Athens, Greece
Let’s admit it, that food is definitely one
of our major reasons to travel abroad, to experience the alternative, to
restore the best memories onto our taste buds. What and where do we dine at our
Greek tour in May and June? Before the departure, we’ve known Gyros is the
must-have on our foodie list, out of my surprise, on the road, that I incorrigibly fall in
love with coffee, yes, Greek coffee, for at least per cup a day. I couldn’t
believe the swift change of my drinking habit, neither could my hubby, since
before the Greek life, so far the total amount of cups of coffee I take a sip,
is nearly 8 or 9 (the 2012 mini trip to Milano I took a cup of espresso every
day).
GREEK COFFEE
It was formerly referred to simply as
‘Turkish Coffee’, a method of preparing unfiltered coffee. Due to the political
tensions between Turkey and Greece (Turkish invasion of Cyprus in 1974) in the
1970’s, that led to the political euphemism ‘Turkish’ to ‘Greek’ coffee.
The way to prepare Greek coffee is complex,
as hubby and I always have high curiosity watching how a staff preparing at
café. While the ordering, we are always asked if the coffee ‘with or without
sugar’, which will lead to two characteristic features. Greek coffee is made by
boiling the ground coffee beans, if sugar is to be added to the coffee, it is
done at the start of the boiling, and then vice versa. The boiling is done as
slowly as possible (that’s the reason why it takes a while from the counter to
the table, approximately 7-10 minutes). When the grounds begin to froth, about one-third
of the coffee is distributed to the various individual cups, after the coffee
froths a second time, the process is completed and the remaining coffee is
distributed once again to the cup, and ready to serve to the table.
I am more of a sweet tooth, and the taste
of Greek coffee is between espresso and hot chocolate, which is not too bitter
to me. Any interesting café can be the good place to taste the Greek coffee, we
like Coffee Berry and Nomimh a lot while staying in Athens. The most important
is, the 35-45 ml of mini drink of day with tiny cup, is both appetite
accessible and visual pleasure, but be aware, don’t try to ‘eat’ the coffee
grounds, they are unbelievably uneatable!
FRESH JUICE
Needless I have to clarify, that I am also
a super fan of organic juice. I usually make a glass with the blender as fresh
smoothie, or choose the carton packaging at supermarket. At the beachside of
Glyfáda, there is no better enjoyable way than a heavy portion of homemade
orange juice, 100% fresh squeezed by a tall handsome Greek bartender. Never
mind tipping him 1 EUR. Ces’t la vie!!
GYROS
Additionally Greek coffee, what allures me
one wrap a day is Gyro, also as known as Greek wrap. The name comes from Greek γύρος,
literally ‘turns’ in English. Gyros are made of chicken, beef, veal or lamb
cooked on a vertical rotisserie, sliced vertically in thin crisp shavings when
done. Due to Greek culture is Orthodox rather than Islamic, grilled pork is the
most popular choice in restaurant or at stall. Besides the meat, Gyros are
served with a flatbread, pita, slightly grilled, in a shape of an inverted
cone, and adding up with lettuce, tomato, onion and tzatziki sauce.
Gyros can be served as a platter dish on
the table or simply a handful roll on the go. There are various of independent
mini restaurants to choose in Athens, especially Gyros consist of protein (from
the meat and sauce), fiber (from pita bread), certain amount of Vitamin (from
the vegetables), and the price range starts from 2 EUR to 20 EUR, all we can
decide.
After our Parthenon tour, we hang around at
Monastiraki/Plaka areas, and spot this super tiny, with white and blue deco
mini storefront, Tylixto. From the paper plate to serving tray, the navy blue
font shows the symbols of Greece: nautical, fresh and homemade, and Tylixto
even supplies immediate-fried French fries within its Greek wrap and dressed
with fresh Greek yogurt! Besides 2 EUR gyro, Tylixto also provides mixed grill
platter, which consists of lamb chops, beef steak, or squid/cuttlefish, gammon,
tomato, garlic, often marinated in olive oil, sprinkle with a wedge of lemon
and handful rosemary!
LOCAL BURGER
Since hubby is the super fan of burger,
finding the local treat is one of our fun things to do at every trip. We first
spot Goody’s Burger House (established in 1975 in Thessaloniki, Greece) at
Metro Mall in Athens, and when we were hanging at Glyfáda, hubby is very
excited to try the sandwich combo meal again. Besides the soft drink, the whole
basket of French fries and 4 grilled pieces of toasts, sliced lettuce, tomatoes,
cheese and ham, are served freshly at special price for 4 EUR! Goody’s Burger
House is more of Athenian Burger King, the deco is vibe and with cute graffiti,
we love it and the choice is more interesting than any fast food chain store we
know in California.
DESSERTS: BANOFEE & TART & ICE
CREAM
BANOFEE
Banoffee, bananoffe or banofee is an
English dessert pie made from bananas, cream and toffee, combined either on a
pastry base or one made from crumbled biscuits and butter. The credit for
Banoffee invention is by Chef Nigel Mackenzie and Ian Dowding, in East Sussex,
1971. In the café or dessert stores in Athens, Banofee is distributed in a
transparent cup, the layering of brownie brown, light yellow and creamy white is
for the visual pleasure. It a tall size cup, costs 4 EUR, with my favorite
Greek coffee is the perfect afternoon-break match.
POMEGRANATE TART
The name pomegranate derives from Medieval
Latin pōmum ‘apple’ and grābātum ‘seeded’, or possibly from French word
‘pomme-grenade’, means ‘apple of Grenada’. Pomegrante seeds are a rich source
of dietary fiber, Vitamin C & K. Neither in Taiwan or in Finland,
pomegranate is not easy accessible fruit at markets, especially I have zero
experience to bake my own afternoon desserts, so when I spot the cute little
tart with crispy tart base, served with whipped cream and topped with crimson
pomegranate seeds, 0,70 EUR each, with no doubt I purchase a box of four and
enjoy it after delicious gyros, yummy!
ICE CREAM
Before visiting Numismatic Museum of
Athens, I check its beautiful garden and outdoor café, and decide to have a
seat, take a rest during the high fever afternoon. Under the wide yellow
parasol, first I only order my daily must-have—Greek coffee, and quickly I take
chocolate ice cream as well. Based on the food history, during the 5th
century, Greeks ate snow mixed with honey and fruit at the markets of Athens.
The father of modern medicine, Hippocrates, encouraged his patients to eat ice
as ‘it livens the life-juices and increases the wellbeing.
So I was well served with a large ball (much
larger than a baseball) of chocolate ice cream in a cocktail glass, accompanying
with a slice of lemon cookie and an additional glass of still water. The
sweetness of ice cream is also a perfect accordance with rather bitterer Greek
coffee, since they erase my low appetite under the hot weather in June. Plus,
the waitresses are very friendly, even they are a bit busy (it seems that Numismatic
Museum café is a popular afternoon destination to the locals, most of them are
middle-aged, zero tourist I spot when I dine), still they start a very
welcoming conversation with me. Numismatic Museum of Athens Café is highly
recommended for those who want to experience the local and real Athens. Yummy
all the way!
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