Fatayer
Photo: Carolina Ayala / Contributor
A samosa may be one of the most popular southeast Asian snacks, but its origin lies in the Middle East. From the Persian sambusak, a crisp filled baked pastry and the precursor to the samosa, to the Lebanese sfeeha, open faced square meat pies, there exists a whole family of savory snacks worth getting to know. My current favorite is the fatayer, a triangular baked pastry usually stuffed with cheese, feta, spinach or meat that is easy and fun to make. The yeasted dough for the fatayer differs from the laminated pastries of France by first being easier to make to also being lighter yet just as tasty. Versions of fatayer are made all over the Middle East from Syria to Lebanon to Palestine and Israel. You can make it your own by filling it with a whole variety of cheeses, caramelized onions, chopped spinach or other greens or a meat of your choice. Or a combination of all the above.