Burekas
בּוּרֵקָס
Burekas derive from the Turkish börek family of pastries, hallmarks of Ottoman cuisine from the 15th century onward. Sephardic Jews — descendants of those expelled from Spain in 1492 who settled across the Ottoman Empire — adopted the pastry into their kitchens, calling it 'bourekas' in Ladino. Bulgarian Jewish immigrants brought burekas to pre-state Israel and Jaffa in the mid-20th century. As documented in Tablet Magazine by food writer Janna Gur, Sami Alcolombry opened the first boureka shop on Jerusalem Boulevard in Jaffa in 1956, and the brand grew to 80 franchise locations across Israel.
Ingredients
- •500g store-bought puff pastry sheets
- •300g Bulgarian-style feta or kashkaval cheese, crumbled
- •2 eggs (1 for filling, 1 for egg wash)
- •2 tablespoons sour cream
- •Pinch of black pepper
- •White sesame seeds for topping
Instructions
- 1
Preheat oven to 200°C (400°F). Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- 2
Mix crumbled feta, 1 egg, sour cream, and black pepper until combined.
- 3
Roll out puff pastry and cut into 10x10 cm squares. Place 1 tablespoon of filling in the center of each.
- 4
Fold each square diagonally into a triangle. Press edges firmly with a fork to seal.
- 5
Arrange on baking sheets. Beat the remaining egg and brush generously over each burekas.
- 6
Sprinkle sesame seeds on top of each pastry.
- 7
Bake 20–25 minutes until puffed and deeply golden. Serve warm with a hard-boiled egg and olives.
Kosher notes
Dairy. Classic filling is feta or kashkaval. For a meat Shabbat, use spinach-only or potato filling made with margarine pastry — that version is pareve.
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