Anari is the fresh, soft whey cheese Cypriots make alongside halloumi, similar to ricotta. Mild and slightly sweet, it takes to a sweet filling far better than a salty cheese, which is why it is the one used in sweet bourekia.

Can bourekia me anari be baked instead of fried?

Frying is traditional and gives the characteristic crisp, blistered shell. They can be baked for a lighter version, brushed with oil, though the texture is quite different and less crisp.

Can you make them ahead?

They are at their best fried fresh and eaten warm, while the shell is crisp. You can assemble them ahead and keep them raw in the fridge for a few hours, then fry just before serving.

Cypriot Sweet Cheese Pastries Recipe (Bourekia me Anari)

Bourekia me anari are the sweet cousins of the savoury pies that fill a Cypriot table, thin dough half-moons filled with fresh anari, sweetened and scented with cinnamon, then deep-fried until crisp and golden and finished in a snowfall of sugar and cinnamon.

Anari is the fresh, soft whey cheese Cypriots make alongside halloumi, mild and slightly sweet on its own, and it takes to a dessert far more naturally than a salty cheese would, which is exactly why it, rather than halloumi, is the one that goes into the sweet bourekia.

They are best eaten warm, soon after frying, while the pastry is still crisp and the filling soft and yielding inside, which is why in most Cypriot homes they are fried in batches and carried straight to the table rather than made far ahead.

Key preparation steps

Make a thin, workable pastry dough.
Sweeten fresh anari with sugar and cinnamon.
Fill and seal into half-moons.
Deep-fry and dust with sugar and cinnamon.

The dough

Work flour, a little olive oil, salt and water into a soft, smooth dough that can be rolled very thin, then rest it. A well-rested dough rolls out thinner and more evenly, which gives the crisp, delicate shell these pastries want rather than a thick, bready one.

The filling

Mix fresh anari with sugar and cinnamon, and a little rosewater if you like, tasting as you go. Anari is mild and faintly sweet already, so it needs only enough sugar to make it a dessert filling, not so much that it turns cloying.

Mix fresh anari with sugar and cinnamon, and a little rosewater if you like, tasting as you go.Yiayia

Filling and frying

Roll the dough thin, cut into rounds, add a little filling to each, fold into half-moons and seal the edges firmly. Deep-fry in hot oil until golden and crisp on both sides, drain briefly, and dust generously with sugar and cinnamon while still warm.

What matters in this dish

Use fresh anari if you can

Its mild, faintly sweet flavour is what makes these work as a dessert. If you cannot find it, a well-drained ricotta is the closest easy substitute.

Roll the dough thin

A thin shell fries up crisp and delicate. Rolled too thick, the pastry turns bready and heavy against the soft filling.

Seal the edges firmly

The filling softens and loosens in the hot oil. Press the edges closed well, wetting them if needed, so none burst open while frying.

Cypriot Sweet Cheese Pastries (Bourekia me Anari)