A type of pie common across the Balkans and Central Asia, burek consists of flaky pastry with vegetarian or meat fillings, savoury or sweet, baked until crunchy and delicious.

Traditionally a breakfast or brunch food, burek consists of layers of buttery filo pastry with savoury fillings of savoury mince, ricotta, feta and potato, and sweet versions with apple and cinnamon. Most commonly you will see it as a flat disc, but sometimes it is baked as a narrow log, made into a spiral shape.

As a passionate cook, I know I could make my own, but it wouldn’t be authentic and I prefer to support the burek establishments around Wollongong with their expert burek bakers.

Here are 3 of the best burek shops in Wollongong:

• Burek at Pece’s – This popular takeaway in Cringila is frequented by tradies, office workers, home workers and anyone else looking for a quick and tasty stomach filler. Buy a whole one or by the slice.
• King Burek – With stores in Warrawong and Berkeley, the southern suburbs are well catered for.
• Alexander’s Bakery – With a new store in Corrimal and the original in Crown Street, Wollongong, this bakery does burek plus!