Middle Eastern version of bierock (German meat pie)

When I was a child back in the 1970’s there was small shop called The Gunny Sack that sold hand held meat pies similar to a German bierock. There were a variety of fillings available so perhaps some were vegetarian. It was a huge treat for me as a kid so I’d like to recreate them.

I recently asked my mother what she remembered of the place and all she could recall was that she thought the owner was middle eastern and that he said it was a common food in his home country.

Anyone have experience with that sort of cuisine? I’ve made bierocks and pasties before but they don’t go for spices other than salt and pepper. I distinctly remember spices that were not part of our usual meals.

Kelevra

Ras el hanout is a very common and delicious middle-Eastern spice blend. You might start with that.

I’ve had Lebanese fatayer which are kind of like an open faced empanada.

Turkish börek?

That actually looks a lot like I remember them! The filling was minced and the crust was different than a bierock. I’ll look into some recipes for this and see how it turns out.

Thanks everyone for your help!