Circassian Water Börek

Çerkeş Su Böreği is a traditional dough product unique to the Çerkeş district of Çankırı. It is prepared by layering thin sheets of dough that have been boiled and dried, placing them in a tray, sprinkling roasted minced meat between the layers, and baking in an oven after brushing with butter. The distinguishing feature of this product is the use of boiled dough sheets and the filling made solely with roasted minced meat between the layers.

Çerkeş Su Böreği (Turkish Patent and Trademark Office)

Geographical Indication Information

Çerkeş Su Böreği is a traditional product intrinsically associated with the Çerkeş district of Çankırı. Its original production method is distinguished by the boiling and drying of the dough sheets, the use of roasted minced meat as the filling, and the layering of dough sheets made from specially designated wheat flour. The börek has acquired cultural continuity through its preparation during special occasions such as holidays and weddings.

As a result of an application submitted by the Çerkeş Municipality, Çerkeş Su Böreği was registered as a geographical indication by the Turkish Patent and Trademark Office on 03.07.2023 under registration number 1396.

Çerkeş Su Böreği Recipe

Ingredients

For the Dough (for 3 kg of product)

• 1.5 kg special-purpose wheat flour
• 10 eggs
• Approximately 5–6 litres drinking water
• 24 g rock salt (Çankırı Rock Salt)

Filling

• 500 g roasted lean beef mince (fat-free)
• 2 g black pepper
• 170 g sunflower oil
• 300 g butter

Boiling the Dough Sheets

• 5–6 litres water
• 64 g rock salt

Shock Cooling the Dough Sheets

• 4 litres water
• 32 g rock salt

Preparation Method

The first step in preparing Çerkeş Su Böreği is making the dough. Ten eggs are cracked into a food-safe container and beaten for 3–4 minutes. Then, water and Çankırı rock salt are added, and the mixture is kneaded together with the flour until it reaches the softness of an earlobe. The dough is kneaded for approximately 10–15 minutes, then divided into 16 equal portions. To prevent the portions from sticking together, they are placed on a tray lined with a cloth, covered, and left to rest for about 15 minutes. After resting, each portion is rolled out individually using a rolling pin to form dough sheets approximately 50 cm in diameter. The rolled sheets are laid out on a clean cloth and dried for about 5 minutes.

Once dried, the dough sheets are immersed in boiling salted water in a food-safe deep pot, each for one minute. They are then transferred to a separate container of cold salted water and left for one minute. This process is called “shock cooling.” After shock cooling, the sheets are carefully drained to remove excess water and separated individually to prevent sticking.

For the filling, roasted lean beef mince and black pepper are mixed in approximately 10 ml of sunflower oil. The boiled and shock-cooled dough sheets are then layered in a greased tray. Between each layer, the meat filling and melted butter mixture are spread, and the sheets are stacked in layers. The final layer is similarly covered and greased. The börek is then baked in a preheated oven at 200 °C for approximately one hour. Once baked, Çerkeş Su Böreği is sliced and served. The product can be stored at 5–8 °C or at room temperature for 4–5 days after baking.