14 Historic Confectioneries: A Good Reason to Travel Around Greece

For all of us Gastronomos vacationers, no mission is full and not using a cease for one thing candy at an area confectionery. We stick our pins on the map since you by no means know the place you may crave some sweets. On this record, we’ve rounded up a number of the traditional and most conventional confectioneries throughout Greece which are good causes to deviate out of your route. Confectioneries which have stood the check of time, sustaining persistently prime quality and, past their cult ingredient and charming patina, are additionally modern, making desserts that swimsuit trendy palates.

Τheodorou on Sifnos: Essentially the most delicate almond sweets

What number of instances have these azure home windows been opened, what number of instances has this phone rung, what number of containers of almond sweets have been stuffed, how many individuals have entered, left and re-entered, dreamed and longed for essentially the most scrumptious almond sweets of the Aegean? Synonymous with the almond sweets of Theodorou, after so many many years, Sifnos has a century-old confectionery in Artemonas. The Theodorou household, which has managed to maintain it going for years, makes the almond paste in a clear, conventional Cycladic salon. Utterly “Instagrammable,” the gorgeous house, which retains its patina, has been photographed virtually as many instances as the fragile almond sweets that the identical household has been making for the reason that Thirties. The advice is to order considered one of every thing, as they make almond sweets in three variations. Almond sweets made in pots and oven-baked almond sweets, with and with out their skins. A must-try is a package deal of heavenly kourabiedes with no powdered sugar however a lot of almonds, and even the rose-flavored submarine candy – ypovrichio – sesame sweets with native honey, and wonderful almond-filled boureki.

Papagiorgis Patisserie in Corfu: Pasta frolla and mandolato

On Nikiforou Theotoki road, within the previous city of Corfu, you can see the best pasta frolla (because the island’s Italian-influenced pasta flora known as) with quince jam and quite a lot of fruit conditas. The Papagiorgis pastry store, the most effective on the island, was based in 1924. They’re well-known for his or her kumquat sweets, handmade fig pies, mandola (almond sweets) and mandolata (delicate nougat), but in addition for his or her strong fogatsa, which is Corfiot leavened tsoureki, full-bodied, with a spicy aroma of cognac, advantageous native butter and a aromatic bergamot peel. When the native wild strawberries, like small, costly jewels, are in season, Papagiorgis Patisserie additionally affords mille-feuille with limited-edition strawberry jam. Of nice curiosity is the mostarda dolce, the well-known candy fruit mustard of northern Italy, an interesting, candy and spicy mustard and a uncommon deal with to not be missed – it’s nice with grilled meats, on a charcuterie board or in a sandwich with cheese and chilly cuts.

Moniodis Confectionery in Chios: For mastichakia and mandarinakia

The Moniodis household has an extended historical past in confectionery, going again to a household of confectioners who’ve been creating sweets for the reason that starting of the final century. Their confectionery is known on the island, not just for the crispy and aromatic Chian masouraki and the particular native almond sweets which are nonetheless successful right now. The household’s sweets have traveled to the opposite facet of the world, and the reality of this may be confirmed by anybody who boards a ship or aircraft from Chios and observes the passengers loaded with stacks of Moniodis containers.

Amongst their delicacies are mandarinakia, great uncooked almond sweets made with recent Chios mandarins, the scent of which tickles your nostril. Additionally they make roasted almond sweets like ergolavi, the Greek model of a macaroon, mastichakia, almond sweets made with the aroma of the native mastic, within the form of small pears, marzipan rolls crammed with butter cream, and two sorts of masourakia. The latter are a conventional candy of Chios, like small baklava rolls with out syrup, made with almonds and cinnamon, wrapped in a crust and sprinkled with icing sugar. Some folks desire the traditional model, others the one with caramelized almonds and mastic. For me, since I don’t like dilemmas, I select each.

Additionally they make good varkakia, because the locals name the Smyrnian rolls, revani, candy walnut cake, pyramids, that are chocolate desserts with boiled cream, and glorious syrupy pastries with phyllo, resembling baklava, galaktoboureko wrapped in wonderful butter cream, hanumaki, which is like fluffy baklava, and an exquisite kantaifi. Unique to them are the kalamarakia, that are additionally particular person syrupy sweets, with their very own puff pastry and filling of coarsely floor almonds.

Athymaritis in Syros: A candy custom handed down from era to era

Syros has a cosmopolitan aura. That is as a result of multiculturalism that characterizes it. This place was inhabited by folks from Chios, Smyrna, Psara and Crete, and the influences of the Venetian, Turkish and Frankish conquerors are imprinted within the DNA of its delicacies. The custom of loukoumi and halvadopita goes again a great distance, for the reason that first refugees from Chios arrived after the Chios bloodbath in 1824. Equally, with the passage of time, native confectioners created sweets that at the moment are thought of conventional. These embrace the stuffed marzipan roll and the mastichaki, which was first launched to the island by Markos Athymaritis.

The confectionery of the identical identify was based in 1924 by Haralambos Makropoulos, a caramel maker from Asia Minor, who crossed the Aegean Sea from Smyrna to Syros. Since then, the confectionery has been handed down from era to era and is a household enterprise with the top confectioner Spyros Xagoraris, Athymaritis’ grandson, holding the reins since 1987. Their most well-known dessert is the syrupy mastichaki, an almond candy in a crust sprinkled with icing sugar, in addition to the chocolate kouvanezes with chocolate cream and cherry filling, the almond sweets with orange, the skaltsounia with walnuts and thyme honey, the trigusto with almond paste, praline, cherry and milk chocolate. Their specialties are the marzipan rolls, a fluffy chilly deal with crammed with thick buttercream, and the sfoliatsa, which is a sort of Copenhagen (a baklava-like dessert). Upon request, they may make the normal candy, versatile cheese pie with tsoureki dough, a traditional dessert historically served on the island at Easter.

At Vieneza in Lesvos for Baklavou

Baklavou is the normal marriage ceremony dessert in Lesvos. In keeping with customized, the bride sends it to the groom’s household with a purpose to “sweeten up” her mother-in-law to get her blessing. However baklavou can be a very good present if you owe somebody a favor: In such circumstances you provide somebody both a giant, good fish or a giant field with 2-3 kilos of baklavou. It’s considered one of many variations of baklava, however this chic model has a particular kick, because it’s tall and stout, consisting of no less than 10 layers of phyllo and a lavish filling of floor almonds. I haven’t tried all of the island’s variations of baklavou, however I can say with confidence that the Vieneza pastry store makes use of an incredible recipe to make a number of the greatest baklava within the nation.

Since 1981, when Vassilis and Maritsa Charalampi opened the confectionery, their recipe has remained the identical: small “fyrania” almonds from Limnos or Kavala, peeled by hand, native bitter almonds, pure sheep’s butter from the city of Mantamados, and handmade phyllo from Crete, in 10 layers, with the underside layer containing essentially the most almonds, in order that the baklava has a stable basis. “And even whether it is not noted for 2 months, it tastes even higher, the substances mix collectively,” say the homeowners, though I can’t affirm this, as a result of in our home the baklavou by no means lasts for greater than two hours. Additionally they make scrumptious Copenhagen (a baklava-like dessert), gemata (the normal almond candy served at weddings in Mytilene), mille-feuille, almond paste and vanilla ice cream made with native eggs and sheep’s milk from Mantamados.

Kypseli in Volos: Rice pudding and heat cream

That is the place we got here to expertise the fond reminiscence of dairy sweets from our childhood and the retro flavors we at all times lengthy for. At Kypseli in Volos, milk has been stepping into and dairy merchandise have been popping out for 60 years. Conventional yogurts, rice pudding, galaktoboureka and cream custards are displayed prominently of their old school home windows, in entrance of which the folks of Volos stand in line. The sheep’s milk used to make the handmade yogurt is provided by native farmers with free-range animals. The cow’s milk is sourced from the city of Kilkis. They’ve saved the recipes for the fragile rice pudding and the tasty cream custard – even higher when served heat – unchanged from the unique recipes. The brand new homeowners have added to the menu baklava, a traditional galaktoboureko, galaktoboureko rolls, and mastic-scented samali, all finger-licking good. Their sheep’s milk ice cream is successful in the summertime, and a few of their bestsellers are their revani, Farsala halva, and kourabiedes with loads of recent sheep’s milk butter.

Chochliourou’s revani in Veria

This long-standing candy store is positioned in central Aghios Antonios Sq. in Veria. With its distinctive type and oriental baroque components, the Chochliourou confectionery makes just one candy, but it surely has been doing it properly and with expertise for a lot of, a few years, since 1886, when it was initially based as a dairy store by the Verian Giorgos Chochliourou, who fought in the course of the Macedonian Wrestle. We’re speaking about the “nationwide” dessert of Veria and concerning the age-old store the place infinite queues type throughout peak hours and days. The city legend even says that the primary place the place revani was made was at Chochliourou, and from there it established itself as the normal candy of the town, whereas the fame of the store unfold, particularly within the Nineteen Sixties.

The syrupy revani has a slight acidity from the native strained yogurt within the recipe, which balances the sweetness. Baked skinny and dry in aluminum pans, with a rosy crust and a deep yellow, spongy inside, dripping with syrup, not flavored with something in any respect, it’s a Doric dessert with an unforgettable style. It’s offered by the kilo, reduce into particular person items and wrapped within the paper with the retro inexperienced printed emblem. Whether or not you prefer it or not, that is the genuine Verian revani, a very good dessert with out frills.

Elenidis x2 in Thessaloniki

After blind tastings carried out by our crew, sampling over 15 completely different trigona (triangles) in Thessaloniki, we will actually say that the most effective and verified Greek Panorama trigona, triangular phyllo pastries with custard, have one identify however two completely different addresses. The identify is Elenidis, and it’s just about synonymous with the well-known triangular and syrupy sweets of Thessaloniki, which have been making a reputation for themselves since 1960. The Elenidis pastry retailers are two completely different branches of the identical household that started off within the Thessaloniki space of Panorama and made the triangle candy synonymous with the realm. At Trigona Elenidis with the purple field with white lettering and at C. Elenidis with the white field with purple lettering, they know the successful recipe inside out and the triangles include completely syrupy, crispy, buttered handmade crust and buttery, delicate and scrumptious custard cream. In fact, the advantageous Macedonian milk, recent native eggs and handmade crust from a conventional workshop made solely for the confectionery additionally play their half. Earlier than you allow the store with the candy triangles, ask for a second small field of baklava – every store makes it otherwise, however each are scrumptious.

Papaparaskevas in Xanthi: Well-known kariokes and extra

Essentially the most well-known kariokes within the nation are made in a big, completely organized 1,200-square meter workshop in Petrochori, Xanthi, with a employees of about 45 folks. Synonymous with the identify Papaparaskevas, the chocolate sweet is comprised of scratch, as are all their different sweets, with the best substances and elaborate methods. Even the butter is made in-house, the icing is handmade, the nuts are cracked on website, the praline is ready in-house, and the dough for the syrupy pastries is rolled out by hand.

Giorgos Arsenis, the grasp pastry chef and one of many homeowners, took the baton of the household enterprise, faithfully following the teachings of the founding father of the confectionery, Giorgos Papaparaskevas, who opened his cafe-confectionery in Xanthi in 1926. In keeping with his heirs, he went to Athens to search out his chocolate provider and to see the way it was made. As soon as contained in the manufacturing unit, he requested to have a style, and by including and subtracting substances, made a mix of chocolate simply the best way he wished it. To this present day, the identical chocolate manufacturing unit makes use of the identical recipe to make the darkish and milk chocolate that it sends solely to Papaparaskevas. Sur mesure chocolate! They use this chocolate to make the well-known kariokes and the favored crispy wafer rolls. Additionally they make glorious saragli wrapped in paper as particular person sweets, handmade isli cookies, buttery kourabiedes and extra.

Lygizos, Tziotis, Zairis, Laskaris and Kallivrousis on Andros

For those who ask somebody from Andros to decide on a pastry store on their island, it’s like asking them to make a Sophie’s selection. The pastry heritage of Ioannis Athineos, who was born in 1870 within the stunning village of Lamyra on Andros, studied the artwork of pastry in Alexandria and based the well-known Patisserie Athineos, which nonetheless exists right now. It was handed on to the equally nice Andrian pastry chef Dimitris Galanos, and from him it unfold everywhere in the island. On this means, Andros, like no different place, turned related to the fashionable artwork of confectionery, in order that within the small streets of the Hora and round it, different artisans appeared, glorious confectioners who proceed the inherited custom of Athineos. Zairis, Tziotis, Laskaris, Lygizos and Kallivrousis are the native confectioners who work with Western recipes, whipping up thick meringues, puff pastries, wealthy buttery lotions and light-weight sponge desserts. They make pastitsakia, small cookies with a chewy macaroon-like texture, nougatines with almond cookies and wealthy cream, soumada, a conventional candy drink product of candy and bitter almonds, and naturally the island’s traditional almond sweets, sesame sweets and kalitsounia, the island’s Lenten dessert.

On Andros, it’s customary to serve kourabiedes all yr spherical, not simply at Christmas as in a lot of the remainder of Greece. They make them buttery and sprinkle them with powdered sugar in accordance with the traditional recipe, and so they additionally add loads of crunchy almonds. The very first thing Andrians do once they arrive on the island is to go to the pastry retailers to replenish: They go to Lygizos’ for the well-known mille-feuilles of the Athineos faculty, Tziotis for the most effective kalitsounia and the chewiest pastitsakia, Zairis for his or her well-known nougatina bites, Kallivrousis for his or her well-known chocolate cake, and Laskaris for the proper kourabiedes. Uncommon spoon sweets might be discovered right here made with pampiloni (a really giant, seasonal citrus fruit) and the bitter orange blossom or lemon blossom and different citrus fruits.

This text was beforehand revealed in Greek at gastronomos.gr.