Pasteles

Fetir meshaltet is an Egyptian delicacy consisting of flaky layered pastry which can be plain or filled with various sweet or savory ingredients such as ground beef, cheese, halwa, chocolate, or raisins. The dish dates back to the time of the pharaohs, when it was often used in temples as an offering to Gods. Nowadays, it is traditionally prepared and consumed for religious holidays, weddings, and similar social events, but the pastry is especially important as a symbol of hospitality. Plain fetir meshaltet is served with sweet and savory sides such as fruit jams, honey, cheese, and green olives, the savory filled version is served with sliced tomatoes, cucumbers, and a cup of tea, while the sweet-filled version is commonly served on its own or with fruit jams and cream. Although there are many Egyptian restaurants that serve this pastry, it is said that the best fetirs are made by farmers' wives in the countryside.

Feteer meshaltet

France

Feuillet&eacute;s au Munster is a traditional pastry originating from Alsace. This savory pastry is usually made with a combination of puff pastry, Munster cheese, cr&egrave;me fra&icirc;che, egg yolks, and water. The puff pastry is cut into quarters, and the Munster cheese is placed on each quarter with a dollop of cr&egrave;me fra&icirc;che. The pastry is folded into squares or triangles, and each of those is brushed with a mixture of egg yolks and water. Feuillet&eacute;s au Munster are baked in a hot oven for about half an hour or until golden brown and puffy. If desired, pieces of bacon can be added to the cheese and cr&egrave;me fra&icirc;che mixture for extra flavor.

Feuilletés au Munster

Spain

Flaons de Morella are small pastries filled with cheese. As the name suggests, they hail from Morella and are believed to date back to medieval times. Flaons combine a flaky pastry with a combination of fresh cheese, egg yolks, and ground almonds, as well as various flavorings such as cinnamon and lemon zest, while the dough is typically flavored with aniseed or anise liqueur. The pastries are shaped into half-moons, and they are traditionally served dusted with cinnamon sugar.

Flaons de Morella

Flaouna is a traditional pastry consisting of flour, eggs, sugar, butter, yeast, water, and salt. It is additionally enriched with cheese, raisins, and fresh herbs such as mint. The dough is sprinkled with sesame seeds on top and baked until it develops a golden-brown color of the exterior. This delicious pastry is usually prepared on Good Friday as a delicacy for breaking the fast of Lent, so it is traditionally consumed on Easter Sunday.

Flaouna

Named after the county town of Angus, where they originated in the 18th century as Scotland's answer to the already famed Cornish pasty, bridies are shortcrust pastry turnovers traditionally filled with chunks or strips of beef that was browned in suet with chopped onions. As the local stories claim, the delicious Forfar bridies took the other part of their name from a certain Margaret Bridie of Glamis who sold them at Forfarshire's weekly market. In 1896, they were mentioned in James Matthew Barrie's novel Sentimental Tommy, which made them popular across Scotland, and over time it has become a tradition to eat bridies for lunch on Saturdays.

Forfar Bridie

Germany

This delicious German sweet pastry is traditionally served with a cup of coffee on the side. Initially made only in the Hamburg area, it is now also available in other German cities. The original recipe for these little pastries includes flour, butter, milk, yeast, and sugar, with a filling consisting of sugar and cinnamon. However, raisins, chocolate, or pumpkin seeds may also be added. The dough is folded multiple times and glazed with butter, developing a sticky coating and rich flavor in the process. The name of this dish is possibly related to the French, who had occupied Hamburg during Napoleon's rule. Alternatively, it is said that a baker from Hamburg once cooked a Franzbrot (French bread) in butter, thus creating the Franzbr&ouml;tchen.

Franzbrötchen

Portugal

Frigideiras are a traditional savory pastry made with a flaky dough and filled with minced meat, usually a mixture of pork and beef, seasoned with spices and onions. The name "frigideiras" comes from the method of preparation, as they are traditionally fried in a pan ("frigideira" in Portuguese). They have been created in 1796 at the establishment "Frigideiras do Cantinho," but their recipe remains a closely guarded secret. This dish is a local favorite and is even mentioned in works by renowned Portuguese writers such as Almeida Garret and J&uacute;lio Dinis. Frigideiras are enjoyed as a snack or appetizer, often served warm and paired with a refreshing beverage.

Frigideiras

China

Curry beef triangle is a pastry originating from Hong Kong. In order to prepare it, the dough is shaped into a circle, then usually filled with a combination of ground beef, onions, garlic, curry powder, and peas. It is then folded into a triangle, sealed with beaten eggs, and fried in oil over high heat. If properly prepared, the outside should be thick, crunchy, and flaky while the interior remains succulent.

Ga li su

Gata is a mildly-sweet Armenian pastry with a shiny glaze crust. It comes in two varieties: plain, or if made for weddings and festive occasions, decorated with an intricate design on its top. There are many variations of gata, usually specific to different regions and towns, but the basic recipe consists only of flour, sugar, butter, eggs, and often an Armenian yogurt known as matsoni. Although this pastry is baked all year round and on every important holiday in Armenia, it holds great importance as a dish that is specifically prepared on Candlemas. The most popular variety of gata is khoriz, a pastry containing a single-layered filling made of sugar, flour, and butter, followed by gata breads from the villages of Garni and Geghard which are embellished, round and large (commonly a foot in diameter). Traditionally, a button or a coin is placed inside the bread, so whoever gets the piece is supposed to be blessed with good fortune.

Gata

Gemberbolus is a traditional pastry studded with ginger, also known as a ginger bun or ginger roll. It is made with candied ginger, milk, yeast, flour, salt, sugar, cinnamon, eggs, vanilla, and butter. This pastry is believed to have been prepared during the time of Jewish influence on Dutch cuisine, and nowadays it can be found in numerous Dutch bakeries. Because it is very sticky, gemberbolus is traditionally baked and sold in an aluminum cup.

Gemberbolus

Italy

Genovesi are traditional Sicilian pastries that can be filled with either a milky custard cream or ricotta cream. The most popular variety of these delicious treats is produced in the village of Erice. The dough usually consists of wheat flour, sugar, butter, and egg yolks, while the filling is often enriched with grated lemon zest. Genovesi are typically covered in icing sugar, and it is recommended to serve them warm.

Genovesi

Golfeados is the Venezuelan take on famous cinnamon rolls. This cheesy, sticky pastry typically consists of milk, yeast, sugar, flour, eggs, butter, and grated cheese. It is flavored with cinnamon, vanilla, and star anise. Halfway through the baking, golfeados are glazed with melado &ndash; a simple syrup based on panela. As a result, these pastries are slightly crunchy on the exterior, while the interior remains soft, cheesy, and buttery. It is recommended to serve golfeados with a cup of robust coffee.

Golfeados

Gosheh fil is a traditional crumbly pastry originating from Afghanistan. It's usually made with a combination of oil, flour, baking powder, eggs, milk, icing sugar, cardamom, and pistachios. The dough is kneaded until smooth and firm, and it's then rolled out to a thin sheet of pastry. Circles are cut out of the dough with a cookie cutter, and each circle is pinched at one point in order to form a fanned ear shape (gosheh fil means elephant ears). The pastries are fried in oil until golden and then sprinkled with icing sugar, cardamom, and ground pistachios. Gosheh fil is especially popular during the festival of Eid.

Gosheh fil

Croatia

Gračanska tenka gibanica is the city of Zagreb's version of gibanica&mdash;a traditional dish that typically combines phyllo pastry, cheese, and eggs. The dish is associated with a part of the city called Gračani, hence the name. It consists of thin dough that is filled with fresh cow's cheese, eggs, wheat grits, heavy cream, and salt. The dough is made with flour, eggs, salt, and oil. When assembled, the whole thing is traditionally brushed with eggwash and butter before baking. What makes this pastry special is the fact that it is open-faced, and only a small layer of dough can be seen on its edges. It is recommended to let tenka gibanica cool down for a few minutes before serving it sliced and still slightly warm.

Gračanska tenka gibanica

Austria

A savory delicacy from Burgenland, grammelpogatscherl is a small, bite-sized pastry containing finely chopped cubes of fried pork fat (grammeln) in the dough. Although the ingredients for its preparation vary from place to place, the pastry is typically made with a combination of flour, eggs, yeast, milk, salt, and fried pork fat. Other common ingredients contained in the dough include lard, sugar, sour cream, white wine, and spices such as pepper, caraway, or cumin. These small pastries are usually made into round shapes and their top is traditionally scored with a knife, giving them a characteristic pattern that varies from family to family. It is recommended to enjoy grammelpogatscherl while they&rsquo;re still warm, accompanied by sour cream and a glass of wine on the side. These savory pastries are often served as snacks at wine tastings, and they&rsquo;re commonly prepared for holidays and celebrations.

Grammelpogatscherl

Sweden

Gustaf Adolfsbakelse is a traditional pastry commemorating Gustav II Adolf, who died on November 6 in 1632. The pastry consists of a base, a filling, and a decoration, which is a silhouette of the king, made from chocolate or marzipan. The base consists of eggs, sugar, flour, and baking powder, while the filling contains vanilla cream, heavy cream, and blackcurrant jelly or jam. The vanilla cream is made with butter, sugar, vanilla extract, and vegetable shortening. The pastry was invented by Carl Br&auml;utigam in 1909, and nowadays it is sold and consumed annually on November 6.

Gustaf Adolfsbakelse

Heong peng or heong peah is a traditional pastry. The pastries are usually made with a combination of wheat flour, oil, sesame seeds, sugar, malt, and shallots. They're shaped like flattened balls and contain a sticky sweet filling consisting of malt and shallots. Before baking, the pastries are garnished with sesame seeds on top. Although the original flavor is maltose, there are other versions flavored with coffee, pandan leaves, and durian. The fragrant pastries are especially popular with the Malaysian Chinese community.

Heong peng

Hercegovački u&scaron;tipak is a simple fritter that originates from Herzegovina. In the past, these fritters were typical peasant food, but nowadays it's a quick snack or a replacement for bread. They're made with flour, water, salt, and a bit of loza (grape brandy). The batter should be on the thicker side, similar to pancake batter. It's placed in hot oil with a spoon so that the shape is elongated or oval. The mixture is fried on both sides until golden, and the fritters can then be eaten as they are or served with cheese, cold cuts, prosciutto, kulen, or yogurt.

Hercegovački uštipci

Hoenderpastei is a South African dish consisting of a shortcrust pastry shell filled with pieces of chicken, vegetables such as onions, carrots, and celery, hard-boiled eggs, and seasonings such as pepper, lemon juice, salt, and bay leaves. Simple, yet delicious, hoenderpastei has been a street food favorite for many years in South Africa. It is recommended to prepare the pie a day in advance since it can be left in the fridge and baked when needed.

Hoenderpastei

Hojaldres de Astorga is a traditional pastry originating from the town of Astorga, hence the name. In order to prepare this snack, puff pastry sheet is cut into rectangles with holes cut in the center. The pastry is baked in the oven for about 10 minutes and it's then dipped in hot syrup. The syrup usually consists of water, sugar, honey, and lemon juice. Hojaldres de Astorga pastries are often served for breakfast or as an afternoon snack eaten alongside tea or coffee.