 Piece of layered variety of savory spinach pie | |
| Alternative names | zeljanica, spanakopita, ispanaklı Selanik böreği, ispanaklı Boşnak böreği |
|---|---|
| Type | Börek (savoury pie) |
| Place of origin | Greece |
| Serving temperature | Hot |
| Main ingredients | Phyllo,spinach (orleeks,chard, orsorrel),white cheese (mladi sir, orbeyaz peynir, orfeta, orricotta),eggs, sometimesonions orscallions |
Savory spinach pie is a pastry eaten throughoutTurkey,Greece, andBosnia. OfGreek origin,[1][2] this pastry’s filling is made of choppedspinach (sometimeschard) and usuallyfeta orwhite cheese, andegg.
Spanakopita (/ˌspænəˈkɒpɪtə,ˌspɑː-,-ˈkoʊ-/;Greek:σπανακόπιτα, fromσπανάκιspanáki 'spinach', and πίταpíta 'pie') is aGreek savory spinachpie.[3] It often also contains cheese, typicallyfeta, and may then be calledspanakotiropita (Greek:σπανακοτυρόπιτα "spinach-cheese pie"), especially innorthern Greece.[citation needed] Insouthern Greece, the term spanakopita is also common for the versions with cheese. A version withoutcheese andeggs is eaten duringreligious fasts throughout Greece. Spanakopita appears in many traditional Greek cookery books and appears in numerous restaurants and hotel menus throughoutGreece and internationally.
Zeljanica in Bosnia and Herzegovina is a savory pie filled with spinach, or sometimechard (in Serbo-Croatianblitva); the wordburek (Turkishbörek) is a pie filled withminced meat.[4][5][6]
TasteAtlas, an encyclopedia of traditional dishes, in their presentation of the 100 best pastries in the world ranked Bosnian and Herzegovinian traditional pastry dishes, puttingzeljanica aboveburek,sirnica andkrompiruša.[7]
Ispanaklı Selanik Böreği and/orIspanaklı Boşnak Böreği,[8] is aTurkish savoryspinachpie, orbörek.[9][10] Thebörek gets its name from eitherSelanik (Thessaloniki) or Bosnia as it is widely common inBosnia and Herzegovina.[citation needed]
The traditional filling comprises choppedspinach, feta cheese,onions orscallions,egg, andseasoning.[11] Other white, preferably salted cheeses such askefalotiri may also be mixed with the feta cheese, and some may be used as a substitute for feta cheese. Herbs such asdill,mint andparsley may be used as flavouring.[12] The filling is wrapped or layered inphyllo (filo) pastry withbutter orolive oil, either in a large pan from which individual servings are cut, or rolled into individual triangular servings.[3] While the filo-dough recipe is most common, some recipes use a village-style pastryhoriatiko, which has a thicker crust.[12] It can also be made withpuff pastry. The pastry is golden in colour when baked, the colour often enhanced by butter andegg yolk. It can be served straight from the oven or at room temperature.[citation needed]
There is a "fasting" (νηστίσιμη; "nistisimi"), orvegan, version of spanakopita, eaten duringLent and other religious fasts. This version has spinach, onions or green onions, other green herbs like dill, parsley, orcelery as filling and usesolive oil and a littlewheat flour but noeggs ordairy products. The mixture isoven-baked until crisp. Non-traditional vegan versions are available that typically usetofu instead of cheese.[13]
In rural Greece, smaller amounts of spinach are used, with the missing amount replaced withleeks,chard andsorrel.[citation needed]
Börek[14][15] orburek is a family of pastries or pies found in theBalkans,Middle East andCentral Asia. The pastry is made of a thin flakydough such asfilo with a variety of fillings, such as meat, cheese, spinach, or potatoes. Boreks are mainly associated with theMiddle East,Armenia, and also with the formerOttoman Empire, including theBalkans and theSouth Caucasus,Eastern European andCentral European countries,Northern Africa andCentral Asia.[citation needed]
Greekpitas | ||
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| Savory |  | |
| Sweet | ||
| Regional | ||
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