The Republic of Kosovo is a partially recognized state in southeastern Europe.
It declared independence from Serbia on February 17, 2008, which Serbia immediately declared it did not recognize, although independence was accepted by many countries, including Italy.
Since 1995, after the end of the Bosnia-Herzegovina war, the Serb government began an ethnic cleansing war, and a part of Kosovo’s Albanians chose armed independence struggle that lasted until 1999.
The Kosovar cuisine, like Albanian cuisine, is heavily influenced by the neighboring countries. For this reason, there are many dishes similar to those in Bosnia.
Among the most famous dishes is the burek, or phyllo dough (yufka), often spiral-shaped, with minced meat.
Traditionally, the Kosovan burek is made only with minced meat (beef or lamb), spices, and onions, wrapped in handmade phyllo dough and arranged in a spiral (snail shape).
Other variants (e.g., with spinach and cheese, potatoes, pumpkin, etc.) exist and are very common, but they are usually called byrek or indicated by their specific filling, such as byrek me spinaq, with the addition of spinach and cheese. The following recipe.
Usually, Djathë i bardhë (literally “white cheese”) is used → it is a salted fresh cheese, similar to feta, but often softer and less acidic. It is made from sheep, cow, or mixed milk.
In local bakeries and bread shops, however, both versions are found, all called “burek” for convenience.
In fact, the recipe is part of Turkish gastronomy, where it is known as börek, spreading in the Balkan countries with the Ottoman expansion.
The Burek is a symbol of Balkan cuisine, at least as much as the Cevapcici.
The name comes from the Turkish root bur- “to roll” which can also describe any dish made from rolled dough.
Here follows the recipe for burek with ready-made phyllo dough, but if you prefer, you can prepare it yourself. The recipe requires flour, water, salt, and olive oil, and you can find it HERE.
- Difficulty: Medium
- Cost: Cheap
- Preparation time: 15 Minutes
- Portions: 4 servings
- Cooking methods: Oven
- Cuisine: Eastern European
- Seasonality: All seasons
Ingredients
- 17.5 oz phyllo dough (28 sheets)
- 1.3 lbs ground meat (beef or lamb)
- 1 onion
- 10.5 oz Djathë i bardhë cheese (or feta)
- 14.1 oz spinach, cooked, boiled
- 1 egg
- to taste melted butter (or olive oil)
- to taste salt and pepper
- to taste sesame (optional)
Preparation
Boil the spinach.
In a large bowl, mix the crumbled cheese with the spinach, egg, and meat. Adjust with salt and pepper.
(You can also sauté meat and spinach together in a pan with a little oil).
Lay the phyllo dough in two stacks (about 14 sheets each) brushing each sheet, before using, with melted butter (or oil).
Spread a strip of filling on the longer side of the sheet and roll the dough over itself. Be careful not to overfill, otherwise, the phyllo dough will tear.
Form the spiral shape and place it in a round baking dish with a diameter of 11 inches.
(You can also decide to layer it instead of making a spiral)
Brush the burek with more melted butter or oil.
If you wish, you can decorate with sesame seeds.
Bake at 355°F for 25/30 minutes or until golden.
If the top starts to brown too quickly, cover with aluminum foil and continue baking. Remove the foil and bake for another 5 minutes.
If you want to learn more about the history of Kosovo and its conflicts, I suggest the book “Kosovo. La guerra in Europa. Origini e realtà di un conflitto etnico” by Roberto Morozzo Della Rocca at €11.87
What are the other variants of burek?
Burek is a phyllo dough-based dish, typical of the Balkans and the Middle East, but it varies greatly from country to country in fillings, shape, and even name.
Here’s an overview of the main ones:
Turkey – Börek
• Ottoman origin.
• Fillings: cheese (beyaz peynir), spinach, minced meat, potatoes.
• Many variants: su böreği (layered, similar to lasagna), sigara böreği (cigar-shaped), tepsi böreği (in a pan).
• Baked or fried.
Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo – Burek
• Only with meat (traditionally): if it’s with something else, it takes a different name (e.g., in Kosovo byrek* me spinaq for the one with spinach, in addition to meat)
• Spiral or snail shape, often cut into slices.
• Also sold as street food.
• Accompanied by drinking sour yogurt.
*Byrek” (or “Byrekë”): is the Albanian term, used in Albania and also in Kosovo among Albanian speakers. It indicates any savory pie with phyllo dough, so it can be with meat, spinach, cheese, potatoes, etc.
Serbia, Montenegro, North Macedonia – Burek
• “Burek” indicates any type of filling: meat, cheese, spinach, potatoes, pumpkin…
• In a round pan, often served in triangles.
• Very common as street food.
Croatia and Slovenia – Burek
• Mainly spread in the south and areas with Ottoman legacy.
• Often with cheese (sirnica) or meat filling.
• Baked in a pan or spiral shape.
Greece – Boureki or Bourekakia
• There are savory (only cheese, meat) and sweet (ricotta, cinnamon) variants.
• Similar to börek, but often fried and smaller.
Israel and Levant countries – Bourekas
• More puff pastry than phyllo, various fillings (cheese, potatoes, mushrooms, spinach).
• Triangular or square shape.
The traditional constant is the phyllo dough (or phyllo), extremely thin and layered, used as a base to contain the fillings.
However, there are local variations:
• Turkey and the Balkans: thin handmade or industrial phyllo dough.
• Bosnia: often a homemade, more elastic phyllo is used, stretched extremely thin by hand.
• Israel: puff pastry or shortcrust pastry is often used for convenience.
• Some modern versions: adopt puff pastry or homemade dough, but are not traditional.
