The craftsman skillfully opens the sheet, puts one on top of the other and in between places the filling - salty or sweet, to make the bougatsa. This is the traditional way of preparing this special dish, which ranks high in the preferences of tourists, and Greeks alike, for their morning meal.
But when the bougatsa becomes ... ice cream, the method of preparation changes, and the only common element is the taste that takes off even the most demanding palate!
The bougatsa flavour in ice cream came about by chance for a Thessalonian who runs an ice cream shop in the centre of the city and, as he says, it may only be a few months since it debuted, but it is already a hit with Greek and foreign tourists.
"We started in the winter to make pastries with creams and pralines. We made the amount we wanted and there was a small bucket of bougatsa cream left over," explained Stelios Ribas to 104.9 FM.
"I was thinking about what to do with it, how to use it so that the delicious cream doesn't go to waste, and the idea came to me - even though it was the middle of December, to make ice cream! The test happened and ... succeeded," he added.
The creators of the ice cream bougatsa did many tests and changes to reach its current final form. The look and taste are very close to the favourite morning habit and those who have tried the ice cream do not stop at one.
"The ice cream has the golden yellow colour of the bougatsa cream and its special taste. Before serving, we also dip it in the glaze, add powdered sugar and sprinkle it with cinnamon, just like in the warm one with the phyllo," explained Ribas.
In the window of the shop the word bougatsa - a word recognisable even by foreign tourists - attracts the attention and interest of local and foreign visitors. Especially the Germans and the Chinese are the ones who have it as their first choice for dessert since they are familiar with the taste.
For the sake of convenience, however, Ribas is thinking of placing regular bougatsa next to his product so that even the least informed know what it is about and the hot and frozen bougatsas can be side by side!
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