Banitsa
Photo: Sheku80 · CC BY-SA 3.0

History

Banitsa appears in 12th-century Bulgarian monastic kitchens, refined under Ottoman rule with phyllo techniques shared across the Balkans. The Bulgarian Revival cemented sirene-and-yoghurt as the canonical filling. Plovdiv counters still queue from sunrise for the marmalade and sirene variants, and the dish is eaten hot for breakfast across the Kapana and Old Town neighbourhoods on weekday mornings.

Common allergens: Gluten, Dairy, Egg

Make it at home

Yield 6Hands-on 30 minTotal 1 hr 10 minDifficulty Intermediate

Ingredients

  • 500g phyllo pastry sheets
  • 400g Bulgarian sirene cheese, crumbled
  • 3 large eggs
  • 200ml Bulgarian yoghurt (full fat)
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 100g butter, melted
  • 100ml sunflower oil
  • Pinch of salt

Method

  1. Heat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius. Grease a round baking pan with butter.
  2. In a bowl, whisk eggs, yoghurt, baking soda, salt and crumbled sirene cheese to a thick filling.
  3. Lay one phyllo sheet flat. Brush with the butter-oil mix.
  4. Spoon two tablespoons of filling along one edge, then roll the sheet into a long cylinder.
  5. Coil the cylinder into the pan, starting from the centre. Repeat with remaining sheets and filling.
  6. Brush the top with butter-oil mix. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes until deep golden.
  7. Rest 10 minutes before cutting into wedges. Serve hot with Bulgarian yoghurt.

Tip from the editors. Stretch the phyllo by hand if you have time; the texture is denser and more authentically Bulgarian than store-bought.

Where to eat banitsa

Banitsa in Plovdiv

Mekitsa and Coffee ★ 4.8

$$ 8-20 BGNBrunchBulgarian breakfast counterCentre

Plovdiv's only mekitsa-to-order counter on the pedestrian Knyaz Alexander spine. Classic with sirene, jam, honey, plus pesto or halva combinations daily.

OrderMekitsa with sirene and honey, Bulgarian coffee

Directions

Hali Banitsa Counter ★ 4.6

$ Eastern EuropeanCentre

The old banitsa counter beside Hali sells phyllo pastry under 4 BGN. Marmalade banitsa is the local favorite; queue early, gone by lunch most weekdays.

TryBanitsa with sirene or marmalade

Directions

Gibb Bakery ★ 4.5

$ BakeryBanitsa with butter, milinkaKuchuk ParisWalk-in only

Gibb Bakery in Kuchuk Paris near the Kaufland junction runs through the early-morning queue. Banitsa with butter and milinka sell out before 10:00 daily.

Worth the queueButter banitsa

Directions

Aylyakria ★ 4.4

$$ 20-35 BGNBrunchModern Bulgarian and gluten-free brunchKapana

Aylyakria runs an early-Kapana brunch in a Revival-era room. Banitsa, shopska, mish-mash and gluten-free options listed, alongside Bulgarian wines.

OrderBanitsa with sirene, shopska salad, glass of Bulgarian wine

Directions

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