Familiar Middle Eastern desserts Made With phyllo pastry That touch Greek Shores

This article is a part of the chain of phyllo pastries, the sweet kind, to celebrate . While none of these will fall under the ambit of healthy sweet recipes and are highly calorific, it is definitely worth a try, once in your lifetime. Did we mention they fall under the most delicious dessert recipes if you look up Greek desserts. So, let’s hop over the islands now and transition to Greece via the Mediterranean route stopping at Cyprus first then passing the baton to the Greeks.

1. Bourekia

Bourekia is a sweet pastry from the island country of Cyprus that is usually made with thin, flaky phyllo dough and filled with cheese. They are typically shaped into a semicircular shape and small in size and come in both sweet or savory versions. These are deep-fried in oil until golden brown and the sweet version has a filling of unsalted anari cheese (a soft, slightly sweet local whey cheese), cinnamon, and sugar and then this is perfumed by either rosewater or orange blossom water. The whole pastry is dusted with cinnamon sugar or soaked in honey or sugar syrup. There's also a special Lenten version of bourekia ( bourekia nistisima) which uses halva.

2. Galaktoboureko

Now, we land in Greece and kick it off with Galaktoboureko, which is of course made with numerous phyllo sheets generously coated with melted butter and stuffed with semolina custard. It is baked with the semolina inside and then chilled thoroughly, after which it is drenched in a sugar syrup flavored with orange blossom water. The pastry is allowed to soak up the syrup that transforms the galaktoboureko into a soft, velvety treat. This sweet treat is found all across Greece in its pastry shops and taverns.

3. Masourakia

Christmas on the island of Chios isn't complete without Masourakia which is made with buttered phyllo kroustas or pastry wrapped around a mixture of mastic-flavored ypovrichio (also known as submarine), ground almonds, egg whites, and mandarin or lemon zest. These are then baked till crispy and brown and once cooled, they get a syrup bath or a dusting of powdered sugar. The surface is covered with minced nuts that add extra flavor to this unique sweet pastry. One bite, and you'll be booking a ticket to Chios for next Christmas when this pastry is usually prepared.

4. Samsades

These look a lot like our samosas but of course, the Greek Samsades are made of phyllo dough (locally called phyllo kroustas) which efficiently wraps around a nut filling. The pastries are baked, and then soaked in sugar or honey syrup, that is the usual fare but look out for those flavored with the local thyme honey, or grape must (petimezi) for Greece's local flavors to come through. This Middle Eastern dessert typically has a filling of almonds and sesame seeds, with walnuts occasionally added; this is flavored with cinnamon, cloves, and almond extract or orange blossom water. Samsades are a staple at the Greek islands of Lemnos and Laconia and locals love to enjoy this treat with coffee or tea, mostly prepped around New Year's and Christmas.

5. Bougatsa

This one’s a rustic Greek pie made with the usual phyllo pastry with a semolina custard filling, the savory ones use minced meat or cheese fillings. The name of this pastry comes from the Ottoman word "pogatsa," meaning a cheese-filled pie and it originated as a savory dish, back in the Byzantine period when Constantinople, modern-day Istanbul, was Greek. As time passed the simple pie evolved to make way for complexity and Turkish immigrants settling in Northern Greece made Bougatsa which remains a specialty of Serres and Thessaloniki.

6. Hamalia

The Greek islands of Alonnisos and Skopelos are known for this sweet pastry dessert called Hamalia. These sweet pastries use thin Greek phyllo crust to wrap around a filling of ground almonds, honey, cinnamon, and nutmeg. The filling is flavored with lemon and orange juice or rose water and the pastries are shaped into small triangles and baked. Once out of the oven, and a beautiful golden, they're dusted with powdered sugar. Hamalia are the life of the party at weddings and engagements and it’s no wonder they're called “the dessert of joy”.

7. Trigona panoramatos

Hailing from the Greek Thessaloniki's outskirts, Trigona Panoramatos, as the name hints, are triangular phyllo pastries that are buttery crisp on the outside and creamy soft inside and shaped like cones. Bakers fold the pastry dough to make triangles, bake them and once cool enough, they soak them in syrup and fill them up with a custard made with egg yolks, flour, butter, milk, sugar, heavy cream, and vanilla. Before serving, Trigona is often topped with a sprinkle of chopped nuts which makes it an irresistible treat.