Flaky Perfection: Antalya's Börekçi Masters

Börek is layered pastry made from yufka, sheets of dough rolled thin enough that a good börek master can stretch one across a whole table. Bakeries fill it with cheese or spinach and bake it in wide trays, and getting the butter-to-pastry ratio right is most of the craft. It is one of Turkey's cheapest satisfying meals: one generous piece from a börekçi usually counts as a full breakfast or lunch. Su böreği, the boiled variety, has a soft, almost custard-like texture and is the dish most shops are judged on. Ispanak böreği, the spinach version, is the lighter choice. Go between 7 and 11 AM when the trays come straight from the oven, and drink ayran or tea with it. At the best shops the yufka is still rolled by hand.

What it is

• The pastry: thin sheets of dough layered or rolled with fillings.
• Fillings: white cheese, spinach, minced meat or potato.
• Types: su böreği (soft layers), kol böreği (long coils) and sigara böreği (fried rolls).

Where to try it

• Neighbourhood börek shops (börekçi)
• Bakeries and breakfast cafés across Antalya

Tips

• Have it with tea or ayran.
• Ask for ‘karışık’ to try mixed fillings.
• Morning is the best time.

More in Antalya

Explore the old town of Kaleiçi, where many traditional restaurants are, or read our Antalya guide. A food tour is the easiest way to taste many local dishes in one afternoon.

Photos: O.celebi, CC BY-SA 4.0; Alice Wiegand, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons