Dictionary

spanakopita en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• /ˌspænəˈkoʊpɪtə/
• (US) audio

Etymology

Modern Greek σπανακόπιτα (spanakópita), from σπανάκι (spanáki, “spinach”) + -ό- (-ó-, linking vowel) + πίτα (píta, “pie”). Usually short for σπανακοτυρόπιτα (spanakotyrópita, “spanakotiropita, spinach and cheese pie”), from same as above and τυρί (tyrí, “cheese”).

Meanings

1. (countable, uncountable) A Greek dish made with pre-cooked spinach, butter, olive oil, cheese, green onions, egg, and seasoning in phyllo pastry.
   • They laughed and enjoyed baking bread, buns and spanakopites (her Mama taught her the art of making filo pastry). 2012, Olympia Rizidis, “Olga Returns to Her Parents”, in This Is Our Promised Land, Brisbane, Qld.: Boolarong Press, →ISBN, page 42:
   • Soon, she’s toting a tray of miniature spanakopites, wedging it between groups of men and women who all seem to have arrived at once, as if they’ve been brought in a chartered bus to populate the house, to form a small privileged nation. 1983, Hilma Wolitzer, chapter 30, in In the Palomar Arms, New York, N.Y.: Farrar/Straus/Giroux, →ISBN, page 231:
   • Bowls of melitzanosalata and tzatziki had been laid out, platters of spanakopita, meatballs, tiropitas, and two bottles of wine. 2017, Lynn Freed, The Last Laugh: A Novel, New York, N.Y.: Sarah Crichton Books, →ISBN, page 94:
   • A large order today, he’d said. Mrs Yiasoumi had a delicate stomach and could hardly get out of bed, so he’d take five of her freshest spanakopites. 2021, Mary Karras, “London – 1986”, in The Making of Mrs Petrakis, London: Two Roads, →ISBN:
2. (countable, uncountable) The same or similar dishes made without cheese.

Forms

Relateds

pita

Translations (3)

eo spanakopito (Greek dish) · el σπανακόπιτα (Greek dish) · el σπανακοτυρόπιτα (Greek dish)