Tiropita
 Tiropita with garnish on blue glass plate | |
| Type | Börek |
|---|---|
| Place of origin | Greece |
| Main ingredients | Phyllo, cheese |
Tiropita or tyropita (τυρóπιτα, literally cheese-pie) is a Greek layered pastry food in the burek family, made with layers of buttered phyllo and filled with a cheese-egg mixture.[1]
Another variety is the spiral Skopelos Cheese Pie in which long strips of cheese stuffed phyllo are formed into a spiral and deep fried.
Tiropita can also be made in a large pan (ταψί [taˈpsi]) and cut into individual portions after baking. The individual form is sold in bakeries throughout Greece, where it is a popular breakfast and snack food. Alternatives to tiropita are spanakopita, a pie with spinach, as well as bougatsa.
In Greece, one can find many varieties of Tyropita:
- Kourou: Surrounded by a thick pastry.
- Sfoliata: Surrounded by puff-pastry.
- Xoriatiki: Made in a Tapsi pan.
- Tyropitakia: Bite-sized.
- Skopelitiki: Made in the shape of a twirl.
Regular tiropita fillings usually consist of feta cheese, egg, butter and yogurt. However, "kasseropita" contains kasseri instead of feta cheese and, unlike regular tiropita, does not contain yogurt.
Tiropita is usually eaten mid-morning by Greeks, who are not accustomed to having "breakfast" in the traditional western-European sense. Specifically, shortly after awakening and before going to work, Greeks typically consume coffee (either Turkish or cold, i.e., frappe) accompanied by cold water and, on occasion, bread with butter and honey. Approximately one to two hours later (mid-morning), tyropita (more commonly) or spanakopita are consumed. As a result, lunch is light and usually taken much later in the day than in most Western countries (1:30–2:30 pm).
Georgians, similar to the Greeks, also share a tradition of incorporating dairy products in their baking. Khachapuri is the Georgian equivalent of tyropita. Similar traditions can also be found in other areas of the world (e.g., Hunza pie eaten in the Hunza valley, an area influenced by ancient Greek culture by way of the passing armies of Alexander the Great).
