Banitsa

Banitsa (Bulgarian: баница), also transliterated as banica and banitza, is a traditional pastry made in Bulgaria. It is also made in Budjak, where it is known as milina by Ukrainian Bulgarians; North Macedonia; and southeastern Serbia. In southeastern Serbia, it may also be known as gibanica. Banitsa is prepared by layering a mixture of whisked eggs, plain yogurt, and pieces of white brined cheese between filo pastry and then baking it in an oven.

Traditionally in Bulgaria, lucky charms are put into the pastry on certain occasions, particularly on New Year's Eve. These charms may be coins or small symbolic objects (e.g., a small piece of a dogwood branch with a bud, symbolizing health or longevity). More recently, people have started writing happy wishes on small pieces of paper and wrapping them in tin foil. Wishes may include happiness, health, or success throughout the new year (similar to fortune cookies).

Banitsa is served for breakfast with plain yogurt, ayran, or boza; it can be eaten hot or cold. Some varieties include spinach—"спаначник" (spanachnik)—or a sweet version, with milk—"млечна баница" (mlechna banitsa)—or pumpkin—"тиквеник" (tikvenik).

The word "баница" derives from the South Slavic "гъбнѫти", meaning "to fold". It developed from the Proto-Slavic form *гыбаница > *гъбаница > *гбаница > баница.

Traditionally, banitsa is made with homemade or commercially made pastry sheets that are prepared from a baker's hard dough made of flour, water, and salt. At home, the sheets can be spread by continuously pulling the dough with one's fingers until it becomes less than a millimeter thin, or by using a rolling pin in several stages, with sunflower oil sprinkled between the partially spread leaves, or by a difficult technique consisting of waving movements of the entire sheet over the head, which resembles pizza-making techniques. Commercially available sheets are mechanically spread and somewhat dried before packing.

Another sort of banitsa is called tutmanik (тутманик) or poparnik (попарник) and is made with leavened sheets. The usual filling is cheese.

Traditional banitsa filling is made of crushed white cheese (sirene, feta cheese), yogurt, and eggs. Sometimes, baking soda is added to the yogurt, which makes it rise (as the baking soda reacts with the acid in yogurt). The addition of baking soda results in a fluffier filling.

Vegetable fillings include spinach, sorrel, docks, mangold, chards, beet leaves, nettles, radish leaves, leeks, onions and spring onion greens, parsley, cabbage, or sauerkraut. All these variants, including cabbage, are called zelnik (зелник), from the word зелен (zelen) 'green'. The leek variant is called praznik (празник), and the onion variant is called luchnik (лучник).