Tiropita Recipe, Greek Feta Cheese Pies | Alexandra’s Kitchen (2024)

FAQs

What is the difference between spanakopita and Tiropita? ›

Like spanakopia, tiropita is also a savory Greek pie that's wrapped in a phyllo crust, but its filling is different than spanakopita. Instead of spinach, herbs, and feta, tiropita is filled with a mixture of cheese and eggs.

Tyropita is a Greek cheese pie typically made with feta cheese, phyllo, and olive oil. The word tyropita is a combination of the Greek word for cheese (tyri) and pie (pita). Feta cheese is almost always the main cheese used in tyropita, which can be made with feta by itself or a mixture of cheeses.

Its unique history, tradition and geographic location distinguish Greek Feta from its cousins around the world. “The flora really sets this cheese apart from everywhere else in the Mediterranean,” Juhl adds. “There are more than 6,000 species of natural flora that are endemic—and they only exist in Greece.”

Tiropita or tyropita (Greek: τυρóπιτα, "cheese-pie") is a Greek pastry made with layers of buttered phyllo and filled with a cheese-egg mixture.

Spanakopita (/ˌspænəˈkɒpɪtə, ˌspɑː-, -ˈkoʊ-/; Greek: σπανακόπιτα, from σπανάκι spanáki 'spinach', and πίτα píta 'pie') is a Greek savory spinach pie.

Traditionally, feta cheese is made with 100% sheep's milk or with up to 30% of goat's milk mixed in. The cheesemaker adds rennet to coagulate the milk, producing a curd that is separated from the whey and pressed into molds to drain off excess moisture.

Spanokopita and Tiropita

There are two traditional phyllo pastries most commonly found in Greek restaurants or delis, Spanokopita containing mainly spinach and Tiropita, which has cheese and egg filling. They are either shaped into triangles, rectangular or cigars, but sometimes as a large pie.

Wrap the tray tightly with plastic wrap so that the pastries do not absorb any freezer smells and store them in the freezer for up to 3 weeks.

Instead of cutting separate tops and bases, this easy method just uses one sheet of pastry folded over to make a pie shell. Cut a sheet of slightly thawed pastry into 4 equal squares. Bring the four corners of pastry to the centre to cover the filling. Pinch to seal.

Is it okay to eat feta cheese every day? ›

While feta cheese provides you with an excellent source of nutrients like calcium and protein, it also contains high amounts of sodium and saturated fat. Feta is lower in fat than many other cheeses, however, and is considered a reasonable option to eat in moderation.

French Feta is made with Lacaune sheep's milk (if you remember, that's the sheep breed used for Roquefort production). It has a softer and creamier texture that Greek Feta and a milder, less tangy flavor (though it's sharper than Israeli Feta).

What's more, feta is lower in fat and calories than aged cheeses like cheddar or parmesan. One ounce (28 grams) of cheddar or parmesan contains more than 110 calories and 7 grams of fat, while 1 ounce of feta has only 74 calories and 6 grams of fat (2, 3, 4).

Tiropsomo is similar to spanakopita and tiropita as they use cheese as their main ingredient. But what differentiates this Greek street food is that the cheese is baked into light bread instead of filo pastry. Apart from feta cheese, tiropsomo uses unkneaded dough made from flour and milk.

Turkish borek and Greek spanakopita come from the same family of pastry. However, the two often differ in preparation and texture, with Greek spanakopita often having a flakier, puffier crust. Is it burek or borek? Both spellings of this pastry are technically correct, depending on the country.

Greeks also love eating pies for breakfast !

All kind of pies : tiro pita (cheese pie), spanakopita (spinach pie), kreato-pita (chicken meat pie), served in triangular pieces.

Bougatsa versus galaktoboureko

Although both are custard desserts encased in phyllo, one of the major differences is that galaktoboureko is soaked in syrup which is often flavoured with citrus. Bougatsa on the other hand is usually dusted with cinnamon and icing sugar, and has no syrup.