fanouropita

English

Etymology

From Greek φανουρόπιτα (fanourópita), from Φανούριος (Fanoúrios, “Saint Phanourios”) + -ό- (-ó-, linking vowel) + πίτα (píta, “pita, pie”).

Noun

fanouropita (countable and uncountable, plural fanouropitas)

1. A Greek oil-based sweet cake, traditionally Lenten and served on Saint Phanourios’ feast day on August 27, not containing any butter or eggs so that it can be eaten on holy fasting days.
   • 2007, Tina Zisimou, translated by Jill Pittinger, Rhodes, Rethymno: Mediterraneo Editions, →ISBN, page 78:

     By common consent, Kyria Rena makes an extremely delicious fanouropita. […] Here, therefore, is the way to make fanouropita which, as she used to say, has to consist of 7 ingredients.

   • 2018, Katerina Tsemperlidou, translated by Alexandra Kalapothaki, Greek Women Are Goddesses: A Modern Love Story That Highlights the Similarities Between the Goddesses of Mythology and Contemporary Greek Women‎^[1][2], London: AKAKIA Publications, →ISBN:

     [T]hey cook fanouropita, a cake exchanged for the guarantee to track down lost items under the auspices of St. Fanourios, and they make votive offerings both tangible and spiritual. […] “And you started cooking! What are you making Auntie, cake?” asked Greg lightly. / “No my child, I’m preparing a fanouropita for the saint and I’m praying!” answered his aunt.

   • 2019, Lucy Ellmann, Ducks, Newburyport‎^[3], Norwich, Norfolk: Galley Beggar Press, →ISBN:

     […] the fact that a fanouropita cake’s got to have either seven or nine ingredients, because they’re lucky numbers in Greece, the fact that my fanouropitas usually have seven, because I skip the nuts and raisins, but sometimes it’s nine, because I like to add brandy and olives now, sliced up thinly, […]

Further reading

• fanouropita on Wikipedia.Wikipedia