Cheese burek

Cheese burek is a sort of savory pie typical of Turkish cuisine. Let's find out together how to prepare it with the original recipe.

Cheese burek is a type of savory pie that is very popular in Middle Eastern countries. It is prepared with phyllo dough or yufka and a particular cheese known as skuta , which is difficult to find in Italy. However, its sour flavor and particular consistency make it easily replaceable with feta.

There are also many recipes for burek (or borek) and vary depending on the area: in addition to the classic cheese version, there are versions with spinach or minced meat which are sometimes rolled up and served to form a snail. . Curious to find out how to prepare the cheese burek that Turkish actor Can Yaman from the soap Day Dreamer likes so much?

How to prepare cheese burek recipe

The preparation is quite simple: it is essentially a savory pie with phyllo pastry and cheese with a strong flavour.

1. Start by crumbling the feta with your hands and place it in a bowl with the yogurt , eggs and salt .
2. Mix and slowly pour in the oil . The result is a rather fluid and grainy mixture due to the presence of feta.
3. Now oil the bottom of a baking dish of approximately 20×30 cm suitable for cooking in the oven and spread a sheet of filo pastry on the bottom.
4. Then begin to form the layers by dipping the other sheets first in the prepared cream cheese and then placing them in the pan.
5. When you have a single sheet left, use it to cover the mixture. Pour the remaining cream cheese into the baking dish and bake at 180°C for 50 minutes . Let it cool before serving.

If you want, you can also arrange the filling in layers, as seen in this video . For the doses, however, rely on our super-tested recipe.

If you liked this recipe with phyllo dough, don't miss the borek with spinach : we are sure you will like it!

Conservation

Store in the fridge due to the presence of yogurt and cheese for about 2 days . Alternatively you can also freeze it.

Origin and history

Born around 300 in Anatolia, a region of Turkey, the burek seems to be a legacy of a Roman "recipe", the placenta a sort of focaccia born on stone. The nomadic shepherds seem to have been inspired by this who, in an attempt to recreate a sort of bread with what they had available, gave life to this recipe which could be cooked on a hot plate instead of in the oven.

The recipe then spread with the expansion of the Ottoman Empire throughout the Balkans where it is still a typical dish today. In Albania it is usually found stuffed with vegetables, in Greece the most common combination is with spinach and feta, as in spanakopita , in Bosnia it is the national dish and is often found stuffed with meat.

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