighing in at more than one and a half pounds, for $8.99. It's a smaller version of the same baklava brand Costco offered back in October (via Instagram).
The back of the smaller box, shown on the second slide of the March 15 @costcobuys Instagram post, says the product is made in Dubai and is sold in the states by Baklava Made Better. While some commenters were happy to see the brand back on Costco shelves, a number of others strongly disagreed with the claim that this was baklava made better.
People who really knew their baklava didn't like this Costco version
Several Costco fans saw the photo of all that baklava in a box, posted to Instagram by @costcobuys, and reacted with one-word exclamations of joy (while their mouths were watering, no doubt): "Yum," "Love," and "Omgg." Other baklava lovers found more than one word to express themselves: "I want this!!" and the very long-winded, "I wanted to get this yesterday, but I was afraid I would eat the whole thing by myself lol."
It wasn't clear whether all of these people drooling over Costco baklava had actually tried it. Some Instagram commenters who had sampled the brand were suggesting people should run, not walk, away from Baklava Made Better's offerings. "This does not taste good at all," one commenter said. "You need to try authentic baklava from a Middle Eastern or Greek sweet shop." A couple of haters wanted to make it clear they still had love for Costco, though. "Very disappointed that Costco would sell something of this poor quality," a commenter said. Another called this baklava "horrid." "As much as I love Costco, some things just should never be purchased or recommended," they said. "Better to make it yourself or support a local Lebanese, Syrian, Armenian, or Greek bakery."
Sounds like Costco baklava is not the best if you need a sugar fix. It's not pumpkin pie season, either, so maybe just stick with what you know.