Pastry

Georgia

Achma is a Georgian dish consisting of a few layers of tender dough, a crispy top, and lots of cheese in between. It originates from the western Georgian regions of Adjara and Abkhazia. The dough is usually made with eggs, water, butter, and flour, while the cheese filling is either Georgian cheese or a combination of ricotta, mozzarella, and feta. Due to the fact that it&rsquo;s a layered dish with tender sheets of dough, achma is often compared to the famous lasagne.

Achma

A&ccedil;ma is a type of Turkish pastry characterized by its soft and flaky texture. The soft dough is traditionally twisted and rolled up into a bagel, which can be made in a sweet or savory version. It consists of flour, sugar, salt, yeast, yogurt, milk, eggs, butter, and olive oil. This pastry can be easily found in most Turkish bakeries, where it is often sprinkled with sesame seeds.

Açma

Japan

The round, golden brown anpan is a popular Japanese pastry which consists of a wheat bun that is usually filled with sweetened red bean paste. Traditionally garnished with poppy or black sesame seeds, anpan is a delightful combination of the sweet filling, soft interior, and a crispy crust. This incredibly popular snack was invented in 1875 by a former samurai, Mr. Kimura, who turned to baking and established the legendary Kimuraya bakery. His invention was an instant hit, and to this day anpan buns remain as one of the most famous Japanese pastries.

Anpan

Arabian empanadas are pretty different from traditional Argentine empanadas. They are shaped into a triangle, and a portion of the filling remains visible in the center of the empanada. The filling consists of ground beef or lamb, chopped red and green peppers, green onions, and tomatoes. It is typically flavored with oregano, chili powder, paprika, and black pepper. Interestingly, many people like to squeeze a bit of lemon juice in the center for an extra zing. As the name suggests, these empanadas are a result of Arabian influence, i.e., Arab immigrants moving to South America. They are said to originate from the C&oacute;rdoba Province, although they are present in the entire country.

Arabian Empanadas

Hungary

Hailing from Sopron, babos pog&aacute;csa or babpog&aacute;csa is a variety of Hungarian pog&aacute;csa, a small, round, savory pastry with beans incorporated in the dough. This pog&aacute;csa is typically made with a combination of flour, cooked and mashed beans, lard or another type of fat (such as butter or margarine), sour cream, eggs, baking powder, salt, and pepper. The dough is usually shaped into round portions, which are then brushed with egg yolks and (optionally) sprinkled with grated cheese, sesame seeds, or sunflower seeds before they&rsquo;re baked until golden brown. The pastries are also commonly studded with a cooked bean in the top&rsquo;s center before baking, while some versions call for decorating the pastry&rsquo;s surface with a special pattern. Bean pog&aacute;csa is believed to be one of the bean-based specialties of Sopron&rsquo;s famous poncichters (a corruption of the German word for bean growers, Bohnenz&uuml;chter) -traditional winegrowers- who used to grow beans between their vineyards. Hungarians usually enjoy these bean-based pastries as savory snacks, accompanied by a glass of wine on the side.

Babos pogácsa

Indonesia

Bakpia pathok is an Indonesian delicacy that consists of a round, slightly flattened pastry filled with a sweet mung bean mixture. The pastry is characterized by a soft and flaky texture, while its interior, containing the filling, has a pasty consistency that perfectly adheres to the dough. Its name derives from a suburb area in the city of Yogyakarta called Pathok, where the production of these pastries initially began. Apart from the traditional mung bean filling, bakpia pathok can nowadays be made with chocolate, cheese, and exotic fruits such as pineapple or durian fruit. Other, more innovative flavors have also emerged in recent years, such as cappuccino, banana cheese, blueberry cheese, and tuna. Even though it has been influenced by traditional Chinese cuisine, this specialty has been adapted to local flavors and has become one of the most beloved street snacks in Indonesia. The pastry&rsquo;s flavor is not appreciated only by the local population, but also by tourists, owing to whom the pastry is nowadays considered a popular food souvenir to bring back home after visiting the country. In Indonesia, this sweet specialty can be bought from street food vendors, market stalls, and numerous shops that offer packaged versions of the pastry.

Bakpia Pathok

Banbury cake is a traditional thin pastry filled with fruit and spices, originating from the town of Banbury. The pastry is made with a combination of puff pastry, butter, currants, sugar, nutmeg, cinnamon, mace, ginger, rose water, beaten egg whites, and a splash of dark rum. Banbury cakes date back to at least the 17th century, when the Knights Templar returned from their crusades and brought over new foods rich in fruit and spices. Nowadays, currants or raisins are a staple of the Banbury cakes' filling, along with grated peel and various spices. These treats are often enjoyed as a part of afternoon tea, but it's also recommended to try them with coffee or ale. Banbury cakes are always oval and hand-sized, and they're often associated with the bakers Brown's.

Banbury cake

A bear claw is a sweet pastry originating from the United States. Believed to have been invented during the mid-1920s, it is usually prepared with flour, butter, eggs, and milk, while the filling is typically prepared with a combination of chopped almonds, egg whites, sugar, and almond extract, if desired. The pastry is shaped into a semicircle with sliced sections along one side, and as the dough rises, those sections become separated, resulting in a shape that is reminiscent of a bear claw, hence the name. These sweet treats are baked until golden brown, and it is recommended to let them cool slightly before serving.

Bear Claw

The delectable Swiss treat known as birnbrot is a pastry filled with dried pears as the key ingredient. Other ingredients might include walnuts, raisins, dried figs, some kind of alcohol (usually brandy) and spices such as cinnamon, cloves, coriander, and anise. Another name for this pastry is birnweggen, but the two are different because birnweggen is typically prepared by spreading the filling on the dough, then rolling the whole thing like a roulade, while birnbrot&rsquo;s filling is fully encased within the dough. In the past, birnbrot was a peasants&rsquo; staple, but nowadays it is traditionally prepared during the festive Christmas period, when it is enjoyed by people of all socioeconomic classes. It is recommended to pair it with wine or cheese.

Birnbrot

Switzerland

Despite its name, the famous Swiss blue cake, a specialty of the Frutig valley, is not blue, nor is it a cake. It is a simple puff pastry without fillings or toppings, one that has been produced in local bakeries since the 1900s. Its name refers to the phrase blau machen, meaning to take a holiday. The pastry is commonly consumed as a snack, accompanied by cold cuts, cheese, butter, jam, or coffee.

Blue Cake

Italy

The bocconotto di Castel Frentano, also known as "castellino," is a traditional tartlet from the Castel Frentano in Abruzzo, Italy. The shortcrust pastry made using extra virgin olive oil is filled with a rich cream of dark chocolate, almonds, and cinnamon. The pastry has a distinctive inverted cone shape and reveals a dark, compact filling with a fragrant aroma when cut. The dessert has roots dating back to the early 20th century, with variations passed down through generations. It is a recognized Traditional Agri-food Product (PAT).

Bocconotto di Castel Frentano

Russia

Bortsoki is a traditional hybrid of buns and donuts that originated from the Kalmykia region. The dough is usually made with a combination of flour, eggs, milk or yogurt, margarine or butter, sugar, baking soda, and salt. There are many varieties and shapes of bortsoki, so the dough can be either airy or dense before it's fried in oil until the bortsoki become golden brown. The dough can be shaped into cute animals, bagels, braids, beads, and many other shapes, depending on the occasion.

Bortsoki

Boşnak b&ouml;reği is a type of Turkish b&ouml;rek that's very similar to kol b&ouml;reği. However, the dough is rolled somewhat thinner and it's traditionally filled with a combination of spinach and cheese. This b&ouml;rek type can also be prepared with potatoes and ground meat. The name means Bosnian b&ouml;rek because b&ouml;rek is extremely common in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Once assembled, the b&ouml;rek is baked until golden brown. When served, it's best to pair it with a cup of yogurt on the side.

Boşnak böreği

Bourekas is a traditional pastry of Sephardi Jewish origin. There are many versions of bourekas, made with bourekas dough, phyllo dough, puff pastry, or brik pastry, filled with cheese (feta or kashkaval), spinach, mushrooms, mashed potatoes, or pizza filling. Distinctive shapes are used to indicate different fillings &ndash; bourekas made with puff pastry and containing dairy products are always shaped into triangles, while those containing non-dairy products are shaped into squares or circles. Before they're baked, bourekas are sprinkled with poppy seeds, nigella seeds, black sesame seeds, or za'atar. When served, the pastries are accompanied by skhug sauce, tahini, olives, hard-boiled eggs, or grated tomatoes.

Bourekas

Slovakia

Bratislavsk&yacute; rožok is a traditional Slovakian pastry that has a centuries-long tradition. It comes in two different varieties &ndash; the crescent-shaped pastry filled with poppy seeds or the C-shaped variety that is filled with ground walnuts. Each rožok needs to be rolled manually, have an equal amount of pastry and filling, and the typical glossy, golden marble pattern on the top. The first official mention of Bratislavsk&yacute; rožok dates back to 1785 when it was introduced at a patisserie in Bratislava. Through history, it was integrated into Austrian and Hungarian cuisine, where it is better known as Pressburger Kipfel and Pozsonyi kifli.

Bratislavský rožok

This baked specialty is a French type of viennoiserie, a cross between a pastry and a bread, with a high butter, milk, and egg content that makes it rich, soft, and flaky. It has been enjoyed for centuries both as a delicacy and as a status symbol. One popular theory claims that it was invented by Norman Vikings, who settled in France in the 9th century and brought the secrets of making butter with them. The word brioche first appeared in print in 1404, and the name is believed to be derived from bris and hocher, meaning to knead and to stir. It could also be a reference to the popular French cheese called Brie, which is believed to have been one of the ingredients in the original brioche. A famine in the 18th century made bread expensive, so brioche became a status symbol &ndash; the amount of butter in your brioche was proportional to your prosperity. Today, it is traditionally consumed with tea, but it also has various uses in cuisine, acting as a vessel for sweet or savory fillings.

Brioche

Bundevara is a flavorful Serbian pie consisting of phyllo sheets that are filled with grated pumpkin, sugar, and spices such as cinnamon or nutmeg. The pie can be additionally enriched by the addition of raisins. It can be served either hot or cold, and it is recommended to sprinkle it with powdered sugar on top before consumption.

Bundevara

Bungeoppang is an unusual fish-shaped South Korean pastry filled with red beans. The outer shell is made with a simple batter consisting of eggs, flour, raising agents, sugar, and water. It is poured in fish-shaped molds, and a dollop of smooth or coarse red bean paste is then placed in the middle. Enclosed in the mold, the pastry is baked on the stove until golden brown and crisp on the edges. The red bean filling is evenly distributed within the pastry and stays safely tucked inside. One of the most popular varieties of this sweet snack is known as ice bungeoppang, the factory-produced treat which combines ice cream with red bean filling. Traditional bungeoppang is considered to be a less sophisticated version of the Japanese taiyaki, but unlike its Japanese counterpart, the Korean version usually does not incorporate any other fillings besides the lightly sweetened red bean mixture. These filling treats can be found everywhere in South Korea. They are one of the most common portable snacks sold by street vendors. It is recommended to enjoy them freshly baked, while they are still soft and slightly crispy, and the filling remains hot and creamy.

Bungeoppang

These miniature versions of the popular Bosnian burek consist of phyllo dough that is stuffed with minced meat. They are prepared by rolling thin sheets of dough, locally known as jufke, which are then sprinkled with seasoned minced meat before they are rolled into small-sized spirals. When baked, buredžici are coated with a combination of finely sliced garlic and sour cream, yogurt, or sour milk.

Buredžici

This savory Libyan pastry consists of dough that is filled with a combination of ground meat, chopped onions, salt, pepper, and various spices. The dough is typically made with flour, water, butter, baking powder, and salt. The thin layers of flaky dough are made by folding the oil-soaked dough and rolling it out repeatedly. After it has been baked, it is recommended to serve bureek muwaraq warm and pair it with a glass of yogurt.