The origin koulourakia the practice of stretching raw dough into paper-thin sheets is unclear, with many cultures claiming credit. Homer’s Odyssey, written around 800 BC, mentions thin breads sweetened with walnuts and honey.

11th-century Dīwān Lughāt al-Turk by Mahmud Kashgari records the meaning of yurgha, an archaic term for yufka, as “pleated or folded bread”. Filo dough is made with flour, water and a small amount of oil. Homemade filo takes time and skill, requiring progressive rolling and stretching to a single thin and very large sheet. A very big table is used, preferably with a marble top.

If the dough is stretched by hand, a long, thin rolling pin is used, with continual flouring between layers to prevent the sheets from sticking to one another. When using filo to make pastries, the thin layers are made by first rolling out the sheets of dough to the final thickness, then brushing them with oil, or melted butter for some desserts, and stacking them. Filo can be used in many ways: layered, folded, rolled, or ruffled, with various fillings. Ottoman dessert with layers of filo with chopped nuts, sweetened and held together with syrup or honey. A Bulgarian dish consisting of eggs, cheese and filo baked in the oven. A type of Greek breakfast pastry. A Turkish dessert with pistachios and syrup.

A Serbian sweet pie filled with pumpkin. An Albanian dish consisting of multiple crêpe-like layers brushed with cream and served with sour cream. A Greek dessert consisting of filo and semolina custard. A Balkan dish made from filo, white cheese, and eggs. A savory pastry from Malta filled with ricotta or mushy peas. A Greek dish similar to Börek, filled with a cheese-egg mixture. A savory pie from the Balkans.

Bosnian pastry made of filo dough stuffed with apples. Sweet Middle East: Classic Recipes, from Baklava to Fig Ice Cream. How to Stock a Moroccan Pantry: Harissa, Ras el Hanout, and More”. Olive Trees and Honey: A Treasury of Vegetarian Recipes from Jewish Communities Around the World. Engin Akın, Mirsini Lambraki, Kosta Sarıoğlu, Aynı Sofrada İki Ülke: Türk ve Yunan Mutfağı, Istanbul 2003, ISBN 975-458-484-2.