If the way to the heart is through the stomach… Three stories from the Kerning Cultures podcast (listen, runtime: 49:00) take the simple topic of baklava and use it to produce something funny and relatable. The history of Harissa al Halaby, one of the oldest pastry shops in Alexandria, may make you want to go immediately to Mahatet El Raml and stroll around with some baklava, or harissa made to a secret 110-year-old recipe, in your hand.

A few unusual facts about the delectable dessert: In Greece a decision was taken thousands of years ago to use 33 sheets of pastry to make baklava, because that was the age to which Jesus. While the Greece-Turkey baklava rivalry is legendary, many countries claim it as their own, including the US — where Texas has its own speciality baklava.