Sweets in Greece

The question is, „What do you think about Greece?” The answers will fall a few, but among them are sure to find and sweets. As if not to look, as for me, Greece Słodkościami stands – and it is not so important if some of them are Turkish delicacies that Greece has taken over and most of us consider them to be Greek or not: there is no point here wykłócać.
When we anywhere in Greece in small streets-a confectioner somewhere near us (gr:. Ζαχαροπλαστείο/Zacharoplastijo) We will feel immediately: the smell can porażać our senses, which for feasting (and in this group and I) is quite difficult experience. As for me from the Polish confectionery does not get so intense smell-in Greece I will feel it right away.
Once, sometime, when the Greeks were much more attached to tradition than today, the rule was that on Sunday morning gentlemen pretended to Kafenijo, and the ladies and most of them with children-to Zacharoplastijo just to discuss with something sweet and coffee With friends the most important issues (gentlemen discussed these issues, and even discuss with a cup of coffee eliniko and glass ouzo or Popularniejszego among the Greeks tsipouro). Today in Zacharoplastijo we also meet the Lords, who, as well as ladies and children, happily absorbing the sweetness.
And these choices in Greece is amazing!
It is not true that all cakes in Greece ociekają syrup – it’s a stereotype, but it can be considered the truth that those in syrup are known to us the most and with them, thinking of Greece, we meet most often. For WHO of us has not heard of Baklawie?

What is this Baklawa, which so many people mention.

Baklawa is a cookie unusual in taste. Prepared from layers of thin dough fylo, superior mixture of chopped nuts or almonds (often with the addition of cinnamon and cloves), baked, soaked with a sweet syrup and sprinkled with crushed pistachios-will satisfy the taste of most of us.
The sources say that the Baklawa comes from Turkish cuisine, but some that of the Armenian or Persian. Baklawa so established, however, in Greek cuisine, that most of us consider it a Greek cookie, and for the taste and our satisfaction it does not really matter much.
It happened to me not so long to be in a patisserie in Crete (Rethymnon), where with interest I watched the biscuits sinking in syrup and when there was no customers I started to him about the name. „Baklawa” – Padała The most common answer, which I liked on average. Very nice lady explained that every cookie immersed in syrup is baklawą, which I completely did not like and with this assertion is not the hour.

And such noodles as the hair of the angels…

It’s probably my most favorite cupcake of those that drown in syrup: it’s kadaifi/Kataifi. When I lived many years ago in Athens this cake jadałamed most often: I was delighted with this and the Rapture remained to me today. For self-preparation We need here special, close to the dough Fylo, cake: Kadaifi (made really from Fylo cakes), which can be bought only in stores offering products from the kitchen World (mainly eastern). It is a cookie that contains the power of groceries: almonds, nuts, raisins, and which, after baking, will also be sunk in sweet syrup. Syrups are sometimes so cute (even for me) that you can feel the unpleasant scratching in your throat: For people niejedzących sugar in general eating these delicious cakes can be a bit difficult.
If this cookie is covered with a strong slaughtered (with vanilla) cream and spilted with crushed pistachio, we will receive a tasty variety: Ekmek Kadaifi. Ekmek Kadaifi I eat, however, extremely rare: I prefer kadaifi. It may be due to sentiment.

When you enter the Zacharoplastijo and look at the cakes in syrup…

… can be seen yet other than Kadaifi or baklawę of course. Similar to the Baklawy will be the cakes, which in Rethymno’s nice lady described me as „Esmi”, and quite another is such as Portokalopita or Karydopita.
Portokalopitę or karydopitę we can bake ourselves even if we’re not a seasoned cukiernikami: it’s really hard to do, I assure.
Portokalopita is an orange cake, and karydopita-nutty. Both taste delicious, both associate me with the winter season, and it’s probably through the selection of ingredients: to both add a cinnamon, and to karydopity still cloves.
Often with incurred cakes in syrup I make even galaktoboureko: it is milky-vanilla mass in batter Fylo. I have in the circle of the immediate family of his lover and every now and then Galaktoboureko baked must be.
Yet another cake syrup is Ravani, which is also known in Turkey and Egypt. I associate with our sponge cake (maybe sand more?) and it seems to me that it is not difficult to upieczenia, but so far I have not tried.

From the left Portokalopita and Karydopita

A completely different type of biscuits…

… They are all koulouria, which I call breakfast cakes. They have different shapes, different flavors, are dry, bread like that, and I associate with our Obwarzankami. Some of them will be sprinkled with sesame seeds, some other grains. The choice of breakfast cookies is so great that there is certainly something that tastes like it: among them you will also find a consummate taste.

Koulouria in perfect choice

And all these others? Creamy? Colorful? Cake?

From this type of biscuits also are the shelves in Zacharoplastijo. If you want to eat any of them – we have a difficult choice. Many times widywałam children sticking their noses to the showcased panes and reflecting on the choice, because each of the cakes looks tasty and each of them screams out: Pick me up! And how to choose from these countless quantities is one thing, well, maybe two? Ha, many times and I, wanting to taste something other than Kadaifi-I had a problem that most children have. A biscuits intended mainly for children can still have adequate shapes corresponding to the characters of fairy tales, they can have adequately encouraging decorations… Yes, children in Greece have a difficult choice if you think about Słodkościach! Also adults!

Tempting sweets that are hard to resist

After dinner at the tavern.

When we finish eating lunch or dinner in the Greek Tavern, many of them will receive sweet refreshments. Sometimes it will be a fruit, sometimes a piece of cake or ice cream, sometimes halva and sometimes fruit in a very sweet syrup. It is not uncommon (especially in Crete) the addition will be a small bottle local liquor: in Crete-most tsikoudia (crayfish), in other areas happen to Rakomelo: delicious liquor, whose taste will not forget so quickly.

In Greek taverns: lunch refreshment/Pokolacyjny

In Greek homes.

When we visit Greek homes, just for a while, OT, to drink coffee – in many of them we will be poczęstowani fruit in syrup. Many Greczynek prepare such fruits, then, when the guest exceeds the threshold of their home, give them to a tiny, often very nice talerzyku, with a silver spoon. This will be accompanied by a glass of water. I think you can prepare a lot of fruit, although most often in Greek homes I meet grapes, oranges and cherries. Such sweets are called in Greece Glika Koutaliou and, although it is such a kind of habit as I observe, it fades, and this fading is especially seen in Athens.

And how is it with this chałwą in Greece?

As raised in Poland, I knew for years only one kind of halva: O, this:

Of course, this halva had many tastes, in some different additives like almonds and nuts-and this kind of halva spotykałam also in Greece, when I started to ride there, although in Greece the choice was obviously far wider than in Poland, and I tasted not was what to compare.
Only after a while I discovered that what we call chałwą can also be something completely different!
The first time I experienced this many years ago when I decided to do it myself in the house, chałwę expecting of course that chałwą for me was the whole life. My surprise was great: what I obtained was not chałwą for me, although I could expect to be looking at the products used! Yes, tasted me very, but halva, this traditional, not resembled completely. In this way I learned that the halva can have a different, smoother consistency, look and taste completely different than the traditional one. In Greek taverns, after dinner, we are more likely to get this, somewhat liquid chałwę than traditional. It also tastes unforgettable!

Greek Donuts: Loukoumades [gr.: λουκουμάδες]

Popular in Greece loukoumades are doughnuts, but different from those to which we are accustomed and not only if you think about the size: these Greeks are miniscule. Ulepione the dough wyrośniętego on yeast, small balls fried on deep fat, then topped with honey syrup and obsypuje (usually) sesame, although it also meets peanut or chocolate powder. As for me, loukoumades taste very different than Polish donuts, which does not mean that after I do not reach!

Greek jellies: Loukoumi [gr.: λουκούμι]

After many conversations over the years with friends – I have to consider loukoumi the most controversial dessert with which we can meet in Greece: Some people like them (but that’s a minority), and the part is completely not and probably do not know another dessert, to which so Many people podchodziłaby with resentment. Loukoumi is a fruit-flavoured jelly, often sprinkled with icing sugar, which will be poczęstowani in many monastyrachs throughout Greece. This does not mean, of course, that they are only available in Monastyrach. You can buy them in Zacharoplastijo and other stores: sometimes at the weight, sometimes packaged… A lot of them also in the shops at airports: in ornate packages, usually with a Greek motive, strongly tempted by leaving Greece wishing to become a gift.

And when Christmas is coming in Greece…

… how long and wide Greece We all eat two types of cookies: it is kourabiedes and Melomakarona. Which taste better? A matter of taste and taste, and the sentences are deeply divided. I, having the choice, always i the Melomakarona, but Kourabiedes also did not despise.
Melomakarona are honey-nut cakes nasączane a sweet syrup, and kourabiedes are biscuits that are fragile, almond, sprinkled with sugar, powder. During the holiday season there are so many that I have the impression that the Greeks only feed on the słodkościami of the time. In each house basically stands a platter of cakes, they are also brought by guests to the houses of friends as a gift, and this time is a time of many, really continuous social visits.
These cookies can be prepared by yourself: there is no problem in Poland with the ingredients that we need to kourabiedes rose water and the only trouble.

[od lewej]: Kourabiedes and Melomakarona

and ice cream, pancakes, waffles, honeys, jams, jam, chocolate, tahini and cult Merenda (chocolate cream)?

Just walk through the streets of any old town, just walk through the streets of any city, enter the park or garden, where the cafeteria to see how many flavors are offered in Greece ice cream. Of course today does not do this already on us such impressions, as even more than 20 years ago, when in Poland the choice of flavors we had quite modest, but still worth poprzyglądać to the Greek offer. and ice cream in Greece are excellent and note: portions (so-called ball/knob) much larger than in Poland, what you should pay attention when ordering!

When we to the store and we will be at the shelves with sweets-we can also get dizzy: what is not here! I think that we rarely find something that we just fancy: the choice is perfect.
And although it seems that everything sweet has already been invented and invented, sometimes, despite such an excellent choice all sweetness-we may be surprised because we see something new, as I have recently at Monastiraki in Athens. This is a wonderful dessert: sweet, of course, filling in an unusual ruloniku baked in a cake.

Wypatrzone on Monastiraki in Athens

And yet, that the world yells at the alarm that sugar should not be fed to us (and certainly not children) – it seems that in Greece the confectionery industry is going to be quite well and will be doing well: the worship of the Greeks for sweetness is unquestionable, it looks lasting and firmly rooted in tradition.

…. A Bougatsa? „Someone will ask…

Bougatsa is a Greek sweetness of a particular kind and deserves a completely separate story:-)

Tasty! Kαλή όρεξη!

All photos: Betas.