Pitta
/ˈpɪt.ə/noun
A flat, round bread, especially the British spelling of pita, often split and filled.
Did you know?The Greek word πίτα has an uncertain deeper origin, but similar bread names appear across the eastern Mediterranean and Balkans, where food vocabulary traveled with traders and empires.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Greek
Greek
πίττα (pitta)
“A cake, pie, or flat baked preparation; the earliest Greek form associated with the word-family”
Medieval Greek
Greek
πίτα (pita)
“A flat cake or bread; the spelling simplified while the food term continued”
Ottoman period
Turkish
pide
“A flatbread, especially a boat-shaped or topped bread; likely part of the wider eastern Mediterranean bread-name family”
20th Century
English
pita
“A round, hollow or pocketed flatbread adopted into English from Greek and related food traditions”
20th Century
British English
pitta
“An established British spelling of pita, commonly used for filled sandwich bread”
Modern English
English
pitta
“A pocket-style flatbread served with fillings, dips, or grilled foods”