Shopping on line can be easy, simple and save you lots of money. It can also take a lot of your time, frustrate you, and result in unwanted purchases. Now the same can be said for regular high street shopping, but with the vast opportunity presented by the Internet it will pay you to spend a few minutes reading this and understanding how to better optimize your Filo shopping experience:
1. Compare - without doubt the biggest advantage that the Filo offers shoppers today is the ability to compare thousands of Filo at a time. This is a great thing, but not necessarily all the time! Too much can be daunting at times so take advantage of the great comparison sites and where possible let them do the hard work for you.
2. Research - if it has been said it will be on the internet. Ignorance is no longer a justifiable reason for buying the wrong thing. Take the time to research in detail everything that you could possible want to know about
3. Testimonials - don't know anybody that has bought a Filo? Wrong! If the Filo is good the internet will let you know. Use the Internet as a friend and get testimonials before you buy.
4. Questions - Got a question about Filo then search the Forums, FAQ's, Blogs etc. Don't be afraid to ask .....
5. Reputation - Never heard of the company selling Filo? Don't worry, no reason why you should know every company in the world, but you know someone that does! Use the internet to find out what people are saying about Filo and build up a picture of their reputation for sales, returns, customer service, delivery etc.
6. Returns - still worried that even after all of the above your Filo wont be what you want? Check out the returns policy. There is so much competition now that someone, somewhere is bound to offer the terms that you are comfortable with.
7. Feedback - happy with your Filo then let people know, after all you are depending on others people input in your buying decision, so why not give a little back.
8. Security - check for the yellow padlock on the Filo site before you buy, and the s after http:/ /i.e. https:// = a secure site
9. Contact - got a question about Filo, or want to leave a comment then check out the sites contact page. Reputable companies have them and respond.
10. Payment - ready to pay for your Filo, then use your credit card or PayPal! Be aware of companies that don't accept them, there may be genuine reasons but given the huge amount of choice you have when buying online there is no reason at all not to buy via credit card or PayPal.
Phyllo, also known as
filo or
fillo dough, (
Greek language φύλλο 'leaf') consists of paper-thin sheets of raw, unleavened flour dough. The Turkish language name for phyllo is
yufka, though there is also a Turkish flatbread named
yufka.
Phyllo dough is made with flour, water, and a small amount of oil. It is almost always used in multiple layers separated by melted butter. When these are baked, they become crispy and the result resembles puff pastry, though the method is very different, and they are generally not substituted for one another.
Phyllo and yufka are used in many of the cuisines of the former
Ottoman Empire. The individual sheets are layered with butter and other ingredients, then baked to make flaky pies and pastries, including
baklava,
börek,
gözleme,
spanakopita,
tyropita and
pastilla. Rolled out dough layers (made of starch) are also used for making
güllaç, a Turkish dessert mostly eaten in the holy month of
Ramadan. Phyllo layers together with walnuts and rose water are placed one by one in warm milk.
In
Turkish cuisine pastries prepared with phyllo are called
börek, in Egyptian cuisine they are called
gollash, in
Albanian cuisine they are called
byrek, in Austrian-German-Hungarian cuisine the dough is called Blätterteig and pastries made from phyllo are called
strudel. In Bosnia, the word
burek is only used for the pastries with meat and other kinds are called
pita. In
Serbian language phyllo is called
kore (
plural) while the pastries have various names, depending on mode of preparation. In Bulgaria the dough is called
kori za banitsa (pl.) and the generic name for the pastries is
banitsa (pastry), although there are special names for some specific kinds.
An early, thick form of phyllo appears to be of Central Asian Turkic peoples origin.Czegeny, Clara Margaret.
Helen's Hungarian Heritage Recipes. Dream Machine Publications, 2006.
page 183Mack, Glenn Randall & Surina, Asele.
Food Culture In Russia And Central Asia. Greenwood Press, 2005.
page 57 As early as the 11th century, the
Diwan Lughat al-Turk, a dictionary of
Turkic languages dialects by
Mahmud Kashgari recorded pleated/folded bread as one meaning of the word
yuvgha, which is related to the word
yufka. The idea of stretching raw dough into paper-thin sheets is a later development, probably developed in the kitchens of the
Topkapı Palace.See the
baklava article.
Homemade phyllo takes time and skill. It requires progressive rolling and stretching of the dough to a single, thin and very big sheet, with continual flouring of its surface, which tends to break apart. A very big table and a long roller are used. Once finished, the phyllo is floured, folded, then used as desired. Most phyllo is made with wheat flour and water, but some dessert recipes call for egg yolks in addition.
Machines for producing filo pastry were perfected in the mid-twentieth century. Athens Foods, Cleveland, OH Nowadays phyllo is produced mostly by machine. Phyllo for domestic use is widely available from supermarkets, fresh or frozen.
Phyllo can be used in many ways: layered, folded, rolled, or ruffled, with various fillings. Some common varieties are:
- with apples: Apfelstrudel
- with cheese: called Peynirli börek in Turkey, Burekas in Israel, Tyropita in Greece, Gibanica in Serbia, standard Banitsa in Bulgaria
- with chicken: called Tavuklu börek in Turkish cuisine, Kotopita in Greek cuisine
- with vegetables: sebzeli börek (spinach, leek, eggplant, courgette etc.) in Turkish cuisine, Chortopita in Greek cuisine (Prasopita when filled with leeks)
- with meat: called Kıymalı börek or Talas böreği (with diced meat and vegetables) in Turkish cuisine, Kreatopita in Greek cuisine, Burek in Bosnia, Croatia, Serbia and elsewhere
- with nuts and syrup: Baklava, sütlü nuriye, şöbiyet, saray sarma in Turkish cuisine
- with potatoes: called Patatopita in Greek cuisine
- with powdered sugar on top
- with spinach and feta cheese: called Ispanaklı börek in Turkish cuisine, Spanakopita in Greek cuisine
Su böreği in Turkish cuisine consisting of boiled dough layers with cheese in between can be described as a salty version of baklava.
Some recipes also use an egg yolk glaze on top when baked, to enhance color and crispness.
Bibliography
- Perry, Charles. "The Taste for Layered Bread among the Nomadic Turks and the Central Asian Origins of Baklava", in A Taste of Thyme: Culinary Cultures of the Middle East (ed. Sami Zubaida, Richard Tapper), 1994. ISBN 1-86064-603-4.
- Lambraki Mirsini, Akın Engin, Aynı Sofrada İki Ülke, Türk ve Yunan Mutfağı, Istanbul 2003, ISBN 9754584842.
References
External links
- Baking911.com - Phyllo dough recipes
Phyllo, also known as
filo or
fillo dough, (
Greek language φύλλο 'leaf') consists of paper-thin sheets of raw, unleavened flour dough. The Turkish language name for phyllo is
yufka, though there is also a Turkish flatbread named
yufka.
Phyllo dough is made with flour, water, and a small amount of oil. It is almost always used in multiple layers separated by melted butter. When these are baked, they become crispy and the result resembles puff pastry, though the method is very different, and they are generally not substituted for one another.
Phyllo and yufka are used in many of the cuisines of the former
Ottoman Empire. The individual sheets are layered with butter and other ingredients, then baked to make flaky pies and pastries, including
baklava,
börek,
gözleme,
spanakopita,
tyropita and
pastilla. Rolled out dough layers (made of starch) are also used for making
güllaç, a Turkish dessert mostly eaten in the holy month of Ramadan. Phyllo layers together with walnuts and rose water are placed one by one in warm milk.
In
Turkish cuisine pastries prepared with phyllo are called
börek, in Egyptian cuisine they are called
gollash, in Albanian cuisine they are called
byrek, in Austrian-German-Hungarian cuisine the dough is called Blätterteig and pastries made from phyllo are called strudel. In Bosnia, the word
burek is only used for the pastries with meat and other kinds are called
pita. In Serbian language phyllo is called
kore (
plural) while the pastries have various names, depending on mode of preparation. In Bulgaria the dough is called
kori za banitsa (pl.) and the generic name for the pastries is
banitsa (pastry), although there are special names for some specific kinds.
An early, thick form of phyllo appears to be of Central Asian
Turkic peoples origin.Czegeny, Clara Margaret.
Helen's Hungarian Heritage Recipes. Dream Machine Publications, 2006.
page 183Mack, Glenn Randall & Surina, Asele.
Food Culture In Russia And Central Asia. Greenwood Press, 2005.
page 57 As early as the 11th century, the
Diwan Lughat al-Turk, a dictionary of Turkic languages dialects by Mahmud Kashgari recorded pleated/folded bread as one meaning of the word
yuvgha, which is related to the word
yufka. The idea of stretching raw dough into paper-thin sheets is a later development, probably developed in the kitchens of the Topkapı Palace.See the
baklava article.
Homemade phyllo takes time and skill. It requires progressive rolling and stretching of the dough to a single, thin and very big sheet, with continual flouring of its surface, which tends to break apart. A very big table and a long roller are used. Once finished, the phyllo is floured, folded, then used as desired. Most phyllo is made with wheat flour and water, but some dessert recipes call for egg yolks in addition.
Machines for producing filo pastry were perfected in the mid-twentieth century. Athens Foods, Cleveland, OH Nowadays phyllo is produced mostly by machine. Phyllo for domestic use is widely available from supermarkets, fresh or frozen.
Phyllo can be used in many ways: layered, folded, rolled, or ruffled, with various fillings. Some common varieties are:
- with apples: Apfelstrudel
- with cheese: called Peynirli börek in Turkey, Burekas in Israel, Tyropita in Greece, Gibanica in Serbia, standard Banitsa in Bulgaria
- with chicken: called Tavuklu börek in Turkish cuisine, Kotopita in Greek cuisine
- with vegetables: sebzeli börek (spinach, leek, eggplant, courgette etc.) in Turkish cuisine, Chortopita in Greek cuisine (Prasopita when filled with leeks)
- with meat: called Kıymalı börek or Talas böreği (with diced meat and vegetables) in Turkish cuisine, Kreatopita in Greek cuisine, Burek in Bosnia, Croatia, Serbia and elsewhere
- with nuts and syrup: Baklava, sütlü nuriye, şöbiyet, saray sarma in Turkish cuisine
- with potatoes: called Patatopita in Greek cuisine
- with powdered sugar on top
- with spinach and feta cheese: called Ispanaklı börek in Turkish cuisine, Spanakopita in Greek cuisine
Su böreği in Turkish cuisine consisting of boiled dough layers with cheese in between can be described as a salty version of baklava.
Some recipes also use an
egg yolk glaze on top when baked, to enhance color and crispness.
Bibliography
- Perry, Charles. "The Taste for Layered Bread among the Nomadic Turks and the Central Asian Origins of Baklava", in A Taste of Thyme: Culinary Cultures of the Middle East (ed. Sami Zubaida, Richard Tapper), 1994. ISBN 1-86064-603-4.
- Lambraki Mirsini, Akın Engin, Aynı Sofrada İki Ülke, Türk ve Yunan Mutfağı, Istanbul 2003, ISBN 9754584842.
References
External links
- Baking911.com - Phyllo dough recipes
