Burek Instead of Pretzels: Why Balkan Bakeries Are Booming in Germany

TVS News AI, editorially supervised, presents Burek Instead of Pretzels: Why Balkan Bakeries Are Booming in Germany.

12,155 registered bakeries were counted by the Central Association of the German Baking Trade in 2015. By 2025, that number had dropped to just 8,659 – nearly 3,500 fewer businesses in a single decade. Balkan bakeries are moving into precisely this gap, as the Frankfurter Rundschau describes in a report by Julia Hanigk and Sven Trautwein (07/10/2026, 15:29).

What's in the display case – and who bakes it

Instead of bread rolls and pretzels, many vendors offer burek spirals, pita, and pogača, along with warm ćevapčići and sweets like baklava or krempita, a vanilla cream slice. According to the FR report, burek itself is puff pastry filled with minced meat, feta, or spinach. The newspaper calls the concept hybrid: classic baking craft meets fast snack service.

The report provides concrete examples: the "Balkan Bakery" in Ravensburg runs the model as a single location, while the chain "Happy Baker" is expanding with branches in Wiesbaden, Hanau, Kassel, and Offenbach, among others. This shows the trend is reaching not just major cities but also smaller towns.

Why the Balkans specifically – an explanation from Regensburg

Prof. Dr. Gunther Hirschfelder, a cultural studies scholar at the University of Regensburg, offers a clear diagnosis in the report. Consumer behavior has fundamentally changed: fixed main meals are losing importance, while flexible, warm, and filling snacks for on-the-go are in demand. Added to that, dishes like burek or ćevapčići have long since arrived in the mainstream through vacation trips to the Balkans and via social media – they no longer live a niche existence.

Where the German baking trade currently stands

The FR looks not only at the newcomers but also at the established players. According to the report, Munich's oldest bakery is struggling with changed conditions, while bakery discounters are simultaneously opening new locations. In between, Balkan bakeries occupy the niche between quick meals and craft freshness. The baking trade itself is observing the trend, as association representatives confirmed to the newspaper.

What you notice in everyday life

If you walk into a bakery in a German city center today, the chances are higher than they were ten years ago that someone behind the counter is selling burek instead of pretzels. Anyone looking for the classic lye pretzel will find it less often – but the selection of warm, filling pieces from Balkan baking tradition has visibly grown. From an insider tip known only to the initiated to a fixed feature of the cityscape – that's how the FR summarizes the change.