Bandis Bougatsatzidiko

In Filippo Bandi, her famous bougatsa Thessaloniki, I had met him at the School of Tourism of Kalamata, when he had impressed all the participants in it, by showing the way of making his bougatsa. Thus, the bougatsatzidiko Bandis, was one of the first places I visited starting my gastronomic journey in the co-capital.

My first surprise, entering his small shop, in November, in the area of ​​Panagia Faneromeni - a neighborhood not at all touristy - was the three tourists who waited patiently in line with several locals to get their favorite BOUGATSA. When the crowd calmed down, Filippos Bandis, a noble lad, answered our questions:

«About 3 years ago, an Italian tourist, Massimo - I still remember his name - seems to have lost his way, as he was coming down from Ano Poli, and sat down with us to rest, drink a coffee and put something in his mouth. He tried the bougatsa that made a big impression on him, as well as the frendo espresso that do not have such coffee in Italy. He wrote his impressions on Tripadvisor, including the warm hospitality we reserved for the first tourist who entered our store, and from next year many tourists came, who in turn wrote the positive impressions, so today we are one of them. first tourist destinations of the city ".

The traditional bougatsatzidiko Bandis first opened in Panagia Faneromeni, at number 33, the 1969, by the father of Filippos Bandis, who kneaded and opened the bougatsa sheet with a recipe taught by his own father, who brought it with him to Thessaloniki after the disaster, coming from Caesarea in Cappadocia.

Today Filippos, a third generation bougatsa, continues to opens fresh leaf in hand daily, in his spotless workshop, located below his shop. There he gave us a very friendly demonstration of the production of bougatsa. On the spread of the sheet we were enchanted by the mastery with which a small ball of dough with the skillful movements of his hands, spread and grew, with its successive rotations, around his head. Within 4 minutes the sheet of dough had spread out and occupied the length of a huge workbench. There, the thinnest sheet was filled with the contents of the bougatsa, and folded several times to form the final envelope and enter the oven.

Filippos prepares all kinds of bougatsa, filled with cream, cheese, minced meat, spinach, but also plain, ie bougatsa only from leaf, as preferred by the "old". At the same time, he makes village pies, buns, breadsticks and much more.

"In the past, people wanted the bougatsa to drip oil, while today they want it to be drier."

If it is your way from Thessaloniki do not forget to pass by Filippos, winter and summer will be there, even on Sundays, "Why after the church do not the faithful have their bougatsa?"