In Arabic, fatayer (فطائر) means “pie”. These delicious little pies are a staple of Lebanese cuisine and served alongside other tasty mezze classics. Golden, flaky, homemade dough encases a filling of spinach, feta cheese, onions and seasoned with flavours such as pomegranate molasses and sumac – lush.
Fatayer are typically folded into neat little triangle pockets which make them the perfect snack. I serve them as part of my PomPom Persian Picnics, which are busting boxes of Middle Eastern treats for you and your significant other.
Don’t be intimidated by needing to make homemade dough; this her is a basic pizza dough which is super simple to make, just requires a little pre-thinking and time set aside. I always make double so that I have extra in the fridge, which means another dinner which I don’t have to put much effort into, like homemade pizzas! You’ll find fresh piles of Fatayer in any local bakeries in Lebanon with a variety of fillings. Use my touch recipe as a starting block but feel free to experiment with Lame (meat) fillings or perhaps a sweetened ricotta, honey and sultana filling for a treat.