Portokalópita (in
Greek, Πορτοκαλόπιτα; from πορτοκάλι ''portokáli'' "orange" and πιτα ''pita'' "cake") is a typical Greek cake whose main ingredient is
sweet orange. Portokalópita is very popular in Greece and is usually consumed as a dessert with coffee. Within Greek pastries, it belongs to the family of cakes called ''siropiasta'', sweets that are bathed in
syrup, such as
baklava
Baklava (, or ; ota, باقلوا ) is a layered pastry dessert made of filo pastry, filled with chopped nuts, and sweetened with syrup or honey. It was one of the most popular sweet pastries of Ottoman cuisine.
The pre- Ottoman origin of the ...
.
Although it has a sponge-like appearance, its dough is actually made from dry shreds of
filo dough
Filo or phyllo is a very thin unleavened dough used for making pastries such as baklava and börek in Middle Eastern and Balkan cuisines. Filo-based pastries are made by layering many sheets of filo brushed with oil or butter; the pastry is th ...
. (φύλλο ''phyllo''), to which a mixture of Greek yogurt, egg and orange juice is added. It is bathed on top with a syrup (liquid sugar) that has been
simmered with oranges and sometimes flavored with vanilla and / or cinnamon. Ideally, it is consumed the next day or the day after, when the syrup is fully absorbed and all the flavors of the cake have been integrated.
The
mouthfeel should be fluffy and juicy, preventing it from being compact.
Orange is a staple ingredient of Greek cuisine and is grown in the south of the
Peloponnese peninsula
The Peloponnese (), Peloponnesus (; el, Πελοπόννησος, Pelopónnēsos,(), or Morea is a peninsula and geographic region in southern Greece. It is connected to the central part of the country by the Isthmus of Corinth land bridge which ...
(especially in the areas of
Laconia
Laconia or Lakonia ( el, Λακωνία, , ) is a historical and administrative region of Greece located on the southeastern part of the Peloponnese peninsula. Its administrative capital is Sparta. The word ''laconic''—to speak in a blunt, c ...
and
Argolis) and
Arta Arta, ARTA, or Artà may refer to:
Places Djibouti
* Arta, Djibouti, a regional capital city in southeastern Djibouti
* Arta Mountains, a mountain range in Djibouti
* Arta Region, Djibouti
Greece
* Arta, Greece, a regional capital city in northwes ...
(in the north of the country) and on the island of
Chios,
between others.
See also
*
Galaktoboureko
Galaktoboureko ( el, γαλακτομπούρεκο, tr, Laz böreği, ar, شعيبيات, lzz, Paponi) is a Greek, Turkish, Laz, and Syrian dessert of semolina custard baked in filo. Turkish ''Laz böreği'' is made with a type of puddin ...
, another Greek filo pastry
*
Patsavouropita, another Greek filo pastry
References
{{reflist
Greek pastries