spanakopita

[ span-uh-koh-pi-tuh; Greek spah-nah-kaw-pee-tah ]

noun

, Greek Cooking.

1. a baked dish consisting of spinach, feta cheese, eggs, and scallions enclosed in layers of phyllo.

Word History and Origins

Origin of spanakopita¹

First recorded in 1940–45; from Modern Greek spanakópita, equivalent to spanako-, combining form of spanáki, from Medieval Greek spanákion “spinach” + píta “bread, cake, pie”; spinach ( def ), pita ¹

Example Sentences

Yes, pigs in a blanket, but also spanakopita, cheese puffs, mini quiches, crab cakes, bacon wrapped scallops, empanadas, dumplings, mini pizzas, jalapeno poppers and so on.

From Washington Times

Matty decides to nod towards spanakopita with his spinach and feta pies, while Dan fills his crust with a play on lamb keema.

From Salon

I have seen various forms of baklava in which the traditional layers were reshaped into free-form squares or neat triangles more like spanakopita than baklava.

From Seattle Times

It began with my first bite of spanakopita at a Greek church festival in Queens when I was about 5 years old — one of my first “wow!” food memories — and it has followed me ever since.

From Washington Post

Saganaki provides a floor show when a slab of fried cheese is splashed with brandy and set aflame at the table, and spanakopita sounds off with an audible crackle — and a shower of flaky pastry — when diners bite down on the spinach- and feta-filled phyllo packets.

From Washington Post