Episode 1 Show Notes.
If you want to get an authentic feel of a city’s neighbourhoods and locals, visit it’s local markets. In this opening episode of Sense in the City Athens, Alexia Amvrazi seeks out the ingredients for a recipe called Papoutsakia and along the way discovers honey from Evia and Greek Mountain Tea.
- There are nearly 200 local markets in Athens & Piraeus. Each neighbourhood has one every week. The one Alexia visited in Panormou can be found here. (0:36)
- Many people do their weekly shop at the markets, so they bring their own trolleys. Travel writer Adrian Vrettos described them as ‘Chariots of Fear’ in a commentary piece dedicated to Athens’ open air markets that you can read here ‘Chariots of Fear’. (1:27)
- Evia is an island north of Athens. It is connected to the mainland by a short bridge over a narrow waterway with extremely strong currents. Map (5:04)
- St John’s Wort Oil is called Valsameleo or Spatheleo in Greek. The herb grows wild around the country and has been steeped to create a red oil for centuries as a folk remedy to help alleviate aches and pains.(5:55)
- Another popular folk remedy is made using Pure beeswax for making the all-purpose healing lotion called Keralifi. To make it one melts beeswax and stirs it over a low heat with olive oil and any other ingredients of choice like essential or other oils. (6:33)
- Kalamaki is a popular Greek street food. It’s simply cubes of meat (commonly pork or chicken), cooked on wooden skewer over a coal grill. The meat is seasoned with salt and oregano and served with lemon wedges and slices of bread or pitta bread triangles. Leave us a comment and tell us your favourite Kalamaki bar in Athens! (8:33)
- Greek fish soup is called psarosoupa or kakavia – most laiki have a fish-seller so you there’s no need to go to the central market at 5am to get your fish and seafood supplies. (9:24)
- Papoutsakia (Little Shoes) is a dish made with aubergine, a mince sauce and cheesy béchamel sauce that’s baked in the oven. See the recipe here. Don’t forget to take a pic and tag it #senseinthecityathens (11:50)
- Mountain Tea (Sideritis or Tsai Vounou) is high in iron and antioxidants and has been shown in numerous scientific studies especially in Germany, to be successful in preventing and even reversing Alzheimer’s Disease. You can read Alexia’s article about it here: (15:35)