Baker's Tasty Tribute To Obama: Baracklava

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Nadir Gullu, chef and baklava master of Karakoy Gulluoglu, shows off his portrait of President Obama made of baklava, also known as the Baracklava.

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Nadir Gullu, chef and baklava master of Karakoy Gulluoglu, shows off his portrait of President Obama made of baklava, also known as the Baracklava.

Turks rejoiced when Barack Obama was elected president last November, and he remains a popular figure in predominantly Muslim Turkey. But sentiment has been mixed in Istanbul, as the president winds up his European trip there this weekend.

It's Obama's first visit to a Muslim country since his election. "I think that was a good decision," said financial analyst Burcu Eke. "Because Turkey is like himself — a mixture of cultures. He is like us. So I think he was very right to choose this place."

Others were more wary. Actress Funda Sirinkal said, "I love him because I still don't know him. We will see in time what is going to be."

But perhaps the sweetest expression of Turkey's attitude toward Obama comes from Istanbul's famed bakery, Karakoy Gulluoglu. Bakers there have created a portrait of the president out of baklava. Owner Nadir Gullu said it took five chefs working for two days straight to create the pastry portrait, which they've taken to calling — yes — Baracklava.