I imagine you have passed by a cheese pie shop countless times when hungry, and the smell of the pastry has led you straight to the cash register for more.
Something similar happened to me with Cocona and its handmade pies and gyozleme.
I don’t know which smell attracted me more. The smell of freshly baked gyozleme with pastirma and kasseri cheese or the smell of minced meat pie.
One thing was certain: when you arrive in the area around eleven in the morning, your nose leads you straight to the small, mouthwatering display case with the handmade delicacies.
I got a tip, as they say, from my friend Depi, a true Thessaloniki native and connoisseur of my culinary pursuits.
She urged me to stop by Kolonaki at 10 Milioni Street and try one of Kokona’s pies!
Ha ha ha, what a nice name, I thought, just like my neighbor Polytissa used to call my sister when she was little.
It means something like my princess, my lady, my sweet doll!!!
The weather was perfect, so I grabbed my friend Antonakis as my co-pilot, and off we went — riding Babis, my now-legendary little scooter — on a mission to uncover a hidden gastronomic treasure:
the tiny shop with handmade pies and gözlemes!
Somewhere in the middle of Miliouni Street, the smell hit us both, and like we were under a spell, we followed it straight to a display window full of freshly baked pies.
I was glued to the glass, trying to figure out what was going on — which one would be the first to try — while Antonakis kept nudging me,
you know, with that look of “come on, stop staring, don’t make a scene…”
I lifted my head to tell him, “Oh, stop it already!” — and there it was, right in front of me —
a wide, bright smile!
The lovely Cocona, with her Coco Chanel-style turban, was laughing at my helpless fascination and began describing the delicious treats lined up in her display.
Handmade pies
Everything here is handmade!
The dough is rolled out at dawn using a rolling pin and filled with fresh ingredients every day.
There isn’t a huge variety, just about eight different types. Whatever my hands can make… she replies.
I watched the preparation of a pie from the beginning and understood the effort Cocona puts in so that I can eat a bite and praise her!
Cheese pies, chicken pies, spinach pies, mushroom pies, minced meat pies…
I wanted to try them all.
I watched the crispy golden crust tempting me, coming to life, and my decision was quick and decisive…
One meat pie, please… and the first bite made such a noise that it startled the pigeons from the nearby tree.
The first bite was incredible, with the aromas of light spices dominating and mint playing the accompaniment!
And after the savory dishes, a piece of sweet bougatsa came out, with velvety cream melting in your mouth and bursts of vanilla and cinnamon…
Oh my God!!!
Well, I won’t say anything else, we went to try a cheese pie and ended up sitting on stools for four hours trying everything!!!
And when I say everything, I don’t just mean the pies, of course…
Gyozleme pie
The name Gyozleme was written everywhere. Memories of Constantinople came flooding back, and I was overcome with regret that in all my trips to the city, I had never managed to eat a gyozleme.
I believe it is Turkey’s ultimate street food, along with Balik Ekmek and mussels from street vendors.
Balik ekmek is a sandwich with grilled fish, sold from boats on the Galata Bridge.
The satsi stood there in the middle of the shop, but I was too blinded by the aromas wafting from the pies to pay it any attention.
After a while, Cocona began telling us the story — about the name, and about the gözleme itself.
She really is a true Xanthi girl. Her mother used to call her “Cocona” as a term of endearment, and from a young age she taught her how to roll out dough and make the traditional pies and gözlemes.
How sweet, how beautiful, I thought — to carry your mother with you every day through such tender memories…
After the stories came the moment of truth — the tasting — and, of course, that’s when all my cravings came rushing out!
One gyozleme with pastirma and one with minced meat, like a lahmacun, slightly spicy, and a cold beer.
Giozleme, to give you an idea, is the European equivalent of a crepe.
This particular version, it is cooked on a hot cast-iron surface.
Constantinople
In Constantinople, during my long-awaited travels, I found it in Ortakoy. In the neighborhood, under the first bridge. It was being cooked on a cut barrel that was fixed over a wood fire!!!
Back then, in 1996, it has now become an attraction. The sachets work with gas, like the one in Cocona with handmade pies and gyozleme.
The ingredients are very simple, a dough made with flour, water, and salt, and the filling is a little spinach and rare cheese.
Unfortunately, at that time, my wife “forbade” me to eat street food, lest I get poisoned…
Absolutely the best local street food!!!
Giozlemes requires companionship, beer, patience, and conversation.
It must be baked, dried, the cheeses must melt, and the pastourma must leave its aromatic flavors in the dough.
Let the aromas spill out everywhere, taking to the streets like a call…
And when it arrives in front of you…
I cannot describe in words the pleasure, the hidden glances of satisfaction.
The “wow”s, the “oh my God”s that were heard with every bite…
I took one last one, wrapped in my hand, for a photo shoot, of course, with pastirma and kasseri cheese.
Politiko, so that bad thoughts would go away, I would relax in the city, drink my last beer, and say goodbye to you…
Cocona
Stop by Cocona at 10 Milioni Street.
I won’t give you the number; just follow your nose, try it, and enjoy the ultimate street food experience!
Cocona
10 Milioni str. Kolonaki
Tel. 2103646563
Follow us and Subscribe at Tastelocalgreece on YouTube and discover all our excursions
Watch the video we made for you. Get a more complete view of this wonderful monument, still unknown to many.
At #TasteLocalGreece, we taste and promote all our favorite hangouts.
The local products we discover, the places we visit, and those that fit our philosophy.
The taverns we discover in our culinary quests. Our articles have no commercial benefit. Often, the restaurants we visit are unaware that we will be mentioning them.
They are all our personal experiences, and we share them with you.
We strive to highlight forgotten flavors, authenticity, and simplicity that have been lost from our lives.
The information we provide is based on the period when we visited the place.
Text and photos by GiorgioGrigor
