What does phyllo mean?
Phyllo, also spelled filo, is a very thin, unleavened pastry whose dough is stretched into large sheets and brushed with oil or melted butter. Repeated layers become crisp and flaky when baked, often surrounding fillings such as nuts, cheese, vegetables, meat, or fruit. It is a foundational ingredient in Greek, Turkish, Middle Eastern, and Eastern Mediterranean cooking, appearing in foods including baklava, spanakopita, sarma, and börek. Phyllo can refer either to the pastry itself or to one of its delicate sheets, although it is generally used as an uncountable noun when discussing the prepared dough. It differs from puff pastry because it contains no butter layers and is stretched rather than laminated with fat. The word, often written “filo” in British usage, ultimately comes from the Greek word for “leaf,” an apt description of its exceptionally thin, flat sheets.
nounA thin, crisp pastry made from dough that is stretched into very large sheets and usually brushed with oil or melted butter. It is used in dishes such as baklava, spanakopita, and börek.
- The thin, unleavened pastry dough used to make layered pastries and baked dishes.
- A single thin sheet or layer of this pastry.
"The baklava was layered with crushed walnuts, honey, and delicate sheets of phyllo."
"She brushed each sheet of phyllo with melted butter before adding the filling."
"Phyllo is traditionally used for dishes with crisp, flaky layers and contrasting fillings."
Usually used only for individual sheets or pieces of phyllo; the pastry as a mass noun is normally uncountable.
"She arranged six thin phyllos in the baking dish."
Phyllo gets its name from the Greek word for “leaf,” a fitting reference to its paper-thin sheets of pastry.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does phyllo come from?
The English word comes through Turkish filo, which derives from Greek phýllon, meaning “leaf.” The culinary use developed through the eastern Mediterranean, where the pastry became especially associated with Greek and Turkish cooking. English later adopted both “phyllo” and the spelling variant “filo,” while the Greek root also survives in scientific words such as phyllotaxy and chlorophyll.
How phyllo is actually used
In British English, “filo” is the more common spelling; “phyllo” is also standard and widely used in North American English. The dough is normally treated as an uncountable mass noun, while individual sheets may be counted when the focus is on layers or pieces.