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Brik
Associated cuisine	Algerian; Libyan; Tunisian;
Main ingredients	Eggs, pastry
	Media: Brik;

Brik (/briːk/ BREEK; بريك) or burek is the north African version of borek, a stuffed malsouka pastry^[1] which is commonly deep fried. The best-known version is the egg brik, a whole egg in a triangular pastry pocket with chopped onion, tuna, harissa and parsley.^[2] With a slightly different shape, but with identical ingredients and method of preparation, the brik is known in Algeria and Libya as bourek (بوراك).^[3] It is often filled with a raw egg and herbs or tuna, harissa and olives and is sometimes served in a pita. This is also known as a boreeka.^[4] It's also widespread in Eastern Algeria in the cities of Annaba and Costantina.

Brik pastry is made by slapping a sticky lump of dough onto a hot non-stick surface in overlapping circles to produce the desired size and cooked for a short amount of time. The brik dough sheets are called malsouka or warka. Typical fillings include tuna, ground meat, raw egg, chicken, or anchovies garnished with harissa, capers, or cheese.^[5]

Regional variants and preparation

Although the food's origins are hard to trace directly, it dates back at least 500 years in the past.^[6] In addition to its unclear origins, it is also not known by a singular name; across the Middle East even now, the popular food can be referred to as bric, börek, burek, warqa or malsouka.^[6] The common ingredients in every brik – regardless of what it is called – include the deep fried pastry crust and proteins (like tuna or egg) encased within the wrapping, such as the common French spin known as brik a l'oeuf.^[7]

To prepare a classic Tunisian Brik, one must fold the outer pastry into triangle shapes, stuff the mixed ingredients into the wrapper, and then heat them in a frying pan for two to three minutes on each side.^[8]

References

^ Alan Davidson, ed., The Oxford Companion to Food, s.v. börek, p. 96
^ Michael and Frances Field, A Quintet of Cuisines, Time-Life, 1970. ISBN 0-8094-0075-8
^ Paola Gavin (2005). Mediterranean Vegetarian Cooking. New York: M. Evans. p. 40. ISBN 978-1-59077-191-4.
^ Ottolenghi, Yotam. Jerusalem. Ten Speed Press.
^ "What does BRIK mean?". www.definitions.net. Retrieved 2022-05-15.
^ ^a ^b "Introducing brik, the Tunisian pastry you've probably eaten but never made". Food. 2021-07-11. Retrieved 2022-04-18.
^ "Global Cuisine 2: Europe, the Mediterranean, the Middle East, and Asia". National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation - Foundation of Restaurant Management and Culinary Arts. 2nd Edition.
^ "Tunisian brik with parsley and egg". Our Tunisian Table. 23 June 2017. Retrieved 2022-04-18.