Thessaloniki is Greece’s second largest city, a city with a rich history that is of great interest to historians, archaeologists, ethnologists and, of course, tourists!
Thessaloniki’s range in terms of gastronomy is enormous as the city is located at the crossroads between East and West, but also as it was the Byzantine Empire’s second largest city in the Balkans after Constantinople. It is a city that included many different ethnicities and communities such as Greeks, people from Asia Minor, from Constantinople, Jews, Franks, people from Byzantium, Turks, and Pontic Greeks. Each people are special, with their own traditional recipes that over time brought together and created Thessaloniki’s food culture!
Its cultural diversity and its gastronomical tradition have distinguished the city worldwide as a gastronomic capital in UNESCO’s creative cities network. Such an award strengthens the city’s creativity both in terms of science and research in gastronomy.
Some of the most famous foods in Thessaloniki are its pretzel, the bougatsa (Greek phyllo dough pie) in both its salty and sweet variety, cream-filled triangles of crispy dough filled with cream or chocolate and the syrup-soaked pastries.
Thessaloniki is a vibrant city that can offer you delicacies around the clock. Delicacies fitting for everyone’s preferences, as there are many choices both in terms of meat and seafood dishes. Among the most famous markets where you can shop are in Modiano and Kapani. Famous dishes that one must absolutely taste are lamb or beef tripe, the souvlaki (Greek barbecue skewers), pork loin and meatballs from Smyrna (soutzoukakia)!
