I dare you to walk past Kostas’ bakery at No 18 Eleftheriou Venizelou Street in Zakynthos town and manage not to give in to your sense of smell. Kostas’ approach to baking is similar to that of an artist creating a rich tapestry of colour and sensations. He says, ‘bakery is the art that sweetens the sour moments of our life’. Kostas is very mindful of his work being close to nature since all the ingredients he uses come from natural sources. He likens the poiesis of baking to that of a lover and the journey through the senses (smell, taste, touch, seeing and hearing). If you think Kostas’ poetic language is just hot air wait till you experience some of his scrumptious creations. We visited Kostas’ bakery ‘To Paradosiako’ (translating into ‘Traditional’) and asked him to show us a traditional Zakynthian recipe.
Spyros filming Kostas at work
Kostas chose to show us his Paksimadi recipe – a sesame and raisin soft and crumbly bake best enjoyed with Greek coffee or a little cognac. You can also enjoy it in the morning as part of your breakfast.
Kostas' delicious Zakynthian Paksimadi
Here is the recipe in 6 simple steps!
Step 1:
get your ingredients ready:
flour, wine, olive oil, raisins, anise, cinnamon, cloves, baking powder, bicarbonate soda, sesame seeds, orange juice, sugar
Zakynthian paksimadi ingredients
Step 2:
(Use mixer for this) Mix the olive oil with the sugar and blend until the sugar is thoroughly dissolved. Slowly introduce all the remaining ingredients except for the flour, sesame seeds and wine. Mix well.
Step 3:
Slowly add the flour little by little until ingredients are mixed evenly throughout. Make sure your dough remains supple and smooth. Slowly introduce the wine and continue to mix dough. Once thoroughly mixed leave dough to ‘rest’ for a few minutes.
Zakynthian paksimadi recipe
Step 4:
Work dough on flat surface so that you get a supple ball of all the ingredients. Remember dough should remain supple and not become rubbery.
Zakynthian paksimadi recipe
Step 5:
Roll out ’sticks’ of dough and place in a paper-lined baking tray horizontally leaving a little gap between them.
Zakynthian paksimadi recipe
Carve dough every couple of inches apart to create little squares for easy slicing later on.
Zakynthian paksimadi recipe
Step 6:
Spray with clean water and sprinkle with sesame seeds until whole surface is evenly covered.
Zakynthian paksimadi recipe
Put in moderate pre-heated oven and bake for about an hour or until golden throughout.
Kostas showing off his Zakynthian paksimadi
Whilst waiting for the finished product Spyros and I had a…look around Kostas’ bakery.
Spyros tasting Kostas' chocolate cream cookies
Marina tasting Kosta's delicassies
Ok! I admit it…we had a good old taste of everything…Here is a sample of Kostas’ other pieces of…art.
Kostas' delicassies at Paradosiako Bakery
Kostas' delicassies at Paradosiako Bakery
Kostas' delicassies at Paradosiako Bakery
Good old bread at Kostas' bakery
Apart from working at his bakery Kostas supplies food for local celebrations, events, ceremonies and conferences as well as for orders on cruise ships and sailing boats. So whether you are a passer by or planning a longer stay on the island make sure you taste Kostas’ unique selection of mouth-watering goodies. He tells as that his craftsmanship in baking has been passed down from his grandfather who was also a well known baker in the town. Kostas has a good 3000 recipes under his wing, that he does not really share, but is also continuously looking at creative ways in mixing the ‘old’ with the ‘new’. Therefore there will always be something new for you to taste and discover on your visits. We are very thankful to Kostas Mouzakis for his enthusiasm, generosity and warmth throughout our visit, as well as his sharing his precious recipe with us. We look forward to returning to his bakery in order to experience more of his artistry in crafting little multi-sensory miracles….
Kostas serving customers at his bakery in Zante town
Tags: bakery, food, Kostas Mouzakis, paksimadi
This evening I decided to re-visit the pictures I shot during the summer. So I came across a group of photos I have entitled as ‘details’ that pretty much do what they say on the tin. Knowing Zakynthos so well and having taken numerous of pictures over the years I am absolutely thrilled to discover a new outlook to my beloved island. For me this highlights the immense possibilities in creative exploration driven just by a curiosity about things, people and landscapes without trying to explain, interpret or dramatise reality. For me photography is about capturing the moment – the rest lie with the beholder. As a novice photographer I enjoy exploring different frames, angles and perspectives. I am particularly fascinated by the granularity of detail and the effect distance or proximity imposes on the subject. Here is a sample of my various experimentations in photography.
Chair, stone, view
Man overlooking girl lighting candle in church - Church detail.
Detail of a boat
Detail of a house
Seashells on Sand
Jetty detail
Doll head
Detail of a House
Rock and water detail
Detail of a road
Tags: abstract, photo, photography, Views
SONNET TO ZANTE
Fair isle, that from the fairest of all flowers,
Thy gentlest of all gentle names dost take!
How many memories of what radiant hours
At sight of thee and thine at once awake!
How many scenes of what departed bliss!
How many thoughts of what entombed hopes!
How many visions of a maiden that is
No more–no more upon thy verdant slopes!
No more! alas, that magical sad sound
Transforming all! Thy charms shall please no more-
Thy memory no more! Accursed ground
Henceforth I hold thy flower-enameled shore,
O hyacinthine isle! O purple Zante!
“Isola d’oro! Fior di Levante!”
Edgar Allan Poe, 1837
Tags: Edgar Allan Poe, Fior di Levante, poem
If I had to choose my favourite smallest creature residing on the island it would definitely have to be the gorgeous hemidactylous turcicus best known as Mediterranean gecko, wall lizzard or ’samiamidi’ in Greek. This lazy, nocturnal reptile can often be seen hanging around lamps and small insects, such as ants, mosquitoes, spiders and even moths. For such a laid back fella the gecko actually moves very fast allowing only a small chance for its pray to react. I could spend minutes watching their little belly move rhythmically with each intake of breath and admire their tiny little feet and rather big (in proportion to the rest of the head) eyes. Their still presence helps them to blend in with their immediate environment giving them a strong vantage point towards any unsuspecting passer-by insects and bugs.
Geckos on wall
Gecko on the wall
A close second would be another little reptile scientifically known as algyroides moreoticus the well known lizzard, or ’savra’ in Greek. The behaviour of these creatures reminds me that of a squirrel, in that their movement ranges from complete ‘freeze’ stillness to incredible displays of speed and agility. They like suckling on ripe fruit such as grapes and berries.
In Zakynthos there are also many different types of butterfly most beautiful of all being the Colias Crocea (or clouded yellow) species, the Freyer Grayling (Neohipparchia fatua), the Spotted Fritillary (Melitae didyma) and the Scarce Swallowtail (Iphiclides podalirius).
Zakynthian butterfly
Even though not known for its attractive looks there is one insect that clearly dominates the island and can be heard throughout the day in its distinctive persistent and rhythmic call – the cicada or tzitziki (after the sound it produces) in Greek. The familiar cicada song is actually a mating song produced by the male insect to attract its female partner. Each cicada species have their own sound and there are different songs to communicate distress or courting. Cicadas like heat which is why the Greeks use the expression “skai o tzitzikas”, meaning (liberal translation) ‘bursting cicadas’ to describe an unbearably hot day. For me the sound of the cicadas is so engrained in my early memories of family summer holidays (alongside the smell of pine trees combined with a fresh sea breeze) that a summer without the sound of cicadas is simply not a summer enough!
Tags: butterflies, cicadas, insects, lizzards, reptiles, samiamidi, tzitziki
…who was 8 years old during the great earthquake of 1953. He clearly remembers the sound of the church bells been shaken by the troubled earth. At the time of the earthquake he was at the family ‘ktima’ (land) helping his parents with the usual farming chores. Luckily only one wall of the family house came down during the shake, but Kyr-Andreas knew of many families that lost loved ones and their property not only to the great earthquake but also to the uncontrollable fires that followed. Days later, when the whole island was flattened to a rumble the Air Forces delivered food supplies during a rescue operation. Kyr-Andreas talked about parcels of food (including bread and Dutch cheese) as well as crates of water ‘parachuted’ from the sky to the islanders…
We met Kyr-Andreas at his kafenio/taverna opposite the great Platanos (plane tree) of Exo Hora.
Traditional Zakynthian house in Exo Hora
We asked him if he would like to share some of the local stories of the island with us, upon which invitation his eyes lit up and swiftly begun narrating one eventful story after the other. A grandfather of nine and a father of five Kyr-Andreas encapsulates the true Zakynthian spirit in his warm, hospitable, cheerful and ‘cheeky’ disposition. What I remember of him mostly are his sea-like blue eyes and his broad, honest and giving smile. Kyr-Andreas did not want to be filmed as he did not want to “be seen on television”, “laughed at by the neighbours” or “say something wrong or inappropriate”. Instead he asked us to write down what he said, which we happily did over a lovely cup of Greek coffee and a refreshing ice cream.
I asked Kyr-Andreas whether his name was the most popular on the island. He said that there are a lot of ‘Andreases’ around but the most common names are Dionysios (after the patron Saint of the island) and Nikolaos (another celebrated Saint). Other names included Spyridon (Spyros) and Gerasimos. As Zakynthos is a mountainous island farming has developed extensively especially in the Central and Northern regions. The villagers of Exo Hora, a small village between Agios Leon and Maries, are involved in farming occupations (such as animal breeding and olive oil production) as well as wine making and tourism operations.
Wine, olive oil and honey sold by villagers in Exo Hora
There is only one Primary school in the village that caters for approximately 12 pupils. For Secondary and High School students must travel to Volimes or Zakynthos Town itself. When students finish school they often leave the island in favour of further education and/or a career opportunity in mainland Greece. Some return to the island as young adults but often people come back in their retirement.
We asked Kyr-Andreas to tell as about the main feature of Exo Hora, which is the old Platanos next to the historic church built in 1890. He said that a man from Roumeli (mainland Greece) brought a root which he planted at the centre of the village some 150 to 170 years ago. There is in fact a smaller, younger, Platanos that can be found next to the original. The smaller tree was planted in 1935. Legend has it that the Italian occupants uprooted the plant during the second world war but the tree eventually survived.
A family enjoying the shade of the big plane tree in Exo Hora
Opposite the Platanos there is also an ancient olive tree with a very wide and peculiar trunk. According to Kyr-Andreas the olive tree is thought to be about 2000 years old and in existence well before the villagers arrived to the area.
Ancient olive tree in Exo Hora
Finally we asked Kyr-Andreas to tell us about the origin of the old wells (Pigadia) found in the village. The wells were built by the original families that came to (or more accurately built) the village. Each family would build their own well and to date they are the property of the original families’ descendants. Most wells are still full of rain water which is at the disposal of the local families presumably for farming purposes.
Visitor exploring the Old Wells
Spyros filming at the Old Wells
We left Kyr-Andreas looking after his customers, an Italian family enjoying a lunch of souvlaki and salad on one table, a group of fire fighters waiting for their take away order on the next table and a couple of locals enjoying ouzo and meze on another one. We sat at the Platanos- shaded square jotting down Kyr-Andreas’ last comments and listening to the constant calling of the cicadas. Then we got in the car and drove off in search of another destination and yet another Zakynthian story.
Tags: cicadas, earthquake, Exo Hora, Kyr-Andreas, old wells, olive tree, platanos
Just 2 km from Zakynthos Town, at the top of the hill is Mpohali. Overlooking the port, neighbourhoods and streets below (as well as Argasi to the right) one can take in the wonderful views of the island, the sea and beyond. We visited Mpohali both in the morning and by night and even though the surroundings stay the same, the atmosphere changes a lot.
In the morning we enjoyed a relaxed breakfast and coffee, at the top of the hill, away from the crowds and cars in the town centre with the light sea breeze a welcoming and refreshing respite against the sizzling hot temperatures of July. I particularly enjoyed cold drinks like frappé coffee (that – let’s be honest- only Greeks can get right) as well as smoothies, fresh juice and milkshakes. I also enjoyed different options of Greek yoghurt (served with fresh fruit, or honey and cereal) as well as traditional dessert frygania and a rich variety of ice creams and snacks. There are a few cafes and tavernas around keeping to the traditional character of the area.
By night Mpohali has a more up beat buzz and energy to it, however it still maintains the familiar un-rushed, leisurely feel of Zakynthian entairtainment. You do not go to Mpohali because you want to party out of your head until the next morning (nothing wrong with that either)…you go to Mpohali because you savour the luxury of space, time and good company…or because the moonlight view of the sea and sparkly lights of the town below are just the change you need in your well deserved break from reality. That said, Movida definitely combines chill out lounging in the early evening with a more party atmosphere as the night progresses and regularly hosts guest djs, live acts and theme nights to stir things up. The setting of this resto-cafe-bar is beautiful as it occupies the best spot on the hill, therefore has access to the best views of the town and port.
