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What to eat in Western Europe? Top 37 Western European Pies

Last update: Thu Feb 13 2025
Top 37 Western European Pies
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01
Pizza di scarola alla Napoletana
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Pizza di scarola is one of the most popular Neapolitan dishes, but despite the name, it is not a typical pizza, but more of a savory pie known as torta salata. It consists of a delicious filling made with escarole, garlic, black olives, capers, anchovies, pine nuts, and raisins, placed between two layers of dough, then baked until golden brown.


Pizza di scarola is traditionally associated with Christmas Eve, but delicious as it is, the dish is typically enjoyed throughout the year.

MOST ICONIC Pizza di scarola alla Napoletana

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Mushroom quiche is a delicious French pie that was greatly popularized by Julia Child in her book Mastering the Art of French Cooking. The quiche is made with a pastry shell that is filled with a combination of mushrooms, shallots, port, eggs, whipping cream, and Swiss cheese.


It is additionally spiced with salt, pepper, and a dash of nutmeg that creates a unique warmness. Baked until puffy and browned, mushroom quiche is ready to be consumed as soon as it is taken out of the oven, but it can also be consumed chilled.

MOST ICONIC Quiche aux champignons

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This traditional Galician-style empanada is prepared in the form of a large pie that comes in a number of regional varieties. The bottom and top crusts are always prepared with leavened dough, and although the most typical filling nowadays includes tuna, alternative options may be based on meat, other types of fish, seafood, chorizo, or various vegetables.


The filling is almost always enriched with onions and peppers, and while tomatoes are a common modern ingredient, in the past they were usually left out. Empanada gallega is typically round or square-shaped, and the top is traditionally decorated with pieces of dough. 

MOST ICONIC Empanada Gallega

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Savory Pie

PROVINCE OF REGGIO EMILIA, Italy
4.2
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This savory pie has its origins in the Reggio Emilia province, where it was invented as a humble, rustic dish, utilizing ingredients that were in abundance. It is consists of a filling, traditionally prepared with various greens such as spinach, chard, leeks, or different herbs, which is enclosed between two layers of lard-based dough.


Parmigiano Reggiano and garlic often complement the greens, and before baking, the pie is traditionally smeared with lard. Erbazzone is enjoyed as a light snack or an appetizer and is best paired with Lambrusco wine, another Reggio Emilia favorite.

MOST ICONIC Erbazzone Reggiano

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05

Savory Pie

LORRAINE, France
4.1
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Although quiches can be made with nearly anything, from meats and vegetables to seafood, herbs, and cheeses, the king among these delicious baked tarts is still the original quiche Lorraine, consisting simply of a shortcrust dough base that is filled with bacon, eggs, cream, nutmeg, and a dash of salt and pepper.


The word quiche is thought to have been adapted from the German word küchen, meaning cake, as the first Lorraine quiches were made with bread dough instead of shortcrust dough. In the French region of Lorraine, it is traditionally served on May Day as an accompaniment to roasted suckling pig. 

MOST ICONIC Quiche Lorraine

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This Italian dessert consists of cheese or cream and fruit in a crusty pastry, similar to fruit-filled pies. The most commonly-used fruit in crostata are cherries, berries, apricots, or peaches. It can be prepared as an open-faced dessert or covered with a top crust, usually in the form of a lattice.


Its name is derived from the Latin crustata, which means crust. The earliest mentions of crostata in print can be found in cookbooks such as Libro de Arte Coquinaria by Martino da Como and Cuoco Napolitano, both from the 15th century. 

MOST ICONIC Crostata

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This baked dessert is made with a base layer of shortcrust pastry that is topped with lemon custard and fluffy meringue. The custard is usually made with a combination of lemon zest and juice, sugar, egg yolks, and (sometimes) starch. The origins of this sweet treat are murky and mysterious – some credit Elizabeth Coane Goodfellow of Philadelphia as the inventor, but her 18th-century recipe mentions lemon pudding, while the meringue is used in minimal amounts, as an accent.


Other sources say that the first recorded recipe was written by Alexander Frehse, a Swiss baker, and some suggest that the botanist Emile Campbell-Browne had a similar recipe in Wigbeth, Dorset, in 1875. Regardless of the origins, lemon meringue pie has been the favorite of presidents, and it even has its own day – August 15, known as National Lemon Meringue Pie Day.

MOST ICONIC Tarte au citron meringuée

08
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This popular French pie consists of a pastry crust filled with eggs, cream, and anything from bacon, cheese, and leek to mushrooms and seafood. Quiche is usually very filling and high in calories, making it a frequent choice for parties and buffet tables.


It can be served either hot or cold, and is traditionally cut into slices. Numerous varieties of quiche exist today, the most popular of which are quiche Lorraine, quiche Florentine, and quiche Provençale.

MOST ICONIC Quiche

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09
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This savory, baked French delicacy consists of a thin flaky pastry crust topped with a delicious cheese mixture. The traditional open tart usually makes use of classic cheese varieties such as Gruyère, Camembert, or Roquefort, which are blended into a luscious custard of eggs and milk or crème fraîche.


The creamy filling is often adorned with a variety of fresh herbs or a sprinkling of freshly-grated nutmeg. The baked quiche is a delightful combination of crispy crust, a velvety center, and a perfectly browned top. Quiche au fromage is a staple dish found at French markets or on the menus of traditional French restaurants. 

MOST ICONIC Quiche au fromage

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Quiche Florentine is a French dish with Italian influences–a pie consisting of a pastry crust that is filled with eggs, milk, cheese, spinach, and fresh herbs such as rosemary and thyme. The pie can be additionally seasoned with black pepper and nutmeg.


Quiche Florentine is usually served for breakfast, brunch, or festive gatherings, and it is recommended to let it rest for at least ten minutes before serving for best results.

MOST ICONIC Quiche Florentine

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Sweet Pie
PITHIVIERS, France
3.8
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Savory Pie
SALAMANCA, Spain
3.3
17
Savory Pie
PICARDY, France
3.0
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Savory Pie
SARDINIA, Italy
n/a
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Sweet Pie
BOURGES, France
n/a
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Savory Pie
PROVINCE OF RAGUSA, Italy
n/a
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Savory Pie
METROPOLITAN CITY OF CAGLIARI, Italy
n/a
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Dessert
BASSANO DEL GRAPPA, Italy
n/a
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Savory Pie
PROVINCE OF TERAMO, Italy
n/a

TasteAtlas food rankings are based on the ratings of the TasteAtlas audience, with a series of mechanisms that recognize real users and that ignore bot, nationalist or local patriotic ratings, and give additional value to the ratings of users that the system recognizes as knowledgeable. For the “Top 37 Western European Pies” list until February 13, 2025, 1,838 ratings were recorded, of which 1,559 were recognized by the system as legitimate. TasteAtlas Rankings should not be seen as the final global conclusion about food. Their purpose is to promote excellent local foods, instill pride in traditional dishes, and arouse curiosity about dishes you haven’t tried.

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Western European Pies