Banitsa is a Bulgarian pastry made with phyllo dough, eggs, and various fillings. It can be sweet or savory and is often served as a breakfast food or dessert. Similar pastries are found in Greece, Serbia, Turkey, and Russia.
Banitsa is a traditional Bulgarian pastry that is made with layers of phyllo dough, melted oil or butter, beaten eggs, and various sweet or savory fillings. Banitsa can be served as a breakfast food alongside plain yogurt or eaten as a dessert, light meal, or snack, depending on the filling.
A banitsa is sometimes included as part of the Christmas meal, laden with coins, small trinkets, and foil-wrapped messages of goodwill and Christmas tidings. As such, its function is similar to that of the King Cake that is served as part of many Mardi Gras celebrations.
While it might resemble a large soufflé, the texture of the banitsa is more like that of a thick croissant. The layers of phyllo dough, or hard pastry sheets, used in this dish form tender, flaky layers when cooked. A unique variety of banitsa called tutmanik is made from sheets of yeast dough.
The basic banitsa recipe calls for a filling of crumbled white cheese called sirene, which is similar to cottage cheese. A banitsa version filled with apples is called a shtrudel. Tikvenik is sweet banitsa filled with a mixture of pumpkin, nuts, sugar and cinnamon.
Savory banitsas might be filled with a mixture of ground beef, mushrooms, and onions; nettles; or spinach. Luchnik is a type of banitsa filled with leeks and zelnik is stuffed with sauerkraut.
Banitsa is ubiquitous in Bulgaria and has become a cultural phenomenon. Street vendors sell an assortment of versions of this pastry. Proverbs have evolved around the consumption of banitsa. The word banitsa also has its fame, having entered the slang lexicon as a pejorative used to refer to something that is rumpled, greasy, or in bad shape.
Bulgaria is not the only country whose citizens appreciate this pastry. Greece, Serbia, Turkey, Russia and others have their modified versions. Turkish boreks are phyllo-dough pastry with savory fillings that often include feta or another salty cheese. Rather than being made in a large round pan, they are baked as single-serving pastries or made in a large rectangular pan and cut into triangles.
Greek tiropita layers buttery butyl sheets with an egg and cheese mixture. The tiropita can be made in individual pastry portions or in a large skillet and cut into slices before serving.
Serbia and Macedonia both produce versions of banitsa that are quite similar to Bulgaria’s. Traditional Serbian gibanica is made with sheets of phyllo dough and crumbled white cheese. In Macedonia, the dish is called maznik.
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