Spinach and White Cheese Pastry
Crisp yufka layers with spinach, onion and an optional white-cheese filling.
The Turkish pantry
Nigella seeds
Nigella adds a distinctive savory aroma and tiny black specks to börek. Sprinkle the amount called for over the prepared surface rather than treating it as a bulk ingredient.
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Culinary nigella seeds, known as çörek otu. They are not black sesame, onion seed or ordinary cumin; nigella oil is a different product.
Types & forms
Whole culinary seeds
The form used on the linked börek recipes; the seeds stay visible after baking.
Nigella oil or capsules
Concentrated or supplemental products, not replacements for a seed topping.
What to look for when buying
- Buy food-grade seeds labeled nigella or çörek otu from a reliable spice supplier. Do not buy garden-sowing seed for cooking.
- Choose dry, loose seeds without mustiness, damp clumps or insect damage. A small sealed pack is useful when only a little is needed at a time.
Prepare & cook
- Measure before sprinkling so the seeds spread across the surface rather than collecting in a few patches. Apply to the recipe’s brushed topping so they adhere.
- Bake with the pastry as directed. Do not add an extra toasting stage automatically; exposed seeds can scorch before the pastry is ready.
Store it well
- Keep in a tightly closed container away from steam, direct sun and strong pantry odors. Use a dry spoon.
- Mark the opened pack and check aroma and condition before use; discard damp, moldy or infested seeds.
Substitutions depend on the dish
Sesame seeds
A different taste and allergen profile. Use only as a deliberate topping change, not as another name for nigella.
No seed topping
May suit a recipe that makes the garnish optional; it removes the nigella flavor and appearance.
Nutrition
No verified nutrition data is available for this ingredient.
At the Turkish table
The linked spinach and meat börek recipes use nigella as a surface seasoning. Its small amount and distinctive flavor matter more here than a large serving of seeds.
Cook with Nigella seeds
Coiled Beef Börek
Golden coils of thin yufka filled with seasoned minced beef, onion and green pepper.