Turnover (food)

A turnover is a baked or fried food, made by placing a filling on a piece of pastry or viennoiserie dough. The dough is then folded over and sealed, and is then cooked by either baking or frying. Turnovers can be sweet or savoury and are often eaten as a sort of portable meal or dessert. Throughout the world, turnovers are known by different names. For example, in Spanish-speaking countries they are known as empanadas, while pasty, originally a Cornish term, has spread across the globe.

It is common for sweet turnovers to have a fruit filling and be made with a puff pastry or shortcrust pastry dough and covered with icing. Savoury turnovers generally contain meat, vegetables or a mixture of both, and can be made with any sort of pastry dough.

Fillings

Common turnover fillings include fruits such as apples, peaches and cherries, meats like chicken, beef and pork, vegetables such as potatoes, broccoli and onions, and savoury ingredients like cheese. Specialty versions are also found, such as wild rabbit and leek. In the United Kingdom, turnovers are usually filled with cooked apples, but any fruit can be used, as described in Mrs Beeton's Book of Household Management.

In the United States, savoury products that are identified as a turnover (for example, "Beef Turnover" or "Cheesy Chicken Turnover") have to contain a certain amount of meat or poultry under the Food Standards and Labeling Policy. A similar law, the Meat Pie and Sausage Roll Regulation 1967 exists in the United Kingdom, which states that pasties must contain meat that is a minimum 12.75% of the weight of the pastry. In Australia and New Zealand, the Food Standards Australia New Zealand rules on meat pies, which covers turnovers, states that they must contain a minimum of 25% "meat flesh".

List of turnover names Around the world, turnovers are known by different names. For example, in the United Kingdom, turnover is generally used as the name for sweet versions, however savoury turnovers can be called pasty, bridie (a Scottish term), clanger or oggie. There are different names used around the world:

Name Image Sweet or savoury Countries/Area used Apfeltasche Sweet Germany Appelflappen Sweet Netherlands Apple turnover Sweet United States, United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Canada Börek Sweet or savoury Middle East, Balkans Bourekas Sweet or savoury Israel Bridie Savoury Scotland Gow, Rosalie. Modern Ways with Traditional Scottish Recipes. Pelican Publishing, 1981. p. 30. . Briouat Sweet or savoury Morocco Chausson au Citron Sweet France Chausson aux pommes Sweet France Clanger Savoury England Curry beef turnover Savoury Hong Kong Curry puff Savoury Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand Echpochmak Savoury Russia Empanada Sweet or savoury Spain, Argentine, Peru, Nicaragua, Chile, Colombia, Cuba, Ecuador, Mexico, Venezuela, Uruguay, Sardinia, Philippines, Sicily, Tunisia, North Sulawesi Fish pie Savoury Trindad and Tobago Flip Sweet or savoury Newfoundland and Labrador Fried pie Sweet United States Haitian patty Savoury Haiti Jamaican patty Savoury Caribbean Natchitoches meat pie Savoury Louisiana Nigerian meat pie Savoury Nigeria Panades Savoury Belize Pastel Federal Sweet Argentina Pasty Sweet or savoury United Kingdom, United States, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa Paste Sweet or savoury Mexico Pastel Sweet or savoury Brazil Patties Savoury Sri Lanka, Bangladesh Salteña Savoury Bolivia Samosa Savoury West Asia, East Africa, Central Asia, Southeast Asia Sambousek Savoury Middle Eastern Shingara Savoury Bangladesh Welsh Oggie Savoury Wales "Welsh Oggies: our traditional recipe" at wales.com; retrieved 24 August 2026 "Rise of the Welsh Oggie in Llangollen’s thriving food scene" Andrew Forgrave 10 April 2019, Daily Post (North Wales); retrieved 24 August 2026

Similar dishes There are culinary dishes that look similar to turnovers, but are not made from pastry dough. In Italy, the Calzone, which originated in Naples in the 18th century, is essentially a folded pizza. Traditionally made from salted bread dough, baked in an oven and is stuffed with salami, ham or vegetables, mozzarella, ricotta and Parmesan or pecorino cheese, as well as an egg.Gosetti (1967), p.785 The Panzerotti, which originated in the Apulia region, are a smaller hand-held version of a Calzone, and are classically filled with tomato and mozzarella, though other typical Italian fillings are common such as cured meats, varied cheeses and greens such as the Pugliese favourite: cime di rapa. Panzerotti are deep-fried instead of being baked.Minchilli, Elizabeth (December 11, 2014). "Making Panzerotti in Barivecchia", Elizabeth Minchilli in Rome. Retrieved February 13, 2016.Sarkar, Suhashini (June 29, 2015). "Panzerotti: The Empanada's Italian Cousin", Saveur. Retrieved February 13, 2016."Deep Fried Panzerotti", food.com. Retrieved February 13, 2016. Another folded and stuffed bread item is Scaccia, a Sicilian stuffed flatbread. Bierock are a yeast dough pocket sandwich with savory filling that originated in Eastern Europe, with the yeast dough folded over the fillings.

Turnover (food)

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