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Every day on the Greek island of Karpathos, in the mountain village of Menetes, a small bakery is churning out hundreds of psilokouloura, intricate sesame bread rings shaped entirely by hand. Behind the crunchy rings are Koula and her team of bakers and friends, who have been shaping dough in this exact spot for over 20 years. Each one is baked twice to achieve its signature snap and long-lasting crunch. In this video, I visit the bakery to see how psilokouloura and other traditional breads and pastries are made.
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00:00 Welcome to Koula’s bakery
01:50 Why psilokouloura have intricate shapes
03:24 Koula’s signature herbs and spices for psilokouloura
06:05 Shaping psilokouloura is harder than it looks
07:53 Psilokouloura are baked twice for that signature crunch
09:31 Koula’s story
10:37 The uncertain future of the bakery in Menetes
11:45 More traditional breads and pastries: zimbilia, galatenia, striftalia, and more
15:35 The crunch of psilokouloura is louder than the meltemi winds
This video is a food documentary part of my traditional food stories series. Subscribe to my channel if you love food and travel
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#greece #bread #food #traditionalfood #cooking #foodvideo #foodie
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I’m a journalist and producer with over 10 years of experience covering traditional dishes, food culture, and culinary craftsmanship. Originally from Bari, Italy, and now in London, I’ve built my career exploring how food reflects the identity of people and places. On this channel, I document iconic foods, meet local producers and artisans, and explore the relationship between land, culture, and cuisine. Previously, my work featured on Business Insider’s Regional Eats, So Expensive, and Food Tours.
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All footage, interviews, and original content in this video are protected by copyright and may not be reproduced, redistributed, or used in any form without prior written permission. Unauthorized use, including but not limited to reuploads, edits, or incorporation into other works, may result in legal action. This channel is dedicated to self-funded independent journalism. For licensing inquiries, please contact: hello@claudiaromeo.com
29 Comments
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Anzac biscuits
they are greek, they use fenugreek 😀
Where and how do you find these wonderful places!
I love that places and products like this survive and still thrive here in Europe. It speaks of something magical here that, I believe, has been lost in my home country of Canada. People here support their neighbors and traditional products as opposed to cookie cutter, artificial, industrial products from impersonal multinationals.
As a hobby baker who loves to travel, I now have a new form of bread to try making and new destination added to my "Places Claudia has visited that I now want to visit also" map.
Great work and keep them coming!
I would crush those like I once I crushed pretzels at the mall. 😋
This video is so heartwarming ❤ thank you
Claudia, your show is absolutely amazing, you're such a great host. You ask very good questions, always with a dash of humor, while never taking the spotlight off of your interviewee. That is talent!
Roberto, your passion for pesto is mesmerizing. Not a single note of pedantry or condescension in your explanations, rich with the history of the ingredients and the art of making pesto. It was an absolute pleasure to hear listen to you!
And to the rest of the team who made this episode possible, amazing work! From the camera work to the music, everything was amazing! Thank you 🙂
another amazing video! i especially appreciate the way in which you ask questions, it’s very natural and very productive in allowing for extra information to be provided. your knowledge and passion shine through not only in the quality of your footage and editing, but also in how you interact with the artisans you interview & how you treat their creations. thank you so much for your hard work!!
I am Mexican American living in San Antonio Texas. My favorite breads, sweets and 'biscuits' are Mexican. One item that we have in common with Italy is Wedding Cookies, the balls of dough baked and then rolled in powdered sugar. Yum, yum.
Favorite biscuit…. Hmm, probably kolaches from Lagrange, TX, USA.
❤
Too many favorites!
Beautiful, as always! I wish I could go work for them, I would gladly live in a Greek village, help make breads, and not freeze all winter 😂
Is it possible that the design might be a christogram (Chi-Rho or ☧) the center represent the Chi and the the rims represent the Rho
Wow that looks totally delicious!
I've baked sourdough bread with 'kalonji' (nigella sativa seeds) and dill seeds in the dough, and sesame on the outside in the past and that was amazing! I would love to try psilokoloura one day!
Since you asked, I think my favorite biscuit (we'd usually call it a 'cracker' over here in Australia) is probably 'Sesame Wheat' from a company called 'Arnotts' – not an artisan product or anything (and no herbs/spices) but at least it has toasted sesame-seeds! Great cracker for dips or cheese if you're ever in Aus for sure!
My fav is kuih Kapit from Malaysia 🤤
Nice video but I wonder why the grannies don't look directly at the camera 😅
I love your videos, Claudia since I saw you with Food Insider. Keep up the good work. Your beauty reminds me of ancient Rome, maybe it's just me, but you're surely beautiful.
Nice but could we have a spelling of the places …on the start page
Most of the Greeks have never been to Karpathos including me so thank you for showing this incredibly original and beautiful part of Greece
Another amazing local treat!
Ooooh💘Karpathos !!!
Was there +20 yrs ago, in Lefkos❤️
They made some round bread with olives or Feta😲😋😋
I ate those olive ones all day!
So great for breakfast😋
Lefkos is a small town, with 3 different beaches, the lagune in the middle is perfect for snorkling !
Have been on several greek Islands(5) and Karpathos was the best💯
I love this
Grandmother with the needlepoint immediately made me feel at home in this video. Amazing.
I'm Greek Thracian grown and raised in Greece and living abroad and i've never seen this kuluri pattern before, amazing how many things has hidden.
Ι would eat this crispy kuluri with Greek coffee.
Moving to Paris from Kerala this fall! Hoping to meet you someday!💖💖
Ahhh. Funnily, it was the warm wind looking down at the view that evoked the strongest memories. Wonderful
Those look like fancy crackers. They’d make such a great snack.
Love the design of the bread