{{Short description|Deep-fried pastry in North African cuisine}} {{about||the surname|Brik (surname)|the Arab utensil|Briq}} {{Not to be confused with|Brick}}{{Infobox food | name = Brik | image = Brikdish.jpg | caption = | alternate_name = | course = | served = | main_ingredient = Eggs, pastry | associated_cuisine = {{unbulleted list|Algerian|Libyan|Tunisian}} | variations = | calories = | other = }} '''Brik''' ({{IPAc-en|b|r|iː|k}} {{respell|BREEK}}; {{lang|ar|بريك}}) or ''burek'' is the North African version of borek, a stuffed malsouka pastry<ref>Alan Davidson, ed., ''The Oxford Companion to Food'', ''s.v.'' börek, p. 96</ref> 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.<ref>Michael and Frances Field, ''A Quintet of Cuisines'', Time-Life, 1970. {{ISBN|0-8094-0075-8}}</ref> With a slightly different shape, but with identical ingredients and method of preparation, the ''brik'' is known in Algeria and Libya as ''bourek'' ({{lang|ar|بوراك}}).<ref name="Gavin2005">{{cite book|author=Paola Gavin|title=Mediterranean Vegetarian Cooking|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=T0Z9CAAAQBAJ&pg=PA40|year=2005|publisher=M. Evans|location=New York|isbn=978-1-59077-191-4|page=40}}</ref> 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''.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Ottolenghi |first1=Yotam |title=Jerusalem |publisher=Ten Speed Press }}</ref> It is 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.<ref>{{Cite web |title=What does BRIK mean? |url=https://www.definitions.net/definition/BRIK |access-date=2022-05-15 |website=www.definitions.net}}</ref>
== Regional variants and preparation == Although the food's origins are hard to trace directly, it dates back at least 500 years in the past.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |date=2021-07-11 |title=Introducing brik, the Tunisian pastry you've probably eaten but never made |url=https://www.sbs.com.au/food/article/2021/07/11/introducing-brik-tunisian-pastry-youve-probably-eaten-never-made |access-date=2022-04-18 |website=Food |language=en}}</ref> 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.<ref name=":0" /> 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''.<ref>{{Cite journal |title=Global Cuisine 2: Europe, the Mediterranean, the Middle East, and Asia |journal=National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation - Foundation of Restaurant Management and Culinary Arts |volume=2nd Edition}}</ref>
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.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Tunisian brik with parsley and egg |url=https://www.ourtunisiantable.com/home/2017/6/17/tunisian-brik-with-egg |access-date=2022-04-18 |website=Our Tunisian Table |date=23 June 2017 |language=en-US}}</ref>
==See also== * List of Middle Eastern dishes
==References== {{reflist}}
{{Cuisine of Algeria}} {{Cuisine of Tunisia}} {{Jewish baked goods}} {{Cuisine of Israel}} {{African cuisine}} {{Authority control}}
Category:Tunisian cuisine Category:Egg dishes Category:Mediterranean cuisine Category:African cuisine Category:Maghrebi cuisine Category:Middle Eastern cuisine Category:Fried dough Category:Algerian cuisine Category:Libyan cuisine Category:Deep fried foods