Fatayer
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Type | Meat pie |
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Place of origin | Levant |
Region or state | Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Palestine, Iraq, Egypt, Yemen |
Main ingredients | Meat, spinach, cheese or za'atar |
Fatayer (Standard Arabic: فطائر, romanized: faṭāʾir; Levantine Arabic: فطاير, romanized: faṭāyir; sg. فطيرة, faṭīra) are meat pies that can alternatively be stuffed with spinach or cheese such as feta or akkawi.[1] They are part of Arab and Levantine cuisine, eaten in Lebanon, Syria, Palestine, Jordan, Iraq, Egypt, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and Yemen.[citation needed] Fatayer are also popular in Argentina, where they are considered a variety of empanada under the name empanadas árabes (sg. empanada árabe), and in Brazil, where they are known as esfihas fechadas ("closed sfihas", sg. esfiha fechada).
Some fatayer are commonly frozen and reheated prior to eating.[2]
Variations
[edit]Different combinations of fillings and shapes are used for fatayer, common fillings include:
- Cheese (such as Feta, Akkawi or Halloumi) with nigella seeds.
- Spinach, commonly with sumac and onions, this variant is popular in the Levant and is known as Fatayer Sabanekh (Levantine Arabic: فطاير سبانخ).
- Minced lamb meat and nuts.
A variety of spices may also be used for each variant[3][2][4]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ Labensky, Steven; Ingram, Gaye G.; Labensky, Sarah R. (2001). Webster's New World Dictionary of Culinary Arts. Prentice Hall. p. 166. ISBN 9780130264305.
- ^ a b Tamimi, Sami; Wigley, Tara (26 March 2020). "Snacks, Spreads and Sauces". Falastin: A Cookbook. Ebury Publishing. ISBN 978-1-4735-5775-8.
- ^ Kalla, Joudie (18 October 2018). "The Bakery". Baladi: Palestine a celebration of food from land and sea. Jacqui Small. ISBN 978-1-911127-86-4.
- ^ "Cook this: Spinach turnovers — fatayer sbenegh — from Forever Beirut". National Post. Retrieved 20 April 2025.