The bourek of Algeria are made with ouarka, a very thin wheat pastry. The filling is usually beef flavoured with herbs and spices. These are then shaped into spring roll-like cigars and shallow fried in oil for a few minutes until crispy. The Sephardic term for the bourek is betzel.
Egyptian sambusak are very similar to the sambusek found in the countries of the Levant. Sambusak can be baked aor deep-fried and the fillings range from the savory to the sweet.
Libyan bureek closely resemble the sambusak and can be fried or baked. The most common fillings are spinach and meat.
Briouats are little savory snacks made of a very thin pastry called warqa and come with a multitude of fillings. Briouats come shaped as triangles, rectangles or fingers and can be either fried or baked. They are served dusted with icing sugar and cinnammon.
Tunisia's favorite snack is brik - a savory, deep-fried pastry turnover containing a spicy meat or fish filling and often an egg. Though the fillings may vary, brik is traditionally served with harissa sauce. Brik is very popular, but requires careful eating with your fingers if the egg is not to trickle down your chin.
