Bougatsa History
Bougatsa comes from the geographical area of Byzantium. More specifically, it seems to have come from Constantinople when it was still Greek, that is, before 1453 and the fall of the “City” in the hands of the Turks. It is known that in Byzantium there was a great tradition in pastry sweets, but also in pies. One form of these famous traditional pies of Byzantium is the bougatsa. Bougatsa is a phyllo pastry made of flour, softened butter and oil which requires a great deal of skill to prepare.
`` This pie is made and enjoyed all around Greece, but particularly famous are those made in northern Greece, especially in Thessaloniki and Serres. ``
Similar pies are traditional in many eastern Balkan countries that were formerly part of the Ottoman Empire. The tradition of bougatsa-making really took off throughout Greece in the early 1920s with the arrival of Greek refugees from Asia Minor and Cappadocia who brought with them centuries-old pie baking traditions. Rather than individual portions, the northern Greek recipe calls for a larger pie which is cut into pieces and sold by the kilo. The traditional recipe can be savoury, filled with cheese, or sweet filled with semolina custard, then topped with cinnamon and powdered sugar. Other common savoury versions are filled with spinach, with spinach and cheese and with minced meat (usually a mix of beef and pork or beef and lamb).