The European Bread Museum was founded in 2005, in order to proudly present to the public a many years lasting collectable project. An old mansion in Varnavas was turned into the Museum of Bread. The Museum displays over 3000 items of embroidered bread, from Greece and 50 other countries.
My most recent visit to Athens came in 2022, and while I’d like to say that if I’d known about the European Bread Museum (at Fb; photo credit) at the time, we’d have gone, but the location is obscure (north of the city). We’d probably have needed a car, something I’ve largely avoided abroad. A taxi? Maybe, although for the same money one might dine well within walking distance of the domicile – with retsina, or maybe a Fixx.
Here is the back story about what we missed. I’m not ruling it out as a destination during a future visit.
The Beautiful Art of Greece’s ‘Embroidered’ Bread, by Yana Frigelis (Gastro Obscura)
Four years ago, I traded in the Midwest for sunny Athens. My wedding there last summer inspired me to learn more about my own cultural traditions, many of which didn’t come on the cross-Atlantic trip with my family when they emigrated. One day, I stumbled across the picture of an elaborately decorated loaf of bread at a Greek church ceremony. That photo was my first introduction to the embroidered breads of Greece.
These loaves are often called ploumisto psomi or kentito psomi, meaning “colorful” or “embroidered” in Greek. Each loaf has an ornate scene appliqued to the crust, with knobs and whorls of dough forming meaningful images. Little did I know that this long-standing tradition was being preserved in a small village right outside of Athens, inside a museum featuring intricately woven breads of all shapes and sizes.
The European Bread Museum, established in 2005 by the Varnavas Folklore Society and housed in the Varnavas Folk Museum, features over 3,000 preserved breads from 50 countries. This unexpected museum seeks to honor the significance of bread within traditional Greek culture, but also the artistry of Greek bread itself.
Previously, Greek food at “Edibles & Potables.”
Edibles & Potables: How Greek patriotism revolutionized moussaka
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“Edibles & Potables” is Food & Dining Magazine’s Sunday slot for news and views that range beyond our customary metropolitan Louisville coverage area, as intended to be food (and drink) for thought.
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