Bourekas

Bourekasorburekas(Hebrew:בורקס),(Ladino:Burekas) are a popularbakedpastryinSephardic Jewish cuisineandIsraeli cuisine. A variation of theburek, 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 eitherpuff pastry,filodough, orbrikpastry, depending on the origin of the baker.
As knowledge of Ladino is lost among the younger generation of Sephardic Jews,Judeo-Spanishhas become a "language of food". Food names have been described as "the last Judeo-Spanish remains" of the cultural memory of Ottoman-Sephardic heritage.The wordboureka(orborekita) is a Judeo-Spanish loanword from the Turkishbörek. Spanish does not have the front rounded Turkishösound, so the word becomesboreka.
As one Turkish food writer put it, "Ladino is theborekitasof the granmama".
In Judeo-Spanishborekaoriginally referred to empanada-style pastries, while the traditional Ottoman börek were calledbulema.
Bourekas have been called "the Israeli equivalent of Jewish-American bagel and cream cheese" and are served for almost any occasion, from ameeting of Israeli soldiersto a Shabbatkiddush.Gil Markshas said:
Bourekas can be found everywhere in Israel. They are a very popular street food, and are served atshuks(outdoor markets) and eateries in theMachane Yehudamarket inJerusalem, Levinsky Market as well as theCarmel MarketinTel Aviv, and Israeli restaurants and cafes. They are also baked in dedicatedboureka bakeriesspecializing in baking bourekas.
Bourekas are often made out ofpuff pastryfilled with various fillings. Among the popular fillings arefeta cheese,kashkavalcheese, minced meat,mashed potato,spinachand cheese,eggplant, andmushrooms.
Sephardic Jews also make a special version of borekitas that are deep-fried, soaked in honey, and filled with nuts, served as a traditionalPurimdelicacy.It is known asTravadicosamong Jews in Turkey andBourekitas de muezamong Jews in Greece.
TheSephardicJews of Spainwere makingempanadasbefore theexpulsion from Spain.
In some towns ofEmilia-Romagnasuch as the former city-statesFerraraandModena, the Jewish community used to consume a half-moon-shaped sweet pastry calledburricheorburricche.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.
The Sephardi Jews who were expelled from Spain sought refuge in theOttoman Empire.
Most of these places were under the control of theOttoman Empire. 
The Sephardic Jews created a new dish which adapted börek to theirkosherdietary laws, and combined it with their traditional empanadas to create bourekas.
During thefirst aliyahSephardic Jews madealiyahand moved to the Land of Palestine. They brought with them their traditional cuisine, and this included bourekas. They began to open up bakeries serving these pastries.
TheState of Israeldeclared independence in 1948. With the massive influx of Sephardi Jews, they brought with them their cuisine, and it included bourekas. Sephardic and Mizrahi cuisine became the dominant cuisine in Israel, due to the majority of Israelis belonging to these two groups, and due to the local climate.
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.
Israelibourekas come in a variety of shapes, which are indicative of their fillings. The laws ofkashrutrequire 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 bourekas come in a certain box shape. Pizza bourekas resemble a co-centric tower. Spinach 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.
In June 2013, theChief Rabbinate of Israelstarted requiring that bourekas (and alsorugelachandcroissants) are to have specific shapes in order to be sold by kosher-certified bakers in Israel. According to the law, all bourekas made with puff pastry and containing dairy products had to be shaped into triangles, whileparve(nondairy) bourekas made with puff pastry had to be made in round or square shapes. The Chief Rabbinate also implemented different regulations regarding the shape of bourekas made with phyllo dough, these bourekas must be made in triangular-shapes ifparve(non-dairy), and "snake-shaped" if made with dairy.
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 topuff pastryorphyllodepending on the origin of the baker, althoughbrikpastry,malawachdough, puff pastry, croissant dough, orbabkadough are also sometimes used. To make homemade filo for bourekas, a simple flour and water dough is rolled out like thin flatbreads. They are brushed with oil then layered until the dough is very elastic and can be hand pulled until it is translucent. It is a laborious process and storebought frozen puff pastry or phyllo dough is more commonly used by home chefs today.
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 withegg washor water. Each boureka is then brushed with an egg wash and topped with seeds or seasoning, and is baked.
Bourekas are also very commonly sold frozen in grocery and convenience stores in Israelby brands includingTa'amtiandTnuvain flavors such as cheese, spinach and cheese, potato, and pizza.
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 bagelseasoning,nigellaseeds, orza'atarmay be used as a topping.
Savory bourekas are traditionally paired withhard-boiled eggsorhaminados, a hot sauce such asskhugor harif, grated tomato, and sometimestahini sauce, as well as olives, Israeli pickles, other pickled vegetables, and sometimes a salad as well. The use ofskhugand grated tomato as an accompaniment to bourekas originated within theYemenite Jewishcommunity of Israel, who serve many of their traditional breads such asmalawachin a similar manner.
"Bourekas films" (Hebrew: סרטי בורקסsirtei burekas) are a type of Israeli movie from the 1970s dealing with certain cultural aspects of Israelis, especially lower-classMizrahiIsraelis and their conflicts with theAshkenaziestablishment.  The term is acalqueonSpaghetti Western.