Our favourite Easter sweet is undoubtedly tsoureki. Although we may find it all year round in Athens, it has its place of honour during Easter.
Kneading and baking tsourekia takes time and is a difficult art to perfect. Few people have the will and patience to make homemade tsourekia.
Fortunately, however, in the Greek capital, many professionals, confectioners and bakers prepare excellent tsourekia in classic and alternative versions, offering us many different delicious options.
Maxim
The reputation of the tsourekia made by Maxim in Nea Smyrni is famous throughout Attica. Fanatics drive from one end of Athens to the other to get this heavenly tsoureki.
It is not only the excellent-quality ingredients like the butter but also because of the careful attention at every stage of production.
He is perhaps the last romantic master of the traditional pastry art who grinds mahleb so that he has absolute control not only of quality but also of taste, and I confirm this because I was lucky enough to see it with my own eyes.
23 Tsakiroglou, tel.: 210 9324 603
Pnyka
Pnyka's tsourekia is guaranteed to please people. They have loyal fans waiting for Easter to come and enjoy them.
The secrets to their irresistibility are the pure ingredients and the traditional recipe that has remained the same and irresistible for over 40 years.
Try the ones with couverture; they are just as good.
Petraki 24, Syntagma, tel.: 210 3245 162
Holly llama
What should I choose first from Holly llama? Their mahleb and mastic tsoureki are garnished with organic almonds. How about a chestnut with white chocolate?
I will take all of them and diet after Easter!
23 Nikis, Athens, tel.: 210 3318 913
La Maison
The pastry chef Thanasis Tsagliotis has his roots in Constantinople.
His tsourekia are charmingly chewy, balanced, sweet, and fluffy because they ferment for a long time.
147 Demosthenous, Kallithea, tel. 216 7006 518
Ta Gioulia
Wherever you live in Athens, it is worth walking in Nea Ionia—classic Constantinople-style tsoureki, made with the recipe of grandfather Vangelis, with fresh and pure ingredients.
And for children who love chocolate—or those who are children at heart—there is the tsoureki stuffed with hazelnut praline, which is hard to resist!
The good news is that if you can't be in one of their three stores in Nea Ionia, you can also order by phone.
74 Alekou Panagouli, Nea Ionia, 210 27 98 351
Cosmic bros
The Kosmidis brothers, who have fanatical customers from the surrounding neighbourhoods and beyond, make one of the most delicious and well-leavened tsourekia I've tried all year round.
Fluffy and slightly chewy, with just enough moisture to make the dough addictively irresistible.
Evgenios Kosmidis, introduced to the art of baking when he was 13 years old, believes the secret lies in every little detail.
Enjoy it with coffee at the outdoor tables and take 2-3 more (or more) for friends or home for endless sweet indulgences.
Attikis 19, Vrilissia, tel. 21 0689 9081
Pelit
This pastry shop serves the original Constantinople-style tsoureki every Easter. It is airy, cloud-like, and extremely fluffy, with mahleb, mastic and milk butter.
With the classic red egg in the middle and plenty of almonds on top, it's always fresh and sells like crazy. It lasts for days but is hard to resist, so if you get it early, you'll definitely return for another.
9 Rodou & Miltiadou, Maroussi, tel.: 210 8068 696
Antonis Selekos
Most of you probably know and have tried the panettone of pastry chef Antonis Selekos. However, this young man also loves to make tsourekia all year round.
The pistachio one is richly filled with pistachio cream and praline, while the hazelnut cream and caramelised hazelnuts are divine.
2 Erifulis, Pagrati, tel. 210 7248 888
Emmanuel
It may be famous for its French pastry sweets, but Manolis Papachristos, its owner and head pastry chef, also knows how to make a very good tsoureki.
We find it in one version, the classic, with balanced aromas of mahleb and mastic and a very nice texture, with enough moisture to enjoy it fluffy and fragrant.
This year, too, I will visit it for the tsoureki that we will eat at home and for what I want to donate. It is now located in a new and very elegant space, right opposite its old one, very close to the electricity station in Marousi.
16 Perikleous, Marousi, tel. 213 0335 533.
Kora
This tsoureki is fluffy and delicious, with a rich aroma of mastic and mahleb. It is made in a new-age bakery in Kolonaki.
It is ideal for dipping in cold milk and making French toast, savoury or sweet since it does not contain much sugar.
44 Panagiotou Anagnostopoulou, Kolonaki, tel. 210 3627 855.
By Vassilis Dimaras, Niki-Maria Koskina, Gianna Balafouti, Zoe Papafotiou, Evi Sklatiniotis, Evi Tsiropoulou, Loukia Chrysovitsanou for Cantina. Translated by Paul Antonopoulos.
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