Phyllo Pastries

Antakya künefesi is a traditional kunāfah variety hailing from the ancient Turkish city of Antakya, made from shredded phyllo pastry filled with creamy unsalted cheese. The origins of this dish can be traced back to the Ottoman Empire, and to... READ MORE

Trigona panoramatos is a traditional sweet pastry originating from the outskirts of Thessaloniki. These crispy and buttery triangular (cone-shaped) phyllo pastries are typically soaked in syrup and filled with creamy custard. The custard is usuall... READ MORE

Bougatsa is a traditional, rustic Greek pie consisting of a phyllo pastry layered with a filling of semolina custard, although there are variations with minced meat or cheese. The name of the dish is a derivation of the Ottoman word pogatsaREAD MORE

The Bulgarian pie banitsa made with cheese is the main version of this traditional pie. It's made by layering sheets of buttered phyllo pastry with a combination of eggs, yogurt, and cheese such as sirene and feta. There's an optional ingredient i... READ MORE

The ancient Anatolian city of Antep, today known as Gaziantep, is Türkiye's gastronomic capital famous for being home to the world’s finest pistachios and the delicious Antep baklavası. Originally an Ottoman legacy, baklava is regarded ... READ MORE

Zelnik is a traditional North Macedonian pie that can be filled with a variety of different ingredients such as cheese, spinach, eggs, meat, leeks, or cabbage. For the best result, zelnik should be brushed with butter and oil before bakin... READ MORE

The remarkable baklava is a luscious dessert created with layers of thin phyllo dough intertwined with chopped nuts, all doused in a sweet, viscous syrup. The popularity of baklava has long surpassed borders, regions, and ethnic groups to become a... READ MORE

Burek consists of layers of phyllo dough stuffed with various savory fillings. Despite its Turkish origins, this dish has evolved into a proud gem of Bosnian national cuisine. Although most locals claim that only burek with ground beef can be call... READ MORE

Burek sa sirom is a phyllo pastry that is round or coil-shaped and filled with a mixture of cheese and eggs. The dough is made with flour, salt, and water (and perhaps a bit of oil) and stretched into translucent sheets. The sheets of phyllo dough... READ MORE

Paçanga böreği is a Turkish börek variety that's especially popular in the region of Anatolia and in Istanbul, where it's regarded as a traditional Sephardic Jewish specialty of the city. It's made by stuffing yufka or ph... READ MORE

This Turkish sweet is made with a smooth, green, paste-like filling known as fıstık ezmesi (lit. pistachio butter). It is like a pistachio version of marzipan, and its bright green color is all-natural—it comes from the early-harves... READ MORE

This traditional Middle Eastern dessert is often enjoyed on Iftar (a fast-breaking meal) during the holy month of Ramadan. The dish is made with thin sheets of phyllo dough that are wrapped into small elongated rolls while the center is filled wit... READ MORE

Sirnica is a savory Bosnian pie consisting of phyllo dough that is filled with a combination of fresh cow cheese, sour cream, and eggs. Thin sheets of dough, locally known as jufka, are spread with the cheese mixture and the whole pie is ... READ MORE

Börek is a baked dish consisting of a savory or sweet filling wrapped in yufka - thinly stretched sheets of dough made with flour, water, and salt. Heartier than phyllo, but thinner than a tortilla, hand-made yufka is typically brush... READ MORE

Spanakopita is a Greek spinach pie consisting of a buttery, flaky phyllo pastry with a filling of cooked spinach, lemon juice, feta cheese, and sometimes dill. It can be served either as a small snack, an appetizer, or a light main course. Due to ... READ MORE

Tiropita is a popular Greek snack consisting of sheets of phyllo dough that are filled with a combination of cheese (usually feta) and eggs. The dish is typically wrapped in triangular pieces and brushed with melted butter before baking. This tast... READ MORE

This traditional Greek dessert consists of numerous phyllo sheets that are sprinkled with melted butter and coupled with a light semolina custard. When baked and well-chilled, the pastry is traditionally doused in the orange spiced, sugary syrup, ... READ MORE

Tepsi böreği is a popular type of Turkish börek, essentially a savory pastry made by layering sheets of phyllo pastry with a filling. The filling can be almost anything, but typically it will be either seasoned ground beef or lamb with o... READ MORE

This variety of traditional Bosnian pastry (pita) employs potatoes as the star ingredient. The pastry is prepared with thin sheets of phyllo dough, known as jufke, and a filling that combines diced potatoes, seasonings, and (opti... READ MORE

Skopelitiki tiropita is a type of Greek cheese-filled pastry (tiropita) that has been traditionally prepared on the island of Skopelos. The pastry uses local goat milk feta cheese and olive oil from the area of Skopelos for the filling, w... READ MORE

These miniature versions of the popular Bosnian burek consist of phyllo dough that is stuffed with minced meat. They are prepared by rolling thin sheets of dough, locally known as jufke, which are then sprinkled with seasoned min... READ MORE

This baklava variety consists of thin phyllo sheets that are traditionally filled with walnuts, although modern varieties may employ various chopped or ground nuts. The sheets are then rolled and cut into the desired size before they are baked and... READ MORE

Tunisian brik is a popular dish that incorporates flaky dough filled with a variety of savory ingredients. Traditionally, malsouqa dough is used to create brik, but the more available phyllo pastry is commonly used as a replacement. Brik ... READ MORE

Banitsa is a traditional dish made by layering sheets of buttered phyllo pastry with a mixture of eggs, yogurt, and white cheeses like sirene and feta for the simple and classic version of banitsa. Besides the classic cheese filling, this pie can ... READ MORE

Pastizz is Malta's national snack, a phyllo pastry filled with ingredients such as peas, ricotta, anchovies, corned beef, or apples. The thin dough is stretched and rolled with layers of fat in between, which is used to achieve the typical flaky t... READ MORE

Although it is a common sight in countries such as Croatia, Slovenia, and Macedonia, gibanica is mainly associated with Serbia. It is a traditional pie-like dish that combines phyllo dough (occasionally replaced with yeast dough) with a creamy com... READ MORE

This is the only Turkish baklava with a cream-like filling, made by boiling a mixture semolina and a thick clotted cream called kaymak. To make şöbiyet, phyllo dough sheets are cut into squares, brushed with melted butter, and layere... READ MORE

This savory Bosnian pie (pita) consists of thinly rolled phyllo dough that is filled with a combination of blanched spinach, fresh cow cheese, cream, and eggs. The dough is rolled into a thin sheet called jufka, which is then spr... READ MORE

Hortopita, from the Greek words horta, meaning wild greens (also a general term for greens in Greek), and pita, which means pie, is a traditional savory pastry that’s filled with a variety of wild or culti... READ MORE

Boşnak böreği is a type of Turkish börek that's very similar to kol böreği. However, the dough is rolled somewhat thinner and it's traditionally filled with a combination of spinach and cheese. This börek type can also... READ MORE

Jabukovača is a traditional Bosnian apple pie originating from the city of Sarajevo. It is made just like baklava, with the addition of chopped apples. The thin dough is spread with a combination of chopped apples, sugar, vanilla sugar, w... READ MORE

Distinguished by its appealing coiled shape, this traditional North Macedonian pastry consists of a dough (flour, salt, lukewarm water, and oil) that is stretched and pulled into paper-thin sheets. Each sheet is then sprinkled with oil and topped ... READ MORE

Ouzi is a Syrian phyllo pastry pie filled with a mix of lamb, rice, peas and carrots, seasoned with bay leaves, cardamom, nutmeg, cloves, black pepper, and salt. It is served warm with yogurt and fresh salad and is usually followed by a serving of... READ MORE

Masourakia is a traditional dessert hailing from the island of Chios. It consists of buttered phyllo kroustas (thin Greek pastry) that's rolled around a filling of mastic-flavored ypovríchio (a Greek sweet, also known as <... READ MORE

Asawer is prepared with phyllo dough that is rolled and swirled to create a small, round baklava. Before it is rolled, phyllo sheets are occasionally sprinkled with ground nuts, and when baked, this round pastry is doused in rose-flavored sugar sy... READ MORE

Su böreği, which translates to water börek, is a variety of Turkish borek that has a reputation as being one of the most difficult boreks to prepare. It is traditionally filled with cheese and parsley. The dough sheets need to b... READ MORE

The cylindrical sigara böreği is a famous Turkish deep-fried pastry. These small, crispy rolls of thin dough are stuffed with a creamy mixture of cheese and parsley. They are traditionally made with sheets of thin yufka dough, a comm... READ MORE

Tikvenik is a traditional pastry consisting of thin sheets of dough that are filled with grated pumpkin, coarsely ground walnuts, sugar, and cinnamon. This pumpkin dessert is a sweet version of banitsa, a phyllo pastry pie that comes in numerous v... READ MORE

Warbat is a cream or custard filled pastry that is soaked in sugar syrup and decorated with pistachios, almonds, sweet cheese, or walnuts. It is usually prepared in a triangular shape. Although this sweet treat is originally from Jordan, its varie... READ MORE

Bülbül yuvası is a unique Turkish dessert made with phyllo dough that is shaped into rings which are then traditionally filled with ground pistachios, although hazelnuts, almonds, and walnuts can also be added, if desired. After the dess... READ MORE

Gül böreği is a single serving type of börek that's shaped into a spiral or a rose. Yufka or phyllo dough is traditionally stuffed with the most popular fillings: spinach, soft white cheese, potatoes, or ground meat. Once a... READ MORE

Millirahmstrudel, a classic Viennese dessert, is a milk-cream strudel made from phyllo dough with sweet bread, raisins, and cream filling. The strudel is baked in an oven and served warm with hot vanilla sauce. Although the first written recipe fo... READ MORE