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  • quiche
    quiche
    noun
    a pielike dish consisting of an unsweetened pastry shell filled with a custard and usually containing cheese and other ingredients, as vegetables, seafood, or ham.
  • Quiché
    Quiché
    noun
    a Mayan language of Guatemala.

quiche

1 American  
[keesh] / kiʃ /

noun

  • quiches
    plural
  1. a pielike dish consisting of an unsweetened pastry shell filled with a custard and usually containing cheese and other ingredients, as vegetables, seafood, or ham.

    spinach quiche.


Quiché 2 American  
[kee-chey] / kiˈtʃeɪ /

noun

  1. a Mayan language of Guatemala.


quiche British  
/ kiːʃ /

noun

  1. an open savoury tart with a rich custard filling to which bacon, onion, cheese, etc, are added

    quiche Lorraine

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

Etymology

Origin of quiche

1945–50; < French < German (dial.) Küche, diminutive of Küchen cake

Explanation

A quiche is a savory, egg-based dish that's cooked in pastry like a tart or a pie. You might enjoy eating quiche for brunch at your favorite cafe. You could describe a quiche as an omelet (or a non-sweet custard) that's baked inside a pie crust. Eggs are essential for making a quiche, often mixed with cheese, vegetables, seafood, or meat. Quiche is a French word that first appeared in English in the mid-20th century and became very popular around 1970. It comes from the German Kuchen, or "cake."

Keep Reading on Vocabulary.com

Vocabulary lists containing quiche

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

There is a custom-made warmer for meals, with beef brisket and veggie quiche on the menu.

From The Wall Street Journal Mar. 29, 2026

Typically a svelte 75-minute show, on the night I saw the production it swelled to about two hours, allowing time for drinks, mingling and, of course, the eating of a quiche.

From Los Angeles Times Mar. 18, 2026

The pair tackled a savoury quiche, a technical teatime biscuit and a showstopping day off in cake form - although neither was crowned star baker at the end.

From BBC Oct. 18, 2025

I love a classic quiche Lorraine, filled with smoky bacon, rich Gruyère cheese and shallots.

From Salon Oct. 15, 2025

Judy holds a dish covered with a checkered cloth in her hands, says she’s made a broccoli quiche.

From "The Namesake" by Jhumpa Lahiri

Simon’s research has found that in the three departments where most Guatemalan migrants are from – Quiché, Huehuetenango y San Marcos – smugglers’ family rates have halved in recent months.

From The Guardian Apr. 8, 2019

Detainees are given medical care, information is provided in English, Spanish and even Quiché, an indigenous Central American language spoken by some of the new arrivals.

From Washington Times Jun. 7, 2017

They wrote love letters and spoke to each other by phone in Quiché, a Mayan dialect.

From New York Times Feb. 1, 2010

I was born in Chinique, El Quiché, Guatemala, in 1960, the year hell came to that country.

From "The Book of Unknown Americans" by Cristina Henríquez

The New England tribes called the soul chemung, the shadow, and in Quiché natub, in Eskimo tarnak, express both these ideas.

From The Myths of the New World A Treatise on the Symbolism and Mythology of the Red Race of America by Daniel Garrison Brinton

Pattullo has added an intermission, with quiches courtesy of Kitchen Mouse and Just What I Kneaded included in the ticket.

From Los Angeles Times Mar. 18, 2026

Fleuropean retreats run from $3,600 for five days and include accommodation at a picture-perfect château, all-you-can-pick flowers, one-on-one guidance from Avenson and meals, including morning deliveries of breakfast pastries, quiches and triple-crème cheeses.

From The Wall Street Journal Mar. 4, 2026

The next day, she sent along a confusing list of menu options that included a recipe for ham mini quiches — a provocative choice.

From New York Times Apr. 24, 2024

Yes, pigs in a blanket, but also spanakopita, cheese puffs, mini quiches, crab cakes, bacon wrapped scallops, empanadas, dumplings, mini pizzas, jalapeno poppers and so on.

From Washington Times Nov. 30, 2023

There were caterers offering bite-sized quiches and poached eggs in puddles of velvety hollandaise.

From "Little Fires Everywhere" by Celeste Ng

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