The traditional café (kafenedes) and the fried pies (pitadoudia)

Today’s story begins in a traditional cafe (kafenes) in Stanos: it is the old “”Dimitra’s”” kafenes, which today serves delicious dishes of the local cuisine.
Simple but hearty delicacies, made with few but local ingredients, dishes of very fresh and local raw materials, which deifies the products of the land at their most prime moment. In the Stanos kafenedes, people still cook with what is available, just like “”old people”” did. The “”table”” offered what the earth had – in its season, in its time.

In general, the cafes (kafenedes) of Eastern Halkidiki (as well as of the entire Greek hinterland), these cozy haunts of the locals (as Angelos Redoulas of Gastronomos says about the cafes of Crete), are a mirror of everyday life and microcosms of entire local communities. In these humble tavernas, through the routine of repetition and cooking as a rule of the seasons, a culinary heritage of centuries is preserved. It starts from the Aristotelian days – to the Ottoman times and thankfully reaches the present days.

In the traditional cafe (kafenes) of Dimitra, the Momogeri dancers from Veria stage a funny dance and present events taken from Greek antiquity. Local girls treat. The dancers depart in procession – dancing and improvising to the square.
Stop at a second cafe (kafenes). In the kafenes, where the oldest go. Lots of stories. In the cafe of Vagelio (as its name is) she cooks with the products of the day, even of the hour. Strictly with the local organic produse of the village. Without studies and crafts, people work for the land – make it fertile – and are coordinated with it. Locals love this land. They talk to her. They take care of her. Like to a little kid. These are great lessons, great talks from the local farmers.

The Momogeri Dancers are heading towards the square. The grills are waiting for them. Locals have set up outdoor grills everywhere. Smoke (tsikna) from the local sausages. Further down women have prepared phyllo pastry and they are filling it with cheese. Pitaroudia (fired pies). Delicious – divinely delicious! They fry them in local olive oil – from Gomati. The place smells like a Greek celebration!

Celebration. Greece that can’t get enough of dancing and honoring the Greek countryside.
The Stanos of kafenedes and authenticity.
Come on!