Malathropita

01 / ABOUT THE DISH

About the dish

Malathropita is a traditional savory pie from the Greek island of Chios, made with wild fennel called malathro in Greek. Fresh fennel leaves are combined with a batter of flour, water, olive oil, and salt, and the resulting pie is then fried until crispy and nicely colored. Other common ingredients used in the batter include chopped onions, various types of greens and herbs, garlic, eggs, and vinegar. This pie is also commonly prepared in other parts of Greece, but what makes the Chian version different from other versions of the pie is the addition of fish roe. With a pleasant, aniseed-like aroma, the fennel pies are typically enjoyed while still warm either for breakfast or lunch, although they also make for an excellent meze dish, accompanied by a glass of Chian mastic-flavored ouzo on the side.