zelnik

{{Short description|Savoury Bulgarian pastry}}

{{About|the pastry eaten in the Balkans|the surname|Zelnik (surname)}}

{{more citations needed|date=June 2020}}

{{Infobox prepared food

| name = Zelnik

| image = Зелник праз (cropped).jpg

| caption = Zelnik filled with leek

| alternate_name =

|country = Balkans

| region =

| creator =

| course =

| type = Savoury pie

| served = Warm

| main_ingredient = Phyllo pastry, sirene, eggs, spinach, sorrel, browned meat, leeks, rice

| variations =

| calories =

| other =

}}

Zelnik is a traditional pastry eaten in Bulgaria{{cite magazine|title=Feta, chard and spinach filo pie (zelnik)|url=https://www.deliciousmagazine.co.uk/recipes/feta-chard-and-spinach-filo-pie-zelnik-pie/|magazine=Delicious Magazine|access-date=8 November 2021}} and North Macedonia.{{cite web|title=Zelnik Recipe- an Irreplaceable Part of Macedonian Cuisine|url=https://thefoodhog.com/zelnik-recipe/|website=The Food Hog|date=7 July 2020 |access-date=8 November 2021}} It is composed of layers of thinly-rolled leavened wheat flour dough, or possibly phyllo pastry, filled with various combinations of sirene (a white cheese), feta cheese, eggs, sorrel, browned meat, leeks, spring onions and/or rice. In winter, the filling traditionally includes pickled cabbage, from which the dish derives its name ("cabbage" in {{langx|bg|зелe}} or {{langx|bg|зелка}}, in {{langx|mk|зелка}}). Bulgarian zelnik could be made also with various wild and cultivated leafy greens like collard, lettuce, orache, rumex, Chenopodium album, spearmint and many others.{{cite journal|title=Diversity of Ruderal Spring Plants Traditionally Consumed in Bulgaria|journal=Diversity |date=March 2023 |volume=15 |issue=3 |page=435 |doi=10.3390/d15030435 |doi-access=free |last1=Ivanova |first1=Teodora |last2=Marchev |first2=Andrey |last3=Chervenkov |first3=Mihail |last4=Bosseva |first4=Yulia |last5=Georgiev |first5=Milen |last6=Kozuharova |first6=Ekaterina |last7=Dimitrova |first7=Dessislava }} Zelnik is sometimes served with yogurt and it is best eaten warm.

Zelnik is similar to börek, a dish popular in Turkey, Eastern Europe and Central Asia. Zelnik is often mistakenly referred to as börek. Unlike zelnik, cabbage börek is made for holidays and festivals and is served with kefir. The crust and the layers of börek are thicker and other spices are used. Zelnik is typically made with leek and sirene and consists of very thinly rolled layers of phyllo dough. Zelnik is usually prepared as one long, thin piece of pastry and wound up into a spiral shape.