Alevropita (Flour Pie)
I don't know how you feel but time seems to pass me by. It is hard to believe that just four short years ago I travelled to Greece on a 5 week sojourn. For two of those weeks I joined Thordis Simonsen
of Astra Tours and several American women, who have since become life long friends, travelling extensively throughout mainland Greece. We spent four days in the Zagoria region where you'll find a landscape filled with fairy tale mountain villages linked by stone-tiled trails and humpbacked ancient bridges. From this vantage point you can hike through the deepest gorge in the world in Vikos-Aoos National Park, wander the cobbled streets of these sleepy villages with their preserved old mansions in the unique Zagorian style and feel like time has stood still.
Following ancient tracks we walked right into the heart of the National Park where the sight of the deserted monastery or nunnery of Agia Paraskevi balances in an ‘eagle’s nest’ position over the Vikos Canyon. It's beauty as well as steep terrain caused our hearts to miss a beat! A ledge above the monastery winds round the cliff-face to the Megali Spilia, a high, shallow scoop from the cliff rendered inaccessible by a stout doorway on the path. The walk along this ledge is no more than a metre wide in places and 300 metres above the quiet forest of the bottom. The way has ravishing views out into the gorge but is thrilling and horrible at the same time for anyone prone to vertigo.
Returning to Monodendri after our hike we had read about the famous "pita" (pie with cheese), prepared with the "secret" recipe, guarded by the women of these villages for centuries. In Monodendri's central square under the plane tree,
Pita Tis Kikitsas has been baking alevropita (flour pie) since 1958, the year I was born. No, this does not make it an ancient ruin!!! We stopped for a Mythos and this much anticipated local specialty. Here we devoured our reward, a plate of what I had been told were tiganopita that I had only dreamed about previously.
