‘What goes around, comes around’ is a well-known adage and rarely is it better demonstrated than in the Mediterranean with its frequent interchange of people and cultures – especially when it comes to food. And never more so when it comes to a delicious pastry dish called Bougatsa. In Chania there is a Bougatsa bakery named after the owner, Iordanis, who is widely acclaimed as the best Bougatsa exponent on the island (and Adonis would claim the world – he’s a big fan). It’s over 100 years old and has a very interesting history dating back to a Greek community in Asia Minor, near Cappadocia, where the recipe is believed to have originated.

For centuries there was a significant population of Greeks living around Cappadocia, who became increasingly persecuted for their Christian beliefs by locals. Many took shelter in cities carved into the rock, living as ‘troglodytes’. But in the early 1920s the entire community was forced to leave in what became a mass population exchange between Turkey and Greece. Cappadocia’s loss however became Chania’s gain when Iordanis’ great grandfather relocated here and bought a bakery from a Cretan Muslim who was having to move in the other direction.

The bakery opened its doors in 1922 cooking a speciality the new proprietor had brought with him – Bougatsa. It’s essentially a filo-pastry pie that traditionally can be ‘stuffed’ with a range of fillings. Every local Bougatsa maker throughout Greece has their own ‘secret’ recipe. Elsewhere in Greece you find savoury fillings. The Bougatsa in the Heraklion area is normally filled with cream and is a dish that is eaten for breakfast or a mid-morning snack. Here at the Mistral we sometimes serve it after dinner, as a dessert.

The secret of Iordanis’ success is two-fold. Firstly the pastry is hand-made using local flour and olive oil. Technically the name Bougatsa doesn’t refer to the dish itself, but the technique used to work the filo dough that has been passed down through the generations. But the thing that really makes the difference is that Iordanis uses local mizithra cheese for the filling. It’s totally yummy and extremely ‘more-ish’.

Chaniots (as the people from Chania are known) call at the store, just a few steps away from the Municipal Market, to eat this delicious, delightful delicacy from 6 in the morning – some on their way to work and some, in the summer, on the way home after a big night out. They bake a new batch every 30 minutes or so. It’s become something of a famous institution – if you’re in Chania make sure you try it out. The coffee is really good into the bargain.