Throughout the Balkans, one dish gives you a fantastic start to the day: burek. Call it what you want: börek, bureg, or in Bulgaria, byurek. Many in the Balkans just call it breakfast. The rich pastry, filled with cheese, squash, roasted pumpkin, eggs, meat, or a combination of the above, starts the day off on a decadent note. It is similar to the classic Bulgarian dish banitsa, only that Bulgarian byurek has egg in the pastry. However it is prepared, or spelled, burek is just one reason why the food in the Balkans, much of it organic, is a highlight of travel in this gorgeous corner of the world.

It has been a year since my trip to southeastern Europe, a great month where I met many fantastic people. Many of them I met over a fine meal, rustic and sophisticated all at once. During my last day in Sofia, I wandered through the neighborhood surrounding the Central Sofia Market Hall. The byurek plunked into my hand made for a perfect last meal.

Bulgarian byurek

Bulgarian byurek, the perfect morning start!

About The Author

Leon Kaye

Leon Kaye is the founder and editor of GreenGoPost.com and its advisory division, GGP Media. Contact him to discuss how he can work with your organization or event. His focus is making the business case for sustainability and corporate social responsibility (CSR). He writes for San Francisco-based Triple Pundit, Inhabitat and now The Guardian, for which he writes about corporate responsibility, water, and green building. He has also written for AIA's Architect Magazine. Leon works out of Fresno and Silicon Valley, California, and when he has free time, he enjoys hiking, gardening, cooking, weightlifting, and planning his next trip to one of the 60 countries he has visited. He has an MBA from USC's Marshall School of Business and is also a proud graduate of the University of Maryland-Baltimore County (UMBC) and Cal State-Fresno.