"Bagala" - a type of jewish strudel?

[Jambalyle]

I just re-read most of Swisskaese's Food Blog on Hanukkah in Israel. What a wonderful thread! Thanks.

In the thread there was a brief discussion of rugelach and strudel.

Steve Baker wrote: "I wondered about that, being used to strudel like my Serbian grandmother made, which was apple (or cottage cheese) rolled up in phyllo."

That sentence reminds me of a family dessert handed down over the generations by my wife's family. Great baubie (family spelling) showed Eve and I how to make "bagala" or "begala" (which could be a family name for the dessert) and she said that she had been taught be her grandmother from Turkey...

Anyway, the family version of this dessert has evolved into this: sweetened cream cheese with crushed corn flakes for texture, rolled into phyllo, and coiled into a round baking dish. Lots of melted butter brushed on at various points during the process. Baked until lightly browned.

Any clues or similarities to other desserts?

[Sethro]

Baklava?

[Gifted Gourmet]

It sounds a little like a Moroccan dessert I used to make:The Snake ... phyllo leaves, buttered and filled with ground almonds, orange blossom water, powdered sugar ... very exotic and lovely ... a lot of work though ...

The only Begala I know is the one currently on CNN and he worked on the Clinton campaign with James Carville ...

[Pan]

I thought that Yonah Schimmel's knishery in New York served (used to serve?) something I think I remember being called a bagele, which was like a knish but different in some way I've forgotten (shape?). I recall that these things were sweet, filled with cherry preserves and such-like, and I thought they were an innovation of the establishment. I can't find any trace of this memory when I look at Yonah Schimmel's website, but I know they used to serve something else in addition to knishes when my father used to take me there in the early 70s.

Edited January 10, 2006 by Pan (log)

[Swisskaese]

Bagalaas I know it here are little round crackers that resemble a bagel. They are as fat as a bagel. They are really called Kaak.

Some people also call these bagala, but they are called Simit.

I will see what I can find out about what you are describing. I will also take a look a Turkish cookbook that I have.

I am glad you enjoyed the blog.

Edited January 10, 2006 by Swisskaese (log)

[Swisskaese]

I just remembered what this is. It is actually called a burek, just like burekas. It is a sweet version of what most people know as the savory burekas.

These are made in Turkey and all along the Balkans (Croatia, Macedonia, Bosnia, Serbia, Bulgaria, etc.)

Maybe they called them bagala in Ladino. I don't know.

[chefcyn]

Bagalaas I know it here are little round crackers that resemble a bagel. They are as fat as a bagel. They are really called Kaak.

Some people also call these bagala, but they are called Simit.

I will see what I can find out about what you are describing. I will also take a look a Turkish cookbook that I have.

I am glad you enjoyed the blog.

←

Do they look like these? burekas

[Patrick S]

Anyway, the family version of this dessert has evolved into this: sweetened cream cheese with crushed corn flakes for texture, rolled into phyllo, and coiled into a round baking dish.  Lots of melted butter brushed on at various points during the process.  Baked until lightly browned.

Any clues or similarities to other desserts?

←

I've made something a long time ago with a similar shape but different ingredients. What I made was basically chocolate baklava (dates, chocolate, almonds, sugar and spece) baked in a coil in a cake pan and then doused with syrup. The recipe just called it "chocolate phyllo coil" or something like that.

[Swisskaese]

Bagalaas I know it here are little round crackers that resemble a bagel. They are as fat as a bagel. They are really called Kaak.

Some people also call these bagala, but they are called Simit.

I will see what I can find out about what you are describing. I will also take a look a Turkish cookbook that I have.

I am glad you enjoyed the blog.

←

Do they look like these? burekas

←

No, they are a coil of phyllo. The filling is placed lengthways on the phyllo and rolled up and then rolled into a coil in a round baking dish and baked.

Here is a recipe for the pastry that GiftedGourmet was referring to:

M'hanncha (The Snake)

Edited January 12, 2006 by Swisskaese (log)