Vlahiki Gastra: The taverna with the unique oven where meat and pita are slow baked

A family and a centuries-old culinary story. Petros Goulas's family arrived in Rodopolis in Eastern Attica from Agrafa a century ago. His grandfather, Tasos Goulas, opened a taverna, continuing the ancestral tradition of the Vlachs: grilling in a gastra (Dutch oven).

When they say gastra, they do not mean the clay or cast iron we use in our homes. This gastra has a domed metal lid that covers the pan where the food is slow-cooked.

After the fire is lit, its flame falls, and the coals turn white. The distance of the pan from the heat source depends on what they are baking.

The gastra, the lid that covers the pan, creates a protective dome. Hot ashes and coals are placed on it. In this way, food slow-cooked in the heat of the incandescent dome acquires a very special taste and a slightly smoky aroma.

The meats fall apart, and when they bake pita, its crust becomes crispy without drying out, as would happen in a home oven, which does not circulate air inside.

In this portable oven, which today is a remnant of the life of the Vlachs, they cook the meats (lamb, goats, and calves) procured from the mountain villages of Boeotia and cook them in heavy copper pans and lay vine leaves to prevent the meat from sticking on the bottom.

As explained to us by Xenos Makrakantonis, son-in-law of Mr Goulas and a worthy roaster, depending on the season, they serve kokinisto mutton with orzo, pork with celery root, and goat with potatoes.

At the same time, they also roast lamb, kokoretsi, and much more. Fortunately, he and his wife, Dora, intend to continue the tradition.

Info: 14 Kolokotroni, Rodopoli, Dionysos, tel. 210 6210165

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