Six cucumbers, one Euro
When you book a stay on AirBnB they suggest experiences close to where you’re staying. Outdoor activities, sightseeing, cooking classes, etc.
For my Experience, I signed up for a three-hour walk through the Old Town of Kalamata with Food Philosophy, a company dedicated to showcasing the amazing variety of local, healthy foods from the region.
Dora, our knowledgeable and passionate guide, met us in front of the church of Ypapanti tou Sotiros, the largest Greek Orthodox church in town, which sits at the base of the Kastro, the old castle of Kalamata. Our group was just myself and a couple from England, Chris and Louise, who were great.
Side note #1 — don’t bother with the castle. I paid three Euros to hike up in the searing mid-day heat after the food tour ended and there was really not much to see.
Side note #2 — Dora’s last name is Kolokotroni, which means she’s a direct descendant of the famous “Kapitan” of the Greek resistance who fought to expel the vile Turks in 1821. Pretty cool if you’re into that kind of stuff.
Kolokotroni on the far right. Total badass.
Back to the food tour —one nice thing about the experience was that food became an introduction to the people, history and culture of Kalamata. Its traditions and way of life.
We started at a family bakery just steps from the church, where we sampled spinach pie (spanakopita). Dora explained that back in the day, no one threw anything away (“there was no garbage”), so they would save leftovers and bake them into sweet or savory treats made with filo dough.
Next we wandered through narrow side streets to the outdoor market which happens every Wednesday and Saturday in Kalamata. As you’ll find throughout Europe, local farmers, fishermen, butchers and cheese makers all proudly displayed their goods for the scrutiny of the most discerning customers.
At one of our first stops To Kelari tis Agoras (The Market Cellar), we sampled cheese, local wine (from plastic bottles no less), honey, olives and tsipouro (similar to Italian Grappa), which could probably substitute for paint remover. After a final ouzo we moved on to the fruit and vegetable stands, where one woman was selling all manner of therapeutic herbs gathered from the Taygetus mountains.
Everywhere you looked the produce was incredible, so I figured I’d pick up something for dinner. There was a vendor selling cucumbers for a Euro. I assumed that meant one Euro per cucumber so I asked for two — turns out it was one Euro for six cucumbers, and he looked at me sideways when I tried to explain I didn’t want six, would never possibly eat six, and could I just have two. “But these are the best cucumbers in all Greece! I picked them myself… How could you not want the whole bushel?”
I ended up taking all six and giving half to my food-tour companions.
In the seafood area dozens of varieties of freshly-netted fish — from tiny Gavros to sardines, snapper, swordfish and who knows what else, sat on plies of ice waiting for the grill, oven or Tigani (frying pan). I was told I could purchase a fish that looked like a small tuna for just five Euros. If I had a grill at the place I was staying, I would have jumped at it.
We left the market and Dora took us to a variety of specialty shops owned by local artisans. At Oikonomakos they specialized in smoked meat products. We sampled Loukaniko, a pork sausage made with orange, and Pasto, smoked and slow-braised pork (I think shoulder) that was so tender and moist you almost didn’t need a knife to slice it. I grabbed some of that for dinner as well.
Next stop — Chrisanthi — a hole-in-the-wall pastry shop owned and operated by you guessed it, Chrisanthi. She took enormous pride in only making a limited amount of sweets each day because she insisted on using only the highest quality ingredients and baking everything from scratch. We sampled two of her specialties and they were both sensational — mini cheese pies (Lihnarakia) made with a type of cheese I’d never heard of, and an orange cake — Portokalopita — oozing with mildly sweet syrup.
From there Dora took us to a terrific coffee shop owned by young Greek barristas where we all enjoyed well-earned Freddo Cappucinos. Then it was on to Bahart, a shop selling exotic spices, all neatly displayed in glass jars, along with unusual teas and dried goods from locally-milled flours to different varieties of beans, lentils and more. You were greeted by the aromas wafting into the street from several doors down.
We finished up the tour with a quick lunch at an amazing souvlaki shop called Ladolemono (oil lemon), where I inhaled one of the best pork souvlakis I’d ever eaten by far.
It was a fantastic tour, and if you’re ever in Kalamata, definitely check it out.