Beloved Israeli street pastries — flaky puff or phyllo dough stuffed with salty cheese, spinach, or potato filling and topped with sesame seeds.
Burekas (בורקס) are perhaps the most beloved Israeli street pastry: sold at bakeries from early morning, eaten for breakfast or as a midday snack, stuffed into school lunchboxes, and available at every corner kiosk and market stall. They arrived in Israel with Sephardic Jewish immigrants from the Balkans and Turkey (particularly from Salonica/Thessaloniki in Greece, which had a large Sephardic Jewish community), where borek has been a cornerstone of Ottoman culinary tradition for centuries. The Israeli version developed a distinct character: crispy, flaky pastry (made from puff pastry or oil-based dough) shaped into triangles or rectangles, filled most commonly with Bulgarian-style salty white cheese (jibn Bulgarian), potato and cheese, or spinach and feta. A mandatory coating of sesame seeds adorns the top. Burekas are traditionally served with a hard-boiled egg, a gherkin pickle, and a fresh tomato — a complete, cheap, and enormously satisfying breakfast that sustained generations of Israeli workers and students.
Serves 12
Mix crumbled Bulgarian cheese (or feta) with ricotta, one egg, black pepper, and parsley. The mixture should be thick enough to hold its shape when scooped — if too wet, drain excess liquid.
Unroll puff pastry sheets on a lightly floured surface. Cut each sheet into 6 squares (for rectangle burekas) or 6 circles with a 10 cm cutter (for round then folded triangles). You should have 12 pieces total.
Place 1 heaped tablespoon of filling in the center of each piece. For triangles: fold diagonally and press edges firmly. For rectangles: fold in half and press. Crimp edges with a fork.
Do not overfill — the seam must seal completely or the filling bursts out during baking.
Beat remaining egg with 1 tbsp water. Brush each burek generously with egg wash. Sprinkle with sesame seeds (and black sesame if using).
Arrange on baking trays lined with parchment, leaving 3 cm between each. Bake at 200°C for 22–25 minutes until deeply golden and puffed.
Cool on the tray for 5 minutes — the filling is extremely hot inside. Serve warm with hard-boiled eggs, cucumber slices, and tomato in the Israeli tradition.
Bulgarian white cheese (sold as 'Bulgarian feta' or 'sirene') is the authentic choice — saltier and firmer than Greek feta, it does not make the filling watery.
Cold puff pastry is easier to work with — if it becomes warm and sticky while cutting, return to the fridge for 10 minutes.
Press the sealed edges with a fork firmly — a loose seal will burst during baking and the filling will leak out.
Potato burekas: mashed potato with caramelized onions and a little butter as the filling — the second most popular Israeli variety.
Spinach and feta burekas: blanched squeezed spinach mixed with feta and a beaten egg.
Mushroom burekas: sautéed mushrooms with onions and fresh thyme — a modern Israeli bakery variation.
Burekas are best eaten on the day of baking. Store in an airtight container at room temperature 1 day, or refrigerate 3 days. Re-crisp at 180°C for 8 minutes. They can also be frozen unbaked — freeze on trays, then transfer to bags; bake from frozen adding 5 minutes.
Burekas in Israel trace directly to the Ottoman borek tradition brought by Sephardic Jewish immigrants from Salonica (Thessaloniki, Greece), Istanbul, and other Balkan communities in the early 20th century and especially after Israeli statehood in 1948. The Salonica Jewish community, who had maintained a distinct culinary identity for 500 years after their expulsion from Spain in 1492, were particularly influential in establishing the burek culture in Jaffa and later Tel Aviv. By the 1960s, burekas had become a defining Israeli food institution.
Bulgarian white cheese (sirene) is a brined sheep or cow's milk cheese similar to feta but typically firmer and saltier. It is widely sold in Israeli, Greek, and Eastern European grocery stores. If unavailable, use a firm, salty Greek feta and reduce any added salt.
Yes — phyllo burekas (common in Turkey and Greece) are lighter and crispier but require more work: you must layer 4–5 sheets per burek, brushing each with butter or oil. The result is more fragile and shattery than puff pastry versions.
Israeli bakeries use a code: sesame seeds on top usually indicate cheese filling; poppy seeds or no seeds often indicate potato; square shape is typically potato and triangle is typically cheese. The coding varies by bakery but the system is consistent within each shop.
Per serving (95g / 3.4 oz) · 12 servings total
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