Burek is the universal and ubiquitous Balkan snack that simply has to be tried when you’re in the region. Like most cities in Serbia, Niš claims to have been the first in the country to bake Burek, which given the location and 500 year Turkish bombardment, kind of seems logical. Either way it is one of the best.

From the Turkish word bur, meaning to twist, burek comes in all manner of shapes and sizes but are essentially a baked filo pastry snack with a savoury filling, usually flavoured with minced beef or cheese, best enjoyed with additional lashings of plain yoghurt. Burek can be found ready to eat, cheap and piping hot in bakeries and speciality places, especially around the bus station. Variations on the burek theme can be found as far and wide as Israel, where they have the burekas, and even in Lithuania where they eat something not unlike a burek that they call a čeburekai.