bougátsa

A flaky phýllo pastry filled with either custard, soft cheese, greens or meat. The word comes the Latin panis focacius by way of the Byzantine πογάτσα (pogatsa).

Bougátsa is extremely popular for breakfast or snack in Thessaloníki and Macedonia and especially in Sérres, which claims to have invented them and where local bakers hold the world record for making the biggest handmade bougátsa (20m long, on June, 2008).

Look for specialist bougatsádiko (μπουγατσάδικο) where they sell it by slices from big trays that are then chopped into squares. The sweet custard ones come with a sprinkle of powdered sugar and/or cinnamon.