Bourekas
kashkaval cheese, mashed potato, spinach, mallow mushrooms, pizza, less commonly ground beef, lamb, chicken with pine nuts and almonds, or vegetables, or a sweet filling such as muhallebi |
Bourekas or burekas (Hebrew: בורקס) are a popular baked pastry in Sephardic Jewish cuisine and Israeli cuisine. A variation of the burek, a popular pastry throughout southern Europe, northern Africa and the Middle East, Israeli bourekas are made in a wide variety of shapes and a vast selection of fillings, and are typically made with either puff pastry, filo dough, or brik pastry, depending on the origin of the baker.[2]
Etymology
As knowledge of Ladino is lost among the younger generation of Sephardic Jews,
As one Turkish food writer put it, "Ladino is the borekitas of the granmama".[3]
In Judeo-Spanish boreka originally referred to empanada-style pastries, while the traditional Ottoman börek were called bulema.[3]
Overview
Bourekas have been called "the Israeli equivalent of Jewish-American bagel and cream cheese" and are served for almost any occasion, from a meeting of Israeli soldiers to a Shabbat kiddush.[5] Gil Marks has said:[6]
In Modern Israel, borekas…follows only falafel in popularity as a street snack food and rank among the favorite home treats for the Sabbath or a simple weekday nosh.
Bourekas can be found everywhere in Israel. They are a very popular street food, and are served at
Bourekas are often made out of
Travadicos, a sweet, deep-fried borekitas soaked in honey, is a traditional Purim delicacy.[10]
History
Early history
The
In some towns of Emilia-Romagna[11] such as the former city-states Ferrara and Modena, the Jewish community used to consume a half-moon-shaped sweet pastry called burriche or burricche.[12] This dish, perhaps inspired by Ottoman cuisine, was part of the cuisine eaten by the Jewish communities that lived in Italy, and is possibly linguistically related to bourekas.
1478 to 1800s
The Sephardi Jews who were expelled from Spain sought refuge in the Ottoman Empire.
Most of these places were under the control of the Ottoman Empire. The Sephardic Jews created a new dish which adapted börek to their
1800s to 1948
During the
1948 to present
The
Bourekas quickly became a very popular food across Israel, and their popularity spread to Israelis of all ethnicities. Yemenite and other Jews adapted bourekas to their own cuisines. Turkish Jews, Greek Jews and Bulgarian Jews, among others, opened eateries serving their own style and variations of bourekas.[citation needed]
Shapes
Israeli bourekas come in a variety of shapes, which are indicative of their fillings. The laws of kashrut require avoiding eating dairy pastries together with ones containing meat, so conventional, distinctive shapes are used to indicate different types of fillings. Cheese bourekas come in right angled and isosceles triangles, and have two different sizes. Potato-filled bourekas come in a certain box shape. Pizza-filled bourekas resemble a co-centric tower, while spinach-filled bourekas resemble a pastry knot. There are also the so-called "Turkish bourekas" which form rounded equilateral triangles, and are filled with various fillings, whose type can usually be determined by the addition on their outside.
Shape regulation
In June 2013, the
Preparation
Traditionally, making bourekas was a very time-consuming process, taking many hours until the bourekas were finished. Bourekas are traditionally made with freshly made enriched dough, either similar to
The dough is then rolled out, and it is cut into various shapes. Any variety of fillings are placed into the center of each piece of dough, the edges of which are sealed with egg wash or water. Each boureka is then brushed with an egg wash and topped with seeds or seasoning, and is baked.[16]
Bourekas are also very commonly sold frozen in grocery and convenience stores in Israel[17] by brands including Ta'amti and Tnuva in flavors such as cheese, spinach and cheese, potato, and pizza.[18]
Toppings
Bourekas are traditionally topped with any multitude of seeds. Sesame seeds are most common, however depending on the filling, poppy seeds, black sesame seeds, everything bagel seasoning, nigella seeds, or za'atar may be used as a topping.
Sides and condiments
Savory bourekas are traditionally paired with
In popular culture
Bourekas films
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See also
- bulemas – a related type of Sephardic Jewish pastries
- rugelach
- empanada
- knish – a similar Ashkenazi Jewish pastry
- samosa
- spanikopita
- tyropita
References
- ^ Nathan, Joan (26 November 2018). "On 'Bureka Tuesdays,' They Make Pastries the Way Their Grandmothers Did". The New York Times.
- ^ Marks, Gil. The Encyclopedia of Jewish Food.
- ^ ISBN 9789004435285.
- ISBN 9789004139565.
- ^ "How to Make Bourekas, Israel's Favorite Festive Pastry, Without the Hard Work". Haaretz. Retrieved 21 October 2019.
- ^ Marks, Gil. The Encyclopedia of Jewish Food. HMH.
- ^ "Finding The Best Bourekas On The Planet". The Forward. Retrieved 21 October 2019.
- ^ Solomonov, Michael. Zahav: A World of Israeli Cooking. HMH.
- ^ "Mushroom & Feta Cheese Burekas". Sooo Good.
- ^ רשליקה - Rashelika - ניחוח המטבח הירושלמי ספרדי המסורתי. 1999. pp. 82-87
- ^ "Enogastronomia emiliana e romagnola".[permanent dead link]
- ISBN 9780470943540– via Google Books.
- ^ "Cheese Bourekas". Toriavey.com. 26 February 2012.
- ^ "Rabbinate regulates bourekas shape". The Times of Israel. Retrieved 10 October 2019.
- ^ Solomonov, Mike. Zahav. HMH.
- ^ Shaya, Alon. Shaya. Knopf.
- ^ "What makes Israel Grocery Stores Unique". Haaretz. Retrieved 21 October 2019.
- ^ Solomonov, Michael. Zahav.
- ^ Srulovich, Itamar. Golden.