The Intangible Cultural Heritage of Proti and the wider area of Mount Pangeos.
"We live in the footsteps of our ancestors and are surrounded by evidence of their presence, life and action." On this phrase we can also include social practices, rituals and celebrations (popular events, customs in the cycle of time, important private milestones in a person's life).
Food is associated with all of the above key moments of human life and is often used as a medium to convey cultural messages. The various celebratory events, topped with communal dining and banquets, make evident the importance of food in social relations.
The Pangeo cuisine was shaped by the customs and habits of its inhabitants, enriched with elements and influences of a strong local tradition. A characteristic feature of the experiencer of Proti is to revel in his joys, to enjoy the fruits of his labor by eating and drinking with his relatives and friends and sometimes to coexist with the joy and sorrow of life.
In line with the above, every manifestation of primitive life or tradition is inextricably linked to the Pangeo table. In birth, in baptism, in the joy of marriage and in the sorrow of death, the manners and customs of the cycle of life are intertwined with the Mediterranean diet and above all with the handmade village organic spinach pie. Since long ago, the handmade spinach pita has been the chosen specialty of our village, as well as of the other villages of Pangeo.
The characteristic of the pangeo pie is that baked on both sides. The process of making the Pangeo hand-made gyros pie is a rite of passage for the housewife. He prepares the dough using flour, water, oil and salt. It opens leaves with the plaster on the plaster (wooden round vessel), sheets that are made very thin in thickness to become crispy when baked. Placing the two opened leaves on the bottom side, the vegetable filling follows before placing the other two leaves on the top side.
Baking the pie becomes tastier and crispier when the baking pan is baking pan (large round about 80cm) and the fire in which the pie is baked is a wood stove or gas. Roasting is done on low heat, shaking and turning the pan around to cook evenly.
Only when it is cooked on one side, we turn it on the baking sheet and on the other side, so that it is finished cooking and it is offered for serving.
The pangeo pie is a special and delicious dish, which the inhabitants of Proti have the custom to offer to their guests, spread over every special family celebration and gathering.
Text - Research - Recording - Photos
Tsifoutis A. Christos
President of the "Hayati Ladia" Folklore Museum of Proti Serres.