The art of stretching burek dough is remarkable to watch. Skilled bakers — called buregdžije — take a ball of soft dough and stretch it by hand across a large table until it is thin enough to see through, like a sheet of clingfilm. The filling is then scattered across the sheet, the dough is rolled into a long sausage shape, and finally coiled into a tight spiral in the baking tin.
Burek is baked in large round trays and sold by weight in specialised shops called buregdžinice that open very early in the morning. In Sarajevo, a fresh burek from the local buregdžinica is the traditional breakfast for many families, eaten with a cup of plain yoghurt on the side — the yoghurt cuts through the richness of the pastry perfectly.
There are important differences between burek made in different countries. In Bosnia, purists insist that only the meat-filled version should be called burek — everything else gets its own name. This is a point of friendly debate with neighbours in Serbia, North Macedonia, and Croatia, each of whom have their own regional variations.
Making a good burek at home is considered a real skill and a point of pride. Grandmothers who make excellent burek are held in very high esteem. Many families have inherited the recipe and the exact technique — how thin to stretch, how much filling to use, and how long to bake — over several generations.