My wife lived in Greece in the 1960s and remembers that along with the cafes, the sweetshops, and the souvlaki stands, there was a type of fast-food place that sold dairy foods: rice pudding, yogurt, galactobourikos (custard pies), etc. Do these types of shops still exist? What are they called in Greek? (What she remembers is something like galaktoplasteion, but she can’t find anything like this in the phrase books or dictionairies.)
Posted by
Philadelphia, PA, USA
3397 posts
Yes they were called I think Zacharoplasteion ... when I first went to Greece there was ONE left in Plaka on western end of Adrianou ... it was there that I first encountered the delicious but (waistline-)deadly galactabouriko. I swoooned. Now these places seem to have disappeared, an oldfashioned specialty shop that probably doesn't sell enough per square foot to make the rent (alas).
In many places, such as port towns in the island , the same fate seems to have befallen the venerable Kafenio. These were the tiny cafes, where MEN ONLY would sit (a woman could go in to the counter for "take-away" coffee but would NOT sit down). THose old mustachio'd guys would sit all day over a few coffees or a small ouzo, playing cards, smoking, talking. But as tourist flourished on once very quiet islands, the harborside real estate became too valuable. Bye bye Kafenio -- but wait; not quite. There was one in Naxos town that between one year and the next, disappeared, replaced by a small travel agency. But as I sighed and walked by, I happened to glance into the open=air canopied restaurant across the way. Against one wall .... a row of old gents, with their tiny coffee cups. They just moved to a new venue! And the taverna owner was OK with that. Wouldn't happen in Mykonos.
Galaktoboureko also hard to find... I seek it out in each destination. In Nafplio, there's ONE bakery that makes it 2x a week -- but you have to go in before noon, or it's all sold out. Good luck in your hunt, Dick and wife!
Posted by
Brighton, UK
1419 posts
Dick
I think Janet's got this one slightly wrong. They are called galaktopoleio or γαλακτοπωλείο in Greek.
(The link looks odd but should work!)
There are still a few about. For example, this one down near Omonia
In Athens
http://www.culinarybackstreets.com/athens/2012/stani/
And the Karyas in Vironos in Athens mentioned in this article which we visited last Christmas, and is excellent
http://www.culinarybackstreets.com/athens/2013/culture-club/
There's also the Amalthea in Tripodon in Plaka which calls itself a creperie but serves a lot of milk goods
https://www.facebook.com/AmaltheaCreperie/photos_stream?ref=page_internal
Alan
Posted by
Philadelphia, PA, USA
3397 posts
Alan, perhaps more recent guidebooks omit the original name, but I have in hand my 1999 edition of ROUGH GUIDE to the Greek Islands which has a section on the different types of eateries (tavernas etc). The section on "Sweets" starts out with "Similar to the Kafenio is the Zakharoplastio (in BOLD FACE), a cross between a cafe and a patisserie.." The next paragraph begins "If you want a stronger slant towards dairy products and away from pure sugar, seek out a Galaktopolia (italicized, not BF) where you'll often find rice pudding (etc etc)". The one I mentioned, in the Athens Plaka section, used the Z term in its signage. So both are correct.
Posted by
Camarillo, California
3148 posts
There is a definite distinction between a sweetshop and a dairy shop. The OP asked about a dairy shop. Alan has it right, it's a galaktopoleio or γαλακτοπωλείο.
Posted by
OP
Olympia, WA, USA
6713 posts
Thanks to all for this good help. I'm drooling already!