Pite (definite form pitja) is an Albanian pie made of thin sheets of dough, called petë, layered with a filling and baked in a pan (tepsi). The Albanian dictionary defines this sense of the word as a byrek made with thin sheets, butter, eggs, yogurt, cheese and so on, and marks it as regional: the same pies are also called byrek, and around Korçë the local pie is lakror. The filling gives each pite its full name: me djathë (with cheese), me spinaq (spinach), me presh (leek), me mish (meat) or me kungull (pumpkin), which can be made sweet or savory.
The recipe card below is for pite me djathë, the Albanian cheese pie. After it, this guide explains what the word pite means, where people say pite and where they say byrek, the main kinds of pite, and how homemade petë compare with store-bought phyllo.
Pite me Djathë (Albanian Cheese Pie)
Ingredients
Method
- Make the dough: combine flour and salt, then add olive oil and warm water. Knead for 8-10 minutes until smooth and elastic. Cover and rest for 30 minutes.
- Make the filling: crumble feta into a bowl. Add ricotta, eggs, melted butter, and pepper. Mix well until combined.
- Divide the dough into 8 equal balls. On a floured surface, roll each ball as thin as possible, almost translucent.
- Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C). Grease a large round baking pan.
- Layer 4 sheets of dough in the pan, brushing each with melted butter. Let the edges hang over the sides.
- Spread the cheese filling evenly over the dough layers.
- Cover with the remaining 4 sheets, brushing each with butter. Fold the overhanging edges inward to seal.
- Brush the top generously with butter and olive oil. Score the top into serving portions.
- Bake for 35-40 minutes until deep golden brown and crispy.
- Let cool for 10 minutes before slicing. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Notes
What Does Pite Mean?
In Albanian, pite usually means a pie of thin dough sheets with a filling between them. The Albanian-language Wikipedia entry describes pitja (in the south also piteja) as a kind of byrek with the filling between the sheets, made with onion, meat, leek, spinach, yogurt and more, and adds that any vegetable can serve as the filling.
The word has other meanings too. The Fjalë dictionary lists five: a thin round of dough baked in the oven and topped with minced meat or cheese; a thin bread of sifted flour baked on a clay dish or in the oven; regionally, a byrek of thin sheets with butter, eggs, yogurt and cheese; a honeycomb; and a flat disc of pressed, shade-dried rose petals kept for its scent. On a menu or at a bakery, pite means the pie.
Where the word comes from is debated. Albanian Wikipedia, citing Tahir Dizdari’s dictionary of Oriental loanwords in Albanian (2005), links pite to the same root as Italian pizza and Turkish pide, and notes that the 19th-century scholar Sami Frashëri derived it from Greek. Wiktionary calls the pastry word an eastern Mediterranean “wandering word” of unknown origin, shared with Greek píta, Bulgarian and Serbo-Croatian pita and Turkish pita. Vladimir Orel’s Albanian Etymological Dictionary (1998) has reservations, but Wiktionary’s editors consider Greek the likely immediate source.
A few more words help when reading Albanian recipes. Djathë is cheese, so me djathë means “with cheese”. Gjizë is a fresh curd cheese. Brumë is dough, and petë are the thin sheets rolled from it: the dictionary defines a petë as a thin round layer of dough opened and thinned with a rolling pin, used for byrek.
Pite or Byrek? Who Says Which
Both words name the same family of pies, and sources do not agree on a neat map of who uses which.
- Standard Albanian: byrek is the general word. The dictionary defines byrek as a dish of thin sheets laid one by one in a baking pan and filled with minced meat, cheese, eggs, leek or spinach, and gives lakror as a synonym. It labels the pie sense of pite as regional without naming the region.
- Kosovo: the English-language Wikipedia article on börek says the dish is called byrek in Albania and that in Kosovo and a few other regions it is also known as pite. Kosovo papers use the word in recipe titles; the daily Bota Sot, for example, publishes a pite me kungull.
- Albania: pite is not limited to Kosovo. Albania’s National Tourism Agency describes the pies of Kukës, in the northeast near the Kosovo border, as pite kolare me rrathë (pite with rings) and other pite, and the Tirana daily Shqiptarja publishes a village pite with leeks and gjizë. Albanian Wikipedia notes the southern form piteja.
- Korçë and the south: the local pie is lakror, a Korçë specialty also made elsewhere in southern Albania. Wikipedia places it in the Korçë, Pogradec and Devoll regions and among Albanians around Bitola and Lake Prespa in North Macedonia. The dictionary defines lakror as a byrek with shredded cabbage, leeks, pumpkin and so on, and gives it as a synonym of byrek.
The sources above suggest the choice of word is regional rather than a difference in the pie. Albania’s National Tourism Agency describes byrek shtëpie, homemade byrek, as one of the most important and representative dishes of Albanian cooking, made with thin sheets opened by hand, a process that takes experience and care.
When and How Pite Is Eaten
Pite is both home food and shop food. Wikipedia’s börek article separates two kinds in Albania: byrek shtëpie, one large homemade pie cut into portions, and byrek trekëndësh, small triangles sold mainly as street food at byrektore, pie shops. The Swiss-Albanian portal Albinfo introduces pite as one of the best-known traditional dishes of Albanian cooking, served on almost every occasion. For where it fits in the day, see our guide to the Albanian breakfast, and for a slice made by professionals, our list of Albanian bakeries.
Tips for Perfect Pite me Djathë
The dough: The secret is a simple dough (flour, water, salt, and a splash of oil) that rests for at least 30 minutes. Resting allows the gluten to relax, making the dough easier to stretch thin without tearing. Rolling technique: Divide the dough into 8 equal balls and dust your work surface generously with flour. Roll each ball as thin as possible, until almost translucent. Experienced cooks go further and stretch the rolled sheet over their knuckles, but a rolling pin is all this recipe needs. Cheese selection: This recipe uses 400 g of feta and 250 g of ricotta or cottage cheese. Djathë i bardhë (Albanian white cheese) can replace the feta if you can find it. The cheese should be salty and slightly crumbly. The 3 eggs bind the filling, so do not taste it once they are mixed in. Layering: For the flakiest result, brush each sheet of rolled dough with melted butter before adding the next. This recipe uses 4 sheets under the filling and 4 on top, with all of the cheese in one layer in the middle. Baking: Brush the top generously with melted butter and olive oil, then score it into serving portions. Bake at 375°F (190°C) for 35 to 40 minutes, until deep golden brown and crispy and the center of the filling reaches 160°F (71°C). Resting: Let the pite cool for 10 minutes before slicing. If you prefer softer layers, cover it with a clean kitchen towel while it rests, this traps steam.Types of Pite
The filling names the pie, and the list is long. These are the kinds you will meet most often in Albanian recipes and bakeries.
| Name | Filling | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Pite me djathë | White cheese, usually bound with eggs | The recipe on this page. Wikipedia lists salted curd cheese (gjizë) among the common fillings; this recipe mixes feta with ricotta or cottage cheese |
| Pite me spinaq | Spinach, often with eggs (Wikipedia) | Chef’s Pencil calls it a typical spinach pie found throughout Albania. See our spinach byrek |
| Pite me presh | Leeks, often with fresh cheese | A village leek pite pairs leeks with gjizë, and the dictionary’s first example of lakror is lakror me presh |
| Pite me mish | Minced meat cooked with onion | Also called byrek me mish. See our meat byrek recipe |
| Pite me kungull | Grated pumpkin | Savory with white cheese or sweet with sugar (Albinfo); Bota Sot’s version adds vanilla sugar and, to taste, sugar |
| Pite me kos e me vezë | Yogurt and eggs | The dictionary’s own example for the pie sense of pite |
| Lakror | Cabbage, leeks, spinach, nettles, onion or pumpkin | A Korçë specialty, also made elsewhere in southern Albania. See our lakror recipe |
| Sweet pies | Pumpkin with sugar, or apple | The dictionary lists byrek me mollë, apple byrek, among its examples |
Regions also have their own shapes. Albania’s National Tourism Agency lists pite kolare me rrathë and pite me dy koleç among the pies of Kukës. Not every layered Albanian dish is a pite, though: fli (flija) is built from thin layers of batter rather than rolled sheets.
Homemade Petë or Store-Bought Phyllo?
Petë, the hand-rolled sheets, are what make a pite. Albania’s National Tourism Agency says the sheets for homemade byrek are opened by hand, a process that takes experience and particular care. US supermarkets sell the same idea ready-made as frozen phyllo (filo), and the card’s notes give a shortcut for it.
| Homemade petë (the card’s method) | Store-bought phyllo (the card’s notes) | |
|---|---|---|
| Dough | 500 g flour, 1 tsp salt, 2 tbsp olive oil and 250 ml warm water, kneaded 8 to 10 minutes and rested 30 minutes | Ready-made sheets |
| Sheets | 8 balls, each rolled as thin as possible, almost translucent | A box of thawed sheets |
| Layering | 4 sheets under the filling and 4 on top, each brushed with melted butter | 6 to 8 sheets under the filling and 6 to 8 on top, each brushed with butter |
| Handling | Roll on a floured surface | Thaw overnight in the refrigerator, and keep the stack covered with plastic wrap and then a slightly damp towel while you work (Athens Foods) |
The card gives one oven temperature (375°F, 190°C) and one baking time (35 to 40 minutes); its phyllo note does not change them.
How the Cheese Pie Reached the Balkans
Writing in History Today, Alexander Lee says the origins of börek are poorly attested. One common theory traces it to the Byzantine plakous, a descendant of the Roman placenta, which was two sheets of pastry filled with honey and cheese or nuts. Lee writes that recent research makes it more likely that layered, filled pastry was invented by the nomadic Turks of Central Asia, who cooked it on a saj, a flat iron griddle.
What is well documented is the spread. Lee describes börek as a centerpiece of Ottoman court meals, filled with cheese, parsley, meat or vegetables, and so popular that early 16th-century Istanbul had four börek shops for every bakery. From there it put down roots in Greece and the Balkans, where it merged with local cooking and took new forms and names. Our guide to byrek, börek and burek follows that story in more detail.
Cheese Pies of the Neighbors
| Name | Where | What makes it different |
|---|---|---|
| Pite or byrek me djathë | Albania, Kosovo | Thin hand-rolled sheets layered in a round pan with a white cheese and egg filling. Gjizë, the Albanian curd cheese, is a common filling too |
| Sirnica | Bosnia and Herzegovina | Rolled into a spiral and filled with cottage cheese, with eggs as a binder. There, burek means the meat version only, and all of these pies are called pita |
| Tiropita | Greece | Layers of buttered filo around a cheese and egg mixture, made as a large pie or in individual pieces |
| Banitsa and byurek | Bulgaria | Made with sirene cheese. Bulgarian byurek is described as a banitsa with eggs added |
Buying Cheese and Phyllo in the US
- Feta: buy blocks packed in brine, not tubs of crumbles. Crumbled feta is drier and does not melt into the ricotta as well. Check the milk on the label: sheep’s milk feta tastes fuller than cow’s milk feta.
- Very salty feta: soak the block in cold water for 15 to 20 minutes and pat it dry. The filling has no added salt, so the cheese sets the seasoning.
- Ricotta or cottage cheese: use whole milk, and drain off any liquid first. A wet filling is the main cause of a soggy bottom.
- Phyllo shortcut: thaw the box overnight in the refrigerator, not on the counter, so the sheets do not stick together. Keep the stack covered with a barely damp towel while you work.
Our guide to Albanian cheese explains djathë i bardhë and gjizë, and the Albanian bakeries guide lists places to taste a professional version.
Serving, Storage and Food Safety
- Doneness: the filling contains three raw eggs. FoodSafety.gov gives 160°F (71°C) as the safe internal temperature for egg dishes, so make sure the center is hot and set, not just the crust golden.
- On the table: pite is often served at room temperature. USDA says perishable food should go back in the refrigerator within 2 hours, or 1 hour if it is above 90°F.
- Leftovers: USDA gives 3 to 4 days in the refrigerator and says to reheat leftovers to 165°F (74°C). Frozen food stays safe, and the 2 months suggested in the FAQ below is about quality, not safety.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does pite mean in Albanian?
Pite (definite form pitja) most often means a pie of thin dough sheets with a filling, the same family of dishes as byrek. The dictionary also lists a thin round of dough baked with meat or cheese on top, a thin flatbread, a honeycomb, and a disc of pressed dried rose petals.
What is pite made of?
A dough of flour, water, salt and a little oil, rolled into thin sheets (petë), brushed with butter or oil, and filled with cheese, spinach, leeks, meat, pumpkin, or yogurt and eggs. This pite me djathë uses 400 g of feta, 250 g of ricotta or cottage cheese and 3 eggs.
Is pite sweet or savory?
Mostly savory. Sweet versions include pumpkin pite with sugar, and the Albanian dictionary lists apple byrek.
What is the difference between pite and byrek?
Usually nothing in the dish itself. Both words name pies of thin dough sheets with a filling, and the filling gives the full name: me djathë (cheese), me mish (meat), me spinaq (spinach). Byrek is the standard Albanian word. Pite is regional: it is often linked with Kosovo, but it is also used in parts of Albania, for example in Kukës, and around Korçë the local pie is lakror.
Prefer to eat out? Find Albanian restaurants near you, searchable by city or ZIP code.
Can I use store-bought phyllo?
Yes, while homemade hand-rolled dough is traditional and produces a slightly different texture, store-bought phyllo dough makes an excellent pite. Brush each sheet with melted butter and layer 6 to 8 sheets under the cheese filling and 6 to 8 on top.
How do I store leftover pite?
Refrigerate within 2 hours, wrapped in foil, for up to 4 days. Reheat in a 350°F (180°C) oven for about 10 minutes to restore crispness. Pite also freezes well, wrap tightly and freeze for up to 2 months.
What cheese is closest to Albanian djathë?
Feta sold in a block in brine is a close substitute, and sheep milk feta has the fullest flavor. This recipe mixes 400 g of feta with 250 g of ricotta or cottage cheese, which softens the salt and gives a creamier filling.
Related Albanian Recipes
Love Albanian pies? Explore these related dishes:- Albanian Spinach Byrek, The classic spinach-and-cheese filled pie
- Albanian Meat Byrek, Savory meat-filled pastry
- Lakror, Two-sheet leek pie from Korçë
- Byrek vs Börek vs Burek, How the Balkan pies and their names differ
- Flija, Layered crepe cake, Albania’s other iconic layered dish
- What is Albanian Food?, Complete guide to Albanian cuisine
Sources
- Wikipedia: Börek (sections on Albania and Kosovo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Greece, Bulgaria)
- Wikipedia (Albanian): Pitja
- Albanian National Tourism Agency: Byrek Shtëpie
- History Today: A History of Börek, by Alexander Lee
- FoodSafety.gov: Cook to a Safe Minimum Internal Temperature
- USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service: Leftovers and Food Safety
- Fjalë, Albanian dictionary: pite
- Fjalë, Albanian dictionary: petë
- Fjalë, Albanian dictionary: byrek
- Fjalë, Albanian dictionary: lakror
- Wiktionary: pitë (etymology, after Orel, Albanian Etymological Dictionary, 1998)
- Wikipedia: Lakror
- Albanian National Tourism Agency: Traditional Cuisine of Kukës
- Shqiptarja.com: Pite fshati me presh dhe gjizë
- Bota Sot: Pite me kungull
- Albinfo.ch: Pite me kungull
- Chef’s Pencil: The 7 Most Famous Foods from Kosovo
- Athens Foods: Phyllo Storage, Thawing and Handling
Author: Dardanë Halimi
Dardanë Halimi is a writer and communications professional with an M.A. in Writing, Rhetoric, and Technical Communication from James Madison University. Her work focuses on storytelling, digital content, higher education, and strategic communication, with experience writing for academic, nonprofit, and marketing organizations in both the United States and Kosovo.
