Most pastries have Mediterranean roots, thanks to the Ottoman Empire, which dominated Europe in the 13th century. Even after the fall of the Ottoman Empire, the food and culture of everyday life existed, and its pastries were still served in the French and Spanish royal courts.
Phyllo pastry was commonly used in Greece and because of its mild climate, the readily available supply of nuts and fruit were commonly paired with this pastry. Some of the oldest pastries derived from Greece are baklava, described as a "traditional diamonds and squares packed with walnuts and/or almonds, as well as little phyllo crowns---finger-size shirred cylinders called saraglidakia---filled with pistachios, with dried apricots, with prunes and more (Kochilas, Greek Soul)."
Most commonly used in confections like marzipan, Sicily has been one of the original providers of almond paste. Vincent Schiavelli says, "For centuries, almond paste was Sicily's greatest export, prized as far north as the royal courts of Scandinavia."
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