borek

Flaky filled savory

Borek is a savory pastry common across Turkey, the Balkans, and the Middle East, made from thin layers of dough (often phyllo) wrapped or layered around fillings like cheese, spinach, or ground meat.

The pastries are baked or fried until golden and flaky.

Spellings vary: börek, burek, boureka.

We picked up spinach borek from the Turkish bakery.

relatives

samosa

Stuffed triangular pastry

calzone · knish · pirozhki · strudel · turnover · spanakopita · pastel · spring roll

Balkan

phyllo

Ultra-thin pastry dough

  • pitaHollow Middle Eastern bread
  • AlbanianBalkan nationality or language
  • BosnianFrom Sarajevo's country

Serbian · Bulgarian · Greek · spanakopita · ćevapi

pastry

phyllo

Ultra-thin pastry dough

  • filoTissue-thin pastry dough
  • layersStacked levels or coatings
  • laminatedBonded between protective layers

flaky · crispy · golden · buttery · puff · baking · oven · crust · sheet · brushed

fillings

cheese

Fermented milk solid

  • fetaBrined Greek cheese
  • spinachEdible dark green leaves
  • meatAnimal tissue for food

ground beef · lamb · potato · onion · leek · egg · parsley · dill · mushroom · zucchini

Turkish

Ottoman

Member of Turkish dynasty

mezze · dolma

savory

spiced

Seasoned with aromatics

paprika · pepper · garlic · nigella · sesame · appetizer · snack · breakfast · street food · handheld

Opposites
flavor profile

borekbaklava

Layered nut pastry in syrup

sweet pastry · dessert pastry · halva · chocolate croissant · Danish pastry

pastry structure

borekbread

Leavened flour product

loaf · pita · flatbread · baguette · roll

culinary tradition

borekempanada

Filled pastry half-moon

pasty · pierogi · calzone · samosa · spring roll

Familiarity
Top 1,000,000
Profile
Used worldwide · Timeless · Concrete · Positive · Everyday, not technical · Rated G