View source for Börek

{{short description|Stuffed phyllo pastry}}
{{Italic title}}
{{for-multi|the Dino Merlin album|Burek (album){{!}}''Burek'' (album)|other uses|Borek (disambiguation)}}
{{Unreliable sources|date=June 2021}}
{{Infobox food
|name             = Börek
|image            = Meat_burek_%28GAK_bakery%2C_Belgrade%2C_Serbia%29.jpg 
|alternate_name   = Burek, börek, bourekas, boreg, byrek
|region           = 
|creator          = 
|course           = Tea pastry
|type             = [[Savoury pie]]
|served           =
|main_ingredient  = Flaky pastry (usually filo), various fillings
|variations       = Meat, potatoes, leafy greens, cheese, eggplant, mushrooms
|calories         =
|other            =
|commons          = Commons category:Burek
}}

'''''Börek'''''<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|title=Home : Oxford English Dictionary|url=https://www.oed.com/start;jsessionid=214A0B5E068FCF2739B012D6DAB8F105?authRejection=true&url=%2Fview%2FEntry%2F276195%3FredirectedFrom%3Dborek|access-date=2021-09-25|website=www.oed.com|language=en|archive-date=2021-09-25|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210925085850/https://www.oed.com/start;jsessionid=214A0B5E068FCF2739B012D6DAB8F105?authRejection=true&url=%2Fview%2FEntry%2F276195%3FredirectedFrom%3Dborek|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite web|title=BOREK {{!}} Definition of BOREK by Oxford Dictionary on Lexico.com also meaning of BOREK|url=https://www.lexico.com/definition/borek|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210916204411/https://www.lexico.com/definition/borek|url-status=dead|archive-date=September 16, 2021|access-date=2021-09-25|website=Lexico Dictionaries {{!}} English|language=en}}</ref> or '''burek''' or '''byrek''' is a family of pastries or pies made in the Middle East and the Balkans. The pastry is made of a thin flaky [[dough]] such as [[filo]] with a variety of fillings, such as meat, cheese, spinach, or potatoes. A borek may be prepared in a large pan and cut into portions after baking, or as individual pastries. They are usually baked but some varieties can be fried. Borek is sometimes sprinkled with [[sesame]] or [[nigella seed]]s, and it can be served hot or cold.

Throughout the Balkan peninsula and in Turkey, it is commonly served with [[ayran]] or [[yogurt]]. It is a custom of [[Sephardic Jews]] to have ''[[bourekas]]'' for their [[Shabbat]] breakfast meal on Saturday mornings.

==Origin and names==
The English name ''borek''<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" /> comes from [[Turkish language|Turkish]] {{lang|tr|börek}} (<small>Turkish pronunciation:</small> [[Help:IPA/Turkish|[bœˈɾec]]], [[Ottoman Turkish|Ottoman]] {{Lang|ota|بورك}}), while ''burek'' is used in the countries of the [[Yugoslavia#New states|former Yugoslavia]]. Forms in other languages include: {{langx|sq|byrek}}; {{langx|el|μπουρέκι|bouréki}}; {{langx|bg|Бюрек|byurek}}; {{langx|arq|بُريك|bourek}} and {{lang|arq-Latn|brick annabi}}; and {{langx|aeb-Latn|[[brik]]}}.{{Cn|date=March 2025}}

According to [[lexicographer]] [[Sevan Nişanyan]], the Turkish word {{Lang|tr|börek}} is ultimately originated from [[Turkic languages|Turkic]] {{Lang|tr|bögrek}}, from ''[[:wikt:böğür|böğür]]'' (meaning 'kidney').<ref name=nisanyan>{{cite web |last1=Nişanyan |first1=Sevan |title=börek - Nişanyan Sözlük |url=https://www.nisanyansozluk.com/kelime/b%C3%B6rek |website=Nişanyan Sözlük |access-date=15 April 2023 |archive-date=23 August 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230823052229/https://www.nisanyansozluk.com/kelime/b%C3%B6rek |url-status=live }}</ref> Nişanyan noted that the word is also used in [[Siberian Turkic languages]] such as [[Yakut language|Saqa]] as ''börüök''.<ref name="nisanyan" /> According to another theory, it may have come from the [[Persian language|Persian]] {{Transliteration|fa|burak}} ({{Lang|fa|بورک}}), the diminutive form of {{Transliteration|fa|būra}} or {{Transliteration|fa|buġra}} or ({{Lang|fa|بوره/بغره}}), meaning "stew", and refers to any dish made with ''[[filo|yufka]]'' (filo).{{Citation needed|date=April 2023}} The Persian word {{Transliteration|fa|bureh}} goes back to the [[Middle Persian]] *bōrak. This word ultimately goes back to the [[Proto-Indo-European]] root [[wikt:Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/bʰer-|*bher-]] which meant "to carve, cut, split".<ref name=":2">Hạsandūst, Muhạmmad. 2014.Hassandust, Mohammad. 2015. [https://www.biblioiranica.info/a-new-etymological-dictionary-of-persian-language/ The etymological dictionary of Persian] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220128070250/https://www.biblioiranica.info/a-new-etymological-dictionary-of-persian-language/|date=2022-01-28}}. 5 Vols. Tehran: Academy of Persian Language and Literature. vol. 1 p.529.(Farhang-i rīšašināḫtī-i zabān-i Fārsī Ǧild 2 Ǧild 1. s.529)</ref> The name of another pastry, [[shekarbura]], is also borrowed from the same Persian word.<ref name=":2" /> Nişanyan noted the possibility of Turkic origin for the Persian word.<ref name = "Nişanyan">Nişanyan – Türkçe Etimolojik Sözlük: [https://www.nisanyansozluk.com/?k=b%C3%B6rek&view=annotated börek] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210426165202/https://www.nisanyansozluk.com/?k=b%C3%B6rek&view=annotated |date=2021-04-26 }}. accessed: 26 April 2021.</ref>

One theory posits that the dish in general is a descendant of the pre-existing [[Byzantine cuisine|Eastern Roman (Byzantine)]] dish ''en tyritas plakountas'' ([[Byzantine Greek]]: {{Lang|grc|εν τυρίτας πλακούντας}}) "cheesy placenta", itself a descendant of ''[[placenta (food)|placenta]]'', the classical baked layered dough and cheese dish of [[Ancient Greek cuisine|Ancient Greek]], [[Ancient Roman cuisine|Ancient Roman]] and [[Byzantine cuisine]].<ref name="books.google.com" /><ref name="faas" /><ref name="Speros Vryonis 1971, p. 482" /><ref>{{Cite book |last1=Moudiotis |first1=George |title=Traditional Greek Cooking: A Memoir with Recipes |date=1998 |publisher=Garnet |isbn=9781859641170}}</ref>

Some types of borek could possibly have been prepared in [[Turkish cuisine]], according to this theory, they have been developed in [[Central Asia]] before some westward migration to [[Anatolia]] in the late Middle Ages,<ref name="AHBADADDED" /><ref name="Perry, Charles 1994" /> or by nomadic Turks of Central Asia some time before the seventh century.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.historytoday.com/archive/historians-cookbook/history-borek|title=A History of Börek|last=Lee|first=Alexander|date=9 September 2019|website=History Today|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190917104220/https://www.historytoday.com/archive/historians-cookbook/history-borek|archive-date=17 September 2019|access-date=17 September 2019}}</ref>

The dish was a popular element of [[Ottoman cuisine]], and may have been present at the Ottoman court,<ref>''[[Oxford Companion to Food]]'', ''s.v.''</ref><ref name=AHBADADDED>{{Cite book|last1=Algar|first1=Ayla Esen |year=1985|title=The Complete Book of Turkish Cooking|publisher=Kegan Paul International |isbn=0-7103-0334-3}}</ref> though there are also indications it was made among Central Asian Turks;<ref name="Perry, Charles 1994">Perry, Charles. "The Taste for Layered Bread among the Nomadic Turks and the Central Asian Origins of Baklava", in ''A Taste of Thyme: Culinary Cultures of the Middle East'' (ed. Sami Zubaida, Richard Tapper), 1994, {{ISBN|1-86064-603-4}}.</ref> other versions may date to the [[Classical antiquity|Classical era]] of the eastern Mediterranean.<ref name="books.google.com">{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jYa3J6xrjt4C&q=koptoplakous&pg=PA184|title=Food in Motion: The Migration of Foodstuffs and Cookery Techniques : Proceedings : Oxford Symposium 1983|first=Alan|last=Davidson|date=30 November 1983|publisher=Oxford Symposium|isbn=9780907325161|via=Google Books|access-date=2 October 2020|archive-date=26 January 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220126140838/https://books.google.com/books?id=jYa3J6xrjt4C&q=koptoplakous&pg=PA184|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=faas>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=YXGlAr17oekC|title=Around the Roman Table: Food and Feasting in Ancient Rome|first=Patrick|last=Faas|date=April 19, 2005|publisher=University of Chicago Press|isbn=9780226233475|via=Google Books|access-date=September 21, 2016|archive-date=July 30, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160730151401/https://books.google.com/books?id=YXGlAr17oekC|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Speros Vryonis 1971, p. 482">Speros Vryonis ''The Decline of Medieval Hellenism in Asia Minor'', 1971, p. 482</ref>

One alternative etymological origin that has been suggested is that the word comes from the [[Turkic languages|Turkic]] root ''bur-'' 'to twist', <ref>Tietze, Türkisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, Band I, Ankara/Wien</ref><ref>{{cite web| author = Ahmet Toprak| url = https://www.angelfire.com/in/turkey/dil03.html#doguavrupa| title = Articles on Turkish language| access-date = 2015-01-27| id = late 1980s| archive-date = 2010-04-11| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20100411031518/http://www.angelfire.com/in/turkey/dil03.html#doguavrupa| url-status = live}}</ref> but the sound harmony for this proposal would dictate the suffix "-aq",<ref>Э.В. Севортян, Этимологический Словарь Тюркских Языков, Том Б, Москва 1978</ref> and Turkic languages in Arabic orthography invariably write {{Lang|tr|börek}} with an ك not an ق, which weighs against this origin.{{Cn|date=March 2025}}

==Regional variants==
{{More citations needed section|date=March 2025}}
Even though borek is very popular in the cuisines of the former Ottoman Empire,<ref>{{Cite web|title=A History of Börek {{!}} History Today|url=https://www.historytoday.com/archive/historians-cookbook/history-borek|access-date=2021-01-14|website=www.historytoday.com|archive-date=2019-09-17|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190917104220/https://www.historytoday.com/archive/historians-cookbook/history-borek|url-status=live}}</ref> especially in [[North African cuisine|North Africa]] and throughout the [[Balkan cuisine|Balkans]],<ref>{{Cite web|title=Try This Traditional Savory Slavic Rolled Burek (Borek) Recipe|url=https://www.thespruceeats.com/traditional-yugoslavian-rolled-burek-borek-recipe-1805900|access-date=2021-01-14|website=The Spruce Eats|language=en|archive-date=2021-01-26|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210126121537/https://www.thespruceeats.com/traditional-yugoslavian-rolled-burek-borek-recipe-1805900|url-status=live}}</ref> it originated in [[Anatolia]]. Borek is also part of [[Mizrahi Jewish cuisine|Mizrahi]] and [[Sephardic Jewish cuisine|Sephardic]] Jewish traditions.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Haber, Joel|date=2020-06-04|title=The Unknown Jewish History of Bourekas|url=http://www.tasteofjew.com/the-unknown-jewish-history-of-bourekas/|access-date=2021-01-14|website=The Taste of Jewish Culture|language=en-US|archive-date=2020-12-04|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201204031759/http://www.tasteofjew.com/the-unknown-jewish-history-of-bourekas/|url-status=live}}</ref> They have been adopted by the Ottoman Jewish communities, and have been described—along with [[boyoz|boyos de pan]] and ''bulemas''—as forming "the trio of preeminent Ottoman Jewish pastries".<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ojc4Uker_V0C&q=bourekas+boyos+bulemas&pg=PA62|title=Encyclopedia of Jewish Food|first=Gil|last=Marks|date=17 November 2010|publisher=Wiley|isbn=9780470943540|via=Google Books|access-date=2 October 2020|archive-date=26 January 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220126150209/https://books.google.com/books?id=ojc4Uker_V0C&q=bourekas+boyos+bulemas&pg=PA62|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Turkish variants===
{{stack|[[File:Su Böreği.JPG|thumb|A tray of su ''böreği'' from [[Turkish cuisine]]]]}}

The word ''börek'' in Turkish can be modified by a descriptive word referring to the shape, ingredients of the pastry, or a specific region where it is typically prepared, as in the above ''kol böreği'', ''su böreği'', ''talaş böreği'' or ''Sarıyer böreği''. There are many variations of börek in Turkish cuisine:

{|class="wikitable sortable" 
!Name
!English name
!Description
!Notes
|-
|''[[Su böreği]]'' 
|Boiled börek; lit. water börek
|Sheets of dough are boiled briefly in large pans, then a mixture of feta cheese and greens, or other börek filling. The whole thing is brushed with butter and baked in a [[masonry oven]].
|<ref>{{cite web|title=Water pastry with feta and kale (su böreği)|date=16 December 2019|url=https://www.sbs.com.au/food/recipes/water-pastry-feta-and-kale-su-boregi|access-date=1 October 2021|archive-date=1 October 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211001042625/https://www.sbs.com.au/food/recipes/water-pastry-feta-and-kale-su-boregi|url-status=live}}</ref>
|-
|'''''Sigara böreği''''' 
|Filo rolls, lit. 'cigarette börek'
| Feta cheese, wiener, potato or other filling wrapped in yufka filo and deep-fried
|<ref>{{Cite web|title=Turkish-Style Lamb Boreks Recipe|url=https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1018576-turkish-style-lamb-boreks|access-date=2021-01-14|website=NYT Cooking|language=en-US|archive-date=2021-03-04|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210304125424/https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1018576-turkish-style-lamb-boreks|url-status=live}}</ref> 
|-
|''[[Paçanga böreği]]''
|Pachanga pastry
|Yufka is filled with [[pastırma]] or [[kaşar]], finely diced tomato and green peppers then rolled and fried in oil, may be eaten as a [[meze]].
|
|-
|''Talaş böreği'' or ''Nemse böreği''
|Lit. sawdust pastry
|Small square börek mostly filled with lamb cubes and green peas, that has starchier yufka sheets, making it puffy and crispy.
|<ref>{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=|title=Çıtır çıtır ağızda dağılan etli talaş böreği tarifi|url=https://www.milliyet.com.tr/yemek/tarif/talas-boregi-tarifi-6279036|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210413192337/https://www.milliyet.com.tr/pembenar/citir-citir-agizda-dagilan-talas-boregi-tarifi-6279036 |archive-date=2021-04-13|access-date=|website=www.milliyet.com.tr}}</ref>
|-
|''[[Kol böreği]]''
|Lit. 'arm börek' 
|prepared in long rolls, either rounded or lined, and filled with either minced meat, feta cheese, spinach or potato and baked at a low temperature.
|<ref>{{Cite web|date=2013-11-26|title=Spinach and Feta Cheese Börek|url=https://foolproofliving.com/spinach-and-feta-cheese-borek/|access-date=2021-01-14|website=Foolproof Living|language=en-US|archive-date=2020-11-13|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201113174744/https://foolproofliving.com/spinach-and-feta-cheese-borek/|url-status=live}}</ref>
|-
|''[[Sarıyer böreği]]''
|Sarıyer pastry
|A smaller and a little fattier version of the "Kol böreği", named after Sarıyer, a district of [[Istanbul]].
|<ref>{{Cite web|date=2020-06-01|title=Bir asırlık lezzet klasiği: Sarıyer böreği|url=https://www.gastrofests.com/bir-asirlik-lezzet-klasigi-sariyer-boregi/|access-date=2021-01-14|website=GastroFests|language=tr|archive-date=2020-04-03|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200403075836/https://www.gastrofests.com/bir-asirlik-lezzet-klasigi-sariyer-boregi/|url-status=live}}</ref>
|-
|''Gül böreği''
|Rose börek, round börek, spiral börek
|rolled into small spirals
|
|-
|''[[Çiğ börek]]''
|Chebureki
| Half-moon shaped börek, filled with a very thin layer of raw minced meat and onion filling and fried in oil, very popular in places with a thriving [[Tatars|Tatar]] community, such as [[Eskişehir]], [[Polatlı]] and [[Konya]]
|<ref>{{Cite web|title=title|url=https://www.eosb.org.tr/eng/m/psayfa.php?id=11|access-date=2021-01-14|website=www.eosb.org.tr|archive-date=2021-04-12|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210412075506/https://www.eosb.org.tr/eng/m/psayfa.php?id=11|url-status=live}}</ref>
|-
|''Töbörek'' 
|
|Another Tatar variety, similar to a ''çiğ börek'', but baked instead of fried
|<ref>{{Cite web|title=Masonry oven|url=https://www.etutor.pl/slownik-angielskiego?q=brick+oven&popupmode=etutor|url-status=live|access-date=2021-01-14|website=www.etutor.pl|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210421082103/https://www.etutor.pl/slownik-angielskiego?q=brick+oven&popupmode=etutor |archive-date=2021-04-21 }}</ref>{{better source needed|date=October 2021}}
|-
|''[[Laz böreği]]''
|
|Sweet börek filled with [[muhallebi]] (Ottoman-style milk pudding or [[custard]]) and served sprinkled with powdered sugar
|<ref>{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=27 April 2018|title=Laz Böreği (Baklavalık Yufkadan)|url=https://www.nefisyemektarifleri.com/laz-boregi-baklavalik-yufkadan/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151216010006/http://www.nefisyemektarifleri.com:80/laz-boregi-baklavalik-yufkadan/ |archive-date=2015-12-16 |access-date=|website=www.nefisyemektarifleri.com}}</ref>{{self-published inline|date=June 2021}}
|-
|''Kürt Böreği''
|
|Similar to Laz böreği, without the [[custard]] filling. It is also called ''sade'' (plain) börek and served with fine powdered sugar
|<ref>{{Cite web|date=2013-02-16|title=Laz Böregi Custard Pie with Filo {{!}} When Feta Met Olive|url=https://whenfetametolive.com/laz-boregi-custard-pie-filo/|access-date=2021-01-14|language=en-CA|archive-date=2021-04-01|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210401024955/https://whenfetametolive.com/laz-boregi-custard-pie-filo/|url-status=live}}</ref>
|}

===Balkans===
[[File:Burek trokut 3.png|thumb|Round burek filled with minced meat as made in former Yugoslav countries]]
[[File:Arnavut_böreği.jpg|thumb|Byrek in [[Albania]]]]
[[File:Motani burek 1.gif|thumb|Bosnian rolled burek]]
In the [[former Yugoslavia]], '''burek''', also known as ''pita'' in [[Bosnia and Herzegovina]], is an extremely common dish, made with yufka.<ref name="Parker Bowles 2012 224">{{cite book|last=Parker Bowles|first=Tom|title=The World's Best Street Food|year=2012|publisher=Lonely Planet|isbn=978-1-74220-593-9|pages=224|url=http://shop.lonelyplanet.com/world/worlds-best-street-food|access-date=2012-03-01|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120229012148/http://shop.lonelyplanet.com/world/worlds-best-street-food|archive-date=2012-02-29|url-status=dead}}</ref> This kind of pastry is also popular in [[Croatia]], where it was imported by [[Croats of Bosnia and Herzegovina]] and [[Albanians]]. In Serbia, Albania, Kosovo, Croatia, Montenegro and North Macedonia, ''burek'' is made from layers of dough, alternating with layers of other fillings in a circular baking pan and then topped with a last layer of dough. Traditionally, it may be baked with no filling (''prazan'', meaning empty), with stewed minced meat and onions, or with cheese. Modern bakeries offer cheese and spinach, meat, apple, sour cherries, potato, mushroom, and other fillings. It is often eaten along with a plain yoghurt drink.

[[Ispanaklı Selanik Böreği|Zeljanica]] is a spinach or chard based burek common throughout the Balkans.

==== Albania and Kosovo ====
In Albania, this dish is called {{Lang|sq|byrek}}. In Kosovo and few other regions, byrek is also known as "pite". Byrek is traditionally made with several layers of dough that have been thinly rolled out by hand. The final form can be small, individual triangles, especially from street vendors called "byrektore" which sell byrek and other traditional pastries and drinks.  It can also be made as one large byrek that is cut into smaller pieces. There are different regional variations of byrek. It can be served cold or hot.
[[File:Albanian triangle byrek.jpg|thumb|Albanian triangle byrek]]
The most common fillings include: cheese (especially ''gjizë'', salted [[curd]] cheese), ground meat and onions ([[ragù]]-style filling), [[spinach]] and eggs, milk and eggs with pre-baked dough layers, it can also be made with tomato and onions, peppers and beans, potato or a sweet filling of [[pumpkin]], [[Stinging nettle|nettles]] (known as ''byrek me hithra''), or kidney beans (''byrek me fasule'') which is popular in winter.<ref name="drivemefoody">{{cite web|url=https://drivemefoody.com/en/albanian-food-10-dishes/|title=An introduction to Albanian food in 10 dishes|website=drivemefoody.com|date=21 June 2020 |access-date=2020-07-14|archive-date=2021-11-30|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211130183309/https://drivemefoody.com/en/albanian-food-10-dishes/|url-status=live}}</ref>

There are mainly two categories of Albanian Byrek. The house byrek ''(byrek shtëpie)'' and triangle byrek (byrek trekendësh), the latter being mostly used as [[street food]].

''[[Lakror]]'' is an Albanian pie dish from southern Albania. The pie is sometimes called a type of byrek pastry.<ref name="Thomaj648">{{cite book|last=Thomaj|first=Jan|title=Fjalor i shqipes së sotme: me rreth 34.000 fjalë|year=2002|publisher=Botimet Toena|isbn=9789992716076|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2j4_AQAAIAAJ&q=lakror|page=648|access-date=2021-02-11|archive-date=2021-03-02|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210302052933/https://books.google.com/books?id=2j4_AQAAIAAJ&q=lakror|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Ahmeti197">{{cite thesis|last=Ahmeti|first=Sharon|date=2017|title=Albanian Muslims in Secular, Multicultural Australia|type=Ph.D.|publisher=University of Aberdeen|url=https://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.723248|access-date=1 December 2020|page=197|archive-date=23 January 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210123170344/https://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.723248|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Gale18"/> Lakror is generally filled with a variety of greens or meats.<ref name="Gale18">{{cite book|last=|first=|title=Reference Library of European America (Volume III) Countries Albania to Italy|year=1998|publisher=Gale Research|isbn=978-0787629663|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=EoP6993Cp44C&q=lakror|page=18|access-date=2021-02-11|archive-date=2021-03-02|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210302053001/https://books.google.com/books?id=EoP6993Cp44C&q=lakror|url-status=live}}</ref> Another related dish is ''[[Flia|Fli]]'', typical from the North of Albania and Kosovo. It is made up of layers of a flour and water batter, cream and butter. Traditionally, it is baked on embers like lakror.<ref name="drivemefoody"/>

==== Bosnia and Herzegovina ====

In 2012, [[Lonely Planet]] included the Bosnian burek in their "The World's Best [[Street food|Street Food]]" book.<ref name="Parker Bowles 2012 224"/><ref>{{cite news|last=Johnson|first=Richard|title=The world's best street food|url=https://www.theguardian.com/travel/2012/feb/24/worlds-best-street-food-lonely-planet|newspaper=The Guardian|access-date=1 March 2012|location=London|date=2012-02-24|archive-date=2018-11-16|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181116130435/https://www.theguardian.com/travel/2012/feb/24/worlds-best-street-food-lonely-planet|url-status=live}}</ref> Eaten for any meal of the day, in Bosnia and Herzegovina the burek is a meat-filled pastry, traditionally rolled in a spiral and cut into sections for serving. The same spiral filled with cottage cheese is called ''sirnica'', with spinach and cheese ''zeljanica'', with potatoes ''krompiruša'', and all of them are generically referred to as ''pita''. [[Egg (food)|Eggs]] are used as a binding agent when making ''sirnica'' and ''zeljanica''.

==== Bulgaria and North Macedonia ====
The [[Bulgarian cuisine|Bulgarian]] version of the pastry, locally called {{Transliteration|bg|byurek}} ([[Cyrillic]]: {{Lang|bg|бюрек}}), is typically regarded as a variation of ''[[banitsa]]'' ({{Lang|bg|баница}}), a similar Bulgarian dish. Bulgarian byurek is a type of ''banitsa'' with ''[[sirene]]'' cheese, the difference being that byurek also has eggs added.<ref name=bgsr>{{cite web |url=http://liternet.bg/publish10/civanova/kulinarnite.htm |title=Кулинарните недоразумения на българско-сръбската езикова граница |language=bg |publisher=Liternet |last=Иванова |first=Ценка |access-date=2007-02-08 |archive-date=2007-03-10 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070310132049/http://liternet.bg/publish10/civanova/kulinarnite.htm |url-status=live }}</ref>

In Bulgarian, ''byurek'' has also come to be applied to other dishes similarly prepared with cheese and eggs, such as ''chushka byurek'' ({{Lang|bg|чушка бюрек}}), a peeled and roasted pepper filled with cheese, and ''tikvichka byurek'' ({{Lang|bg|тиквичка бюрек}}), blanched or uncooked bits of [[squash (plant)|squash]] with eggs filling.<ref name=bgsr/>

==== Greece ====
[[File:Bougatsa.jpg|thumb|A photo of bougatsa, a Greek variant of borek]]
In [[Greece]], ''boureki'' or ''bourekaki'', and [[Cyprus]] ''poureki'' ({{Lang|el|πουρέκι}}, in the Greek dialects of the island) are small pastries made with [[phyllo]] dough or with pastry crust. Pastries in the börek family are also called ''pita'' (pie): ''[[tiropita]]'', ''[[spanakopita]]'', and so on.<ref>Zane, Eva (1992). ''Greek Cooking for the Gods''. Santa Rosa, California:  The Cole Group.  {{ISBN|978-1-56426-501-2}}.</ref> [[Galaktoboureko]] is a syrupy phyllo pastry filled with custard, common throughout Greece and Cyprus. In the [[Epirus (region)|Epirus]], σκερ-μπουρέκ is a small [[rosewater]]-flavoured [[marzipan]] sweet. Bougatsa ([[Greek language|Greek]] is a Greek variation of a borek which consists of either [[semolina]] [[custard]], [[cheese]], or [[Ground meat|minced meat]] filling between layers of phyllo, and is said to originate in the city of [[Serres]], an art of pastry brought with the immigrants from [[Constantinople]] and is most popular in [[Thessaloniki]], in the [[Central Macedonia]] region of Northern Greece.<ref>{{cite web|title=Η ιστορία της μπουγάτσας|url=https://www.thessalonikiartsandculture.gr/blog/texnopersona/i-istoria-tis-bougatsas/|access-date=2021-07-15|website=Thessalonikiartsandculture.gr|language=el|archive-date=2020-12-02|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201202193707/https://www.thessalonikiartsandculture.gr/blog/texnopersona/i-istoria-tis-bougatsas/|url-status=live}}</ref> Serres achieved the record for the largest [[puff pastry]] on 1 June 2008. It weighed {{Convert|182.2|kg|abbr=on}}, was {{Convert|20|m}} long, and was made by more than 40 bakers.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Largest Bougatsa|url=https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/largest-bougatsa|url-status=live|access-date=July 16, 2021|website=Guinness World Records|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160919141508/http://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/largest-bougatsa |archive-date=2016-09-19 }}</ref> In [[Ionian Islands under Venetian rule|Venetian]] [[Corfu]], boureki was also called ''burriche'',<ref>{{cite web|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=YphIAQAAIAAJ&q=burricche|title=Oriente moderno|date=30 November 2017|publisher=Istituto per l'oriente.|via=Google Books|access-date=21 September 2016|archive-date=26 January 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220126153749/https://books.google.com/books?id=YphIAQAAIAAJ&q=burricche|url-status=live}}</ref> and filled with [[meat]] and [[leafy greens]]. The [[Pontian Greek]] [[Piroshki#The Balkans|piroski]] (πιροσκί) derives its name from borek too.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.kopiaste.info/2008/06/piroski/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120308080540/http://www.kopiaste.info/?p=345 |url-status=dead |title=Πιροσκί|last=Ivy|date=June 21, 2008|archive-date=March 8, 2012|website=Κοπιάστε .. στην Κουζίνα μου}}</ref> It is almost identical in name and form to pirozhki (Russian: пирожки), which is of Slavic origin, and popular in Russia and further east.

==== Serbia ====

The recipe for "round" burek was developed in the Serbian town of [[Niš]]. In 1498, it was introduced by a famous Turkish baker, Mehmed Oğlu, from Istanbul.<ref>{{cite news |first = M. |last = Doderović |title = Draži burek nego "Mek" |url = http://arhiva.glas-javnosti.rs/arhiva/2004/07/08/srpski/N04070701.shtml |work = [[Glas Javnosti]] |publisher = Glas Javnosti |date = 2004-07-08 |access-date = 2006-09-06 |language = sr |archive-date = 2012-03-03 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120303094205/http://arhiva.glas-javnosti.rs/arhiva/2004/07/08/srpski/N04070701.shtml |url-status = live}}</ref> Eventually burek spread from the southeast (southern Serbia, Kosovo and North Macedonia) to the rest of Yugoslavia. Niš hosts an annual burek competition and festival called ''Buregdžijada''. In 2005, a 100&nbsp;kg (220&nbsp;lbs) burek was made, with a diameter of 2 metres (≈6&nbsp;ft)<ref>{{cite news |first = D. |last = K. |title = Slistili i burek od 100 kila |url = http://arhiva.glas-javnosti.rs/arhiva/2005/09/05/srpski/N05090402.shtml |work = [[Glas Javnosti]] |publisher = Glas Javnosti |date = 2005-09-05 |access-date = 2006-09-06 |language = sr |archive-date = 2012-03-03 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120303094514/http://arhiva.glas-javnosti.rs/arhiva/2005/09/05/srpski/N05090402.shtml |url-status = live}}</ref> and it is considered to have been the world's biggest burek ever made.<ref>{{cite news |title=U Nišu okupljeni ljubitelji bureka... |url=http://www.revijauno.co.rs/clanak.php?uno=129&id=3 |work=Revija UNO 129 |publisher=NIP "Druga kuća" |access-date=2006-09-06 |language=sr |archive-date=2012-03-15 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120315151524/http://www.revijauno.co.rs/clanak.php?uno=129&id=3 |url-status=live}}</ref>{{better source needed|date=November 2020}}

==== Slovenia ====
In Slovenia, burek is a recognizable and widely available fast food, particularly among students and in urban nightlife settings. While it enjoys popularity in certain contexts, it also carries complex cultural associations linked to its Balkan origins, and is not universally embraced as part of mainstream Slovenian cuisine.<ref>{{cite book |url=http://dk.fdv.uni-lj.si/diplomska/pdfs/rudovic-zvanut-bojana.pdf |title=Pomeni bureka v Sloveniji: diplomska naloga |trans-title=The Meanings of Burek in Slovenia: Diploma Thesis |language=sl, en |first=Bojana |last=Rudovič Žvanut |year=2010 |publisher=Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Ljubljana |access-date=2011-01-31 |archive-date=2011-01-24 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110124151110/http://dk.fdv.uni-lj.si/diplomska/pdfs/rudovic-zvanut-bojana.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref>

==== Moldova and Romania ====
The regional cuisine of the [[Moldova|Moldavian]] West bank of the [[Pruth]] still yields a type of dumpling-like food called ''burechiuşe'' (sometimes called ''burechiţe'') which is described as dough in the shape of a ravioli-like square which is filled with mushrooms such as [[Boletus edulis]], and sealed around its edges and then tossed and subsequently boiled in [[borscht]] like soups<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.gazetadeagricultura.info/dezvoltare-rurala/obiceiuri-si-traditii/12298-credinte-si-traditii-de-ajun-si-craciun.html |title=Credinte si traditii de Ajun si Craciun |access-date=2022-09-28 |archive-date=2022-09-28 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220928125636/https://www.gazetadeagricultura.info/dezvoltare-rurala/obiceiuri-si-traditii/12298-credinte-si-traditii-de-ajun-si-craciun.html |url-status=live }}</ref> or [[chorba]]s.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_vQuvjcXAgIg/TFrHKMvx6bI/AAAAAAAAAqI/H1WJHV6EyMk/s1600/Retete+traditionale+0004.JPG|title=Photo of a plate with "ciorba de burchite"|access-date=2012-03-05|archive-date=2014-03-27|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140327073604/http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_vQuvjcXAgIg/TFrHKMvx6bI/AAAAAAAAAqI/H1WJHV6EyMk/s1600/Retete+traditionale+0004.JPG|url-status=live}}</ref>{{bcn|date=July 2024}} They are traditionally eaten in the last day of fasting at the time of the [[Christmas Eve]]. It is not clear if the ''burechiuşe'' derive their name from the Turco-Greek ''börek'' (which is a distinct possibility given the fact that Moldavia was ruled for many decades by dynasties of Greek [[Phanariote]]s and that encouraged Greek colonists to settle in the area), so at the receiving end of cultural and culinary influences coming from them, or it takes its name from that of the mushroom [[Boletus]] (''burete'' in its Romanian language rhotacised version, and it meant "mushroom" as well as "sponge") by the pattern of the [[ravioli]], which were named after the Italian name of the [[turnip]] with which they were once filled.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://etimo.it/?cmd=id&id=2403&md=5938c3ae8e79e3cdb880a55a0cd8edc7|title=Etimologia : boleto;|website=etimo.it|access-date=2012-03-05|archive-date=2012-05-22|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120522214401/http://etimo.it/?cmd=id&id=2403&md=5938c3ae8e79e3cdb880a55a0cd8edc7|url-status=live}}</ref>

In Romania, the [[plăcintă]] is considered a variation of the phyllo-wrapped pie, with the dough traditionally stuffed with cheese.<ref>{{cite book |last1=McWilliams |first1=Mark |title=Wrapped & Stuffed Foods: Proceedings of the Oxford Symposium on Food and Cookery 2012 |date=2013 |publisher=Oxford Symposium |isbn=9781903018996 |page=238 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MD0QDgAAQBAJ&pg=PT237 |access-date=2022-11-10 |archive-date=2022-11-10 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221110173052/https://books.google.com/books?id=MD0QDgAAQBAJ&pg=PT237 |url-status=live }}</ref> In [[Dobruja]], an eastern territory that used to be a Turkish province, one can find both the Turkish influence—plăcintă dobrogeană either filled with cheese or with minced meat and served with sheep yoghurt or the Tatar street food Suberek—a deep-fried half-moon cheese-filled dough.

===Other countries===
==== Algeria ====
{{Main|Algerian Bourek}}
[[File:Bourekalgerien.jpg|thumb|Algerian bourek pastry]]

In [[Algeria]], this dish is called ''[[Algerian Bourek|bourek]]'', a roll of pastry sheet stuffed with meat, onions, and spice, is one of the main appetizers of Algerian cuisine.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Algeria: Increase availability of vaccinations for livestock |url=https://www.worldfoodprize.org/documents/filelibrary/images/youth_programs/research_papers/2016_papers/CentraliaHS_KChrisman_MO_5F4C95077EF33.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211228002338/https://www.worldfoodprize.org/documents/filelibrary/images/youth_programs/research_papers/2016_papers/CentraliaHS_KChrisman_MO_5F4C95077EF33.pdf |archive-date=2021-12-28}}</ref>

It is a starter served when receiving guests and especially during Ramadan evenings during the round meal of the holy month, usually accompanied by Algerian Chorba or [[Harira]]. Other forms include bourek packed with chicken and onions, shrimp and [[béchamel sauce]], or a [[Vegetarian cuisine|vegetarian]] alternative usually made of mashed potatoes and spinach.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Osman |first1=Farhana |last2=Haldar |first2=Sumanto |last3=Henry |first3=Christiani Jeyakumar |date=2020-08-17 |title=Effects of Time-Restricted Feeding during Ramadan on Dietary Intake, Body Composition and Metabolic Outcomes |journal=Nutrients |language=en |volume=12 |issue=8 |pages=2478 |doi=10.3390/nu12082478 |issn=2072-6643 |pmc=7468808 |pmid=32824528 |doi-access=free}}</ref>

Another Algerian variant of Bourek is called Brik or Brika, a speciality of Algeria's east,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Marin Wagda |date=2003 |title=Bricks, boureks et briouates |url=https://www.persee.fr/docAsPDF/homig_1142-852x_2003_num_1245_1_4076.pdf }}{{Dead link|date=September 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last=BENAYOUN |first=JOËLLE ALLOUCHE |date=1983 |title=Les pratiques culinaires: lieux de mémoire, facteur d'identité |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/41285309 |journal=La Rassegna Mensile di Israel |volume=49 |issue=9/12 |pages=615–637 |jstor=41285309 |issn=0033-9792 |access-date=2022-02-04 |archive-date=2022-02-04 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220204195153/https://www.jstor.org/stable/41285309 |url-status=live }}</ref> notably [[Annaba Province|Annaba]]. It is a savory entree made from brik leaf, stuffed with mashed potatoes and a mixture of minced meat, onions, cheese and parsley. The whole is topped with a seasoned raw egg which cooks once the sheet of brik has been folded and soaked in boiling oil.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Gavin |first=Paola |url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/907951240 |title=Mediterranean vegetarian cooking |date=2005 |isbn=978-1-59077-191-4 |location=New York |oclc=907951240}}</ref>

==== Armenia ====
In Armenia, {{Lang|hy-Latn|byorek}} ({{Lang|hy|բյորեկ}}) or {{Lang|hy-Latn|borek}} ({{Lang|hy|բորեկ}}) consists of dough, or filo dough, folded into triangles and stuffed with spinach, onions and feta cheese or ground beef.<ref>{{cite book |title=Who's Who in American Restaurants |date=1986 |publisher=Who's Who Incorporated |isbn=9780910297042 |page=119}}</ref>

==== Israel ====
{{Main|Bourekas}}
[[File:Potato bourekas.jpg|thumb|Fresh potato burekas on sale at a stall in [[Mahane Yehuda Market]], Jerusalem]]
Burekas ({{langx|he|בורקס}}) have long been part of [[Sephardic cuisine|Sephardic Jewish cuisine]], ever since the migration of a large portion of that community to the [[Ottoman Empire]] following the [[Expulsion of Jews from Spain]]. The name "burekas" is the plural form of the original Balkan dish, as conjugated in [[Judaeo-Spanish]]. The name refers both to larger varieties (palm-sized or larger) and smaller varieties (originally called "Burekitas" by contrast, though the word has fallen out of use in [[Modern Hebrew]]). Burekas were later introduced to Israel by Sephardi immigrants from communities in Turkey and the Balkans during Ottoman rule. They are now sold commonly in bakeries, as well as dedicated market stalls, throughout the country.

Israeli Burkeas may be prepared with a variety of different fillings; although meat is less-commonly used because of [[Kashrut#Separation of meat and milk|Jewish dietary laws]] - specifically the prohibition against mixing milk and meat. Many types of burekas prepared and sold in Israel (particularly those that do not contain cheese) are made with [[Margarine]]-based doughs rather than butter-based doughs, in order to make them [[Parve]] - allowing them to be eaten as part of any type of meal. The most popular fillings are salty cheese (primarily [[Feta]]), spinach, eggplant and mashed potato. Other fillings include mushrooms, [[sweet potato]], chickpeas, olives, [[Malva|mallow]]s, [[swiss chard]], and tomato sauce (known as "burekas pizza"). Burekas are traditionally offered as snacks during large gatherings and even office meetings. Multiple locally-made brands and varieties of pre-made, frozen burekas (for quick baking or frying) are commonly sold in grocery stores. 

Other related pastries traditionally consumed by Sephardic Jews include [[bulemas]] and [[boyoz]], which are also popular in the Turkish city of [[İzmir|Izmir]].<ref>İpkoparan, B., & Özkanli, O. (2020). İzmir Sefarad Mutfağının Günümüzdeki Yeri (The Current Situation of Izmir Sephardic). ''Journal of Tourism and Gastronomy Studies'', ''8''(2), 1527-1541.</ref>

==== Libya ====
It is also a popular dish in Libya, where it is known as brik.<ref name="Gavin2005">{{cite book |author=Paola Gavin |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=T0Z9CAAAQBAJ&pg=PA40 |title=Mediterranean Vegetarian Cooking |publisher=M. Evans |year=2005 |isbn=978-1-59077-191-4 |location=New York |page=40 |access-date=2021-09-20 |archive-date=2022-04-13 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220413200136/https://books.google.com/books?id=T0Z9CAAAQBAJ&pg=PA40 |url-status=live }}</ref>

==== Saudi Arabia ====
In Saudi Arabia, Burēk ({{langx|ar|بُريك}}, {{IPA|acw|bʊˈre̞ːk}}), is usually made in the [[Hejaz]] region of western Saudi Arabia, it mostly resembles the Bosnian rolled burek but can also come in other variants, and it is stuffed with minced meat or with salty cheese and dill. It is usually served during the month of Ramadan, same goes to [[samosa]]s.

==== Tunisia ====
{{stack|[[File: Brikdish.jpg|right|thumb|A Tunisian brik pastry]]}}

In Tunisia, there is a variant known as the brik ({{IPAc-en|b|r|iː|k}} {{respell|BREEK}}; {{lang|ar|بريك}}) that consists of thin crepe-like pastry around a filling and is commonly [[deep fried]]. The best-known is the egg brik, a whole egg in a triangular pastry pocket with chopped onion, tuna, [[harissa]] and parsley.<ref>Michael and Frances Field, ''A Quintet of Cuisines'', Time-Life, 1970. {{ISBN|0-8094-0075-8}}</ref> The Tunisian ''brik'' is also very popular in Israel, due to the large [[Tunisian Jewish]] population there. It is often filled with a raw egg and herbs or tuna, harissa, and olives, and it is sometimes served in a [[pita]]. This is also known as a ''boreeka''.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Ottolenghi |first1=Yotam |title=Jerusalem |publisher=Ten Speed Press }}</ref>

==See also==
{{portal|Food}}
{{Div col}}
* {{annotated link|Banitsa}}
* {{annotated link|Bierock}}
* {{annotated link|Bourekas}}
* {{annotated link|Boyoz}}
* {{annotated link|Chausson aux pommes}}
* {{annotated link|Gibanica}}
* {{annotated link|Khuushuur}} 
* {{annotated link|Pastel (food)|Pastel}}
* {{annotated link|Pirog}}
* {{annotated link|Pirozhki}}
* {{annotated link|Samosa}}
* {{annotated link|Zelnik}}
* [[List of ancient dishes|List of ancient dishes and foods]]
* [[List of pastries]]
{{div col end}}

==References==
{{reflist|1}}

{{Navboxes|list1=
{{Cuisine of Turkey|pie}}
{{Jewish baked goods}}
{{Cuisine of Albania|pie}}
{{Cuisine of Bulgaria|pie}}
{{Cuisine of Greece|pie}}
{{Cuisine of Israel|pie}}
{{Cuisine of Morocco|pie}}
{{Serbian cuisine|pie}}
{{Street food}}
}}

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[[Category:Albanian cuisine]]
[[Category:Algerian cuisine]]
[[Category:Ancient dishes]]
[[Category:Armenian cuisine]]
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[[Category:Austrian cuisine]]
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[[Category:Bulgarian cuisine]]
[[Category:Central Asian cuisine]]
[[Category:Croatian cuisine]]
[[Category:Cypriot cuisine]]
[[Category:Estonian cuisine]]
[[Category:German cuisine]]
[[Category:Greek pastries]]
[[Category:Hungarian cuisine]]
[[Category:Iraqi cuisine]]
[[Category:Israeli pastries]]
[[Category:Jewish cuisine]]
[[Category:Jordanian cuisine]]
[[Category:Kosovan cuisine]]
[[Category:Lebanese cuisine]]
[[Category:Libyan cuisine]]
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[[Category:Mediterranean cuisine]]
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[[Category:Ottoman cuisine]]
[[Category:Palestinian pastries]]
[[Category:Polish cuisine]]
[[Category:Romanian cuisine]]
[[Category:Russian cuisine]]
[[Category:Saudi Arabian cuisine]]
[[Category:Savoury pies]]
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[[Category:Slovak cuisine]]
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[[Category:Stuffed dishes]]
[[Category:Syrian cuisine]]
[[Category:Tunisian cuisine]]
[[Category:Turkish tea culture]]
[[Category:Ukrainian cuisine]]