Turkish Pastries

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

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

Açma is a type of Turkish pastry characterized by its soft and flaky texture. The soft dough is traditionally twisted and rolled up into a bagel, which can be made in a sweet or savory version. It consists of flour, sugar, salt, yeast, yogu... READ MORE

A type of sweet börek, katmer is a specialty of Gaziantep, or simply Antep – Türkiye's gastronomic capital and a rich melting pot of diverse cultures and cuisines nestled in southeastern Anatolia – an ancient city whose claim... READ MORE

Turkish tulumba is a hot water dough fritter traditionally found in the cuisines of the former Ottoman Empire, particularly throughout the Middle East and the Balkans. Even though tulumba (lit. pump) was named after a special tool used to make it&... 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

Kunāfah consists of two crunchy layers of shredded and buttered kataifi or knefe dough, filled with a luscious cheese cream that's often flavored with orange zest and cardamom, then drenched in a sugar syrup infused with lemon ju... READ MORE

This internationally known, decadent, and sugar-packed dessert is usually made with a mixture of flour, sugar, yeast, and salt, which is deep-fried and then bathed in syrup or honey. The origin of lokma fritters is ancient but often debated. It is... 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

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

Güllaç is a unique Turkish dessert that is the most popular during Ramadan. It consists of numerous layers of thin, cornstarch pastry which is soaked in rosewater-infused milk and stuffed with walnuts, hazelnuts and/or almonds. Gü... READ MORE

Çiğ börek is a börek variety hailing from Türkiye. This börek is especially popular among Türkiye's Tatar community. The dough is made from water, sugar, flour, oil, and salt, while the filling is made with... 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 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

Kol böreği is a Turkish börek variety made with puff pastry that is shaped into a spiral. The pastry is filled with a variety of ingredients such as cheese, spinach, potatoes, or ground meat with pine nuts and currants. The name... READ MORE

Boyoz is a Turkish pastry that was brought over to the country by Sephardic Jewish immigrants from Spain in the late 15th century. Nowadays, it is prepared exclusively in Izmir, following the original recipe. The pastry is made with flour, sunflow... READ MORE

This type of baklava is made with shredded kadayıf dough rolled around ground or whole pistachio nuts. Just like most other baklava varieties, burma (lit. wringed; twisted) is baked, doused in a lemon-flavored syrup, sliced into bite-size... 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

Nokul is a flavorful Turkish pastry that is visually reminiscent of a cinnamon roll. However, nokul consists of flour, salt, sugar, yeast, vegetable oil, and a flavorful poppy seed filling that is dispersed throughout the swirls. The pastry is bak... 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

Hailing from Erzurum, kadayıf dolması is a Turkish dessert made with thin shreds of kadayıf dough that are wrapped around a nut filling. The dough is flattened and stuffed with roughly chopped or ground nuts before it is rolled into small... 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

Kandil simidi is a variety of Turkish simit pastry. It is traditionally prepared and consumed only during the Kandil religious holiday. The dough is made with butter, oil, yogurt, eggs, flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt. Once it has b... READ MORE

Kalburabastı is a typical Turkish dessert consisting of small pastries drenched in a sweet syrup made with water, sugar, and lemon juice. It is especially popular during the Şeker Bayramı holiday. The pastry is usually made with butter, flour, sem... 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

A lighter variation on the classic baklava, sütlü nuriye is made with a hazelnut filling and doused in a milk-based syrup. The origins of this baklava are somewhat vague—while the word sütlü translates to mil... 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

Although the plump and round chestnut baklavas are mostly associated with the city of Bursa and Marmara region, they are a nationwide favorite nevertheless. This delightful treat is made by wrapping phyllo pastry sheets around whole candied chestn... READ MORE

Dilber dudağı is a traditional dessert consisting of layered phyllo pastry filled with nuts and soaked in honey. It's prepared with a combination of milk, hazelnuts and walnuts, eggs, butter, oil, lemon juice, flour, sugar, and baking powder. The ... READ MORE

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

Hanım göbeği is a traditional sweet pastry originating from Turkey. It consists of choux pastry balls that are pressed in the middle to create a dimple, then deep-fried in hot oil and soaked in sugar syrup. The name of this sweet treat means ... READ MORE

Sour cherry baklava is a popular Turkish dish – its refreshing and light fruit filling delivers just enough tartness to serve as a nice contrast to this sugar-laden dessert. Though the sourness of cherries goes hand in hand with the lemon-fl... READ MORE

Called rurki or rurki z kremem in Poland, this sweet specialty is a type of cream roll consisting of thin pastry that’s typically filled with whipped cream or pastry cream. It is often dubbed torpedo dessert due to... READ MORE