A culinary exploration of Keramikos

Photograph by Regina Ferraz

“Roam and explore one of Athens’ lesser-known neighbourhoods. You’ll eat your way through local restaurants and visit the weekly farmer’s market, all the while learning about the area’s unique character. ”

The tour winds through back streets and plazas all over the Keramikos neighbourhood. Whether it’s your first time enjoying Greek food or you’ve been a fan of tiropita (cheese pie) and sipping raki (Greek grappa) for years, there’s something to learn on this tour.

HIGHLIGHTS

In early years, the Keramikos neighbourhood was known for its pottery (“keramos” is Greek for tile). It was once divided by a wall, separating the district into outer and inner Keramikos. Outside of the gates sat the cemetery where famous Athenians were buried. The graveyard is now a fascinating archaeological site which attracts many locals and visitors.

Host Carolina Doriti is the Athens bureau chief at Culinary Backstreets. She picked this neighbourhood for food tours because it has interesting stories to impart, and a wide selection of superb and authentic restaurants, specialty stores and markets.

Carolina fills a small table with Greek coffees infused with mastiha, a piney resin that comes from trees in the south of this Greek island, yoghurt covered in spoon sweets (preserved fruit in syrup, a typical Greek dessert), and breads and cheeses from Chios. She also pulls several masourakia, a kind of baklava, out of a plastic container and lays them out on a plate for us to try.