Did you know that 70% of vacationers factor in food when deciding where to travel? So, it comes as no surprise that many choose Greece as a travel destination and one of the purposes of this blog is to bring you (the reader) closer to the Greek cuisine. Some want to relive the sights, aromas and tastes, others eat vicariouslt through this blog. Both parties welcome!
One of the most popular dishes among Greeks and non-Greeks has to be Bougatsa. Bougatsa is a type of phyllo pie that may contain a filling of semolina custard (the most popular). There there’s cheese filling and for those with a heartier appetite there’s kima or mince meat.
Most Greeks will buy some Bougatsa for a quick breakfast or a late morning/afternoon snack. Most Bougatsa shops sell out of their product by mid-afternoon and they close for the day. After all, they have to wake up early to make the dough, filling and bake the next day’s Bougatsas…ready for the morning rush.
Bougatsa is a specialty of northern Greece with the best being made in Serres and Thessaloniki. Bougatsa is made by placing the filling in the middle of hand-stretched/opened phyllo. Last summer while in Greece I had the privelege of watching father and son opening phyllo dough at their Bougatsa shop in the Panagia Faneromeni neighborhood of Thessaloniki.
I have learned to open phyllo from my mom but the method of opening phyllo in the air like the Bantis’ do is awesome and I want to be able to do this too!
Isn’t Dimitri amazing? If you’re going to visit Greece you should also visit Thessaloniki and taste authentic Bougatsa. Bantis Bougatsa is located in the Panagia Faneromeni neighborhood and although you will find Bougatsa shops throughout the city, perhaps a dozen are making their own phyllo and Bougatsa.
Dimitris and son Philippos allowed me to then try and open phyllo in the air then make my own Bougatsa by placing the filling in the center then folding the phyllo dough around the filling liked an envelope. This experience was one of the most memorable of last summer’s trip!
Now watch son Philippos open phyllo in the air, just like his father Dimitri taught him!
Bantis Bougatsa
Panagias Faneromenis 33
Thessaloniki 54632
+30 231 051 0355
What a wonderful treat! I wish we had such bakeries here.
Cheers,
Rosa
θαυμαστός!
My mother came from Smyrna, and brought her recipes with her. She would say that Bougatsa was a truly
smyrnaiko dish..
I have made it for everyone, and they love it!
Peter you could have done a little taste test on it because I really want to know how it compared to others. The bougatsa looks lovely and they are big portions.
That’s some incredible phyllo stretching! Those videos are amazing. I LOVE bougatsa – bougatsa me krema! In Limnos where my dad is from there is a lovely little bougatsa shop on the main street where you can sit under the trees with your morning treat and a frappe.
Hi any chance of this on you tube please?
What really counts on making great bougatsa is using quallity ingredients.
I’ve had 4 emploees for bougatsa in the past 22 years of a total of 26 years (the first 4 years we were making it ourselves but our business was growing so an employee was inevitable),and believe me all 4 had different styles of making bougatsa yet the final result and the taste was the same.
So what I learned after 26 years of owning a bougatsa store in Thessaloniki with my brother is that the 30% of making good bougatsa depends on the employee and the 70% is what you put in there.
A major role depends on the right flour with the right proportion.
Here is a demo of my brother making bougatsa: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BhxJD8p5WPs
And here is our employee with 41 years of experience on making bougatsa: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zm-nOlW7ulE
My favorite treat from Greece! I can’t wait to try to make this some day. The throwing of filo is a magical scene for sure – I can’t get enough of filo videos! Beautiful!