Pilavuna

Turkish Cypriot culture embraces communal baking and often revolves around bread and pastry.

One traditional savoury bun is Pilavuna, a cheese-filled pastry unique to the island of North Cyprus.

Made with a yeast pastry, comparable to bread dough which is rolled very thinly, the pastry is similar to shortcrust in texture. They are filled with a combination of Hellim and nor, a fresh mild whey cheese produced in Cyprus, the cheeses then mixed with aromatic dried mint and sometimes sweet sultanas.

Depending on the area of island in which they are made, the recipes vary so that the pastries are either salty, semi-sweet or sweet. At home, these are often eaten with breakfast or as a snack with tea in the afternoon.

Sometimes also referred to as “flaounes” are traditionally served in Cyprus as a celebratory food for the breaking of the Lenten fast, being prepared on Good Friday for consumption on Easter Sunday by Orthodox Christians.

Pilavuna’s were featured as a technical challenge in The Great British Bake Off pastry week episode of season six.