Food for Canadian-Themed Party?

I’ve never seen one look like that. Hpe those white spots aren’t mold.

Ooo, never tried that. Thanks for the rec. Sounds like a hit.

They had a ton of different baklavas, all of them of different sizes and shapes. I think these are Burma Kadayif Baklava, but I am not sure the name the Greek bakers use for them since that is their Turkish name. I used to order the little triangular ones by default and started branching out, with pretty good results until those.
You can’t tell from my photo but the baklava is under a glass sneeze guard. They just roll it back and grab a few of them, and then re-cover the rest. The white spots are the overhead LED lights.
The problem is that I am here off season and there are not that many buyers going to the bakery. I think that the ones I got were just a bit past their use by time.

2 Likes

@DaBadger the big round platters of small bite-sized baklava (edit: or kataifi)that look like that are common in Turkey and at some Turkish bakeries in NYC.

1 Like

They fly baklava in from Turkey for one upscale Turkish bakery here in Toronto.

I think a lot of baklava being sold in Greece, Turkey or here, could be a week to a few weeks old.

Were the nuts rancid?

Baklava tends to keep quite a while because of the syrup. I don’t think most baklava will be fresh- baked, or fresh , the way the cakes or breads ideally are baked fresh daily.

The pastry in your photo is called kataifi in Greek. It is a soggier, more syrupy pastry than baklava. I love it but my dining companions don’t. I suspect you might not like kataifi that much.

There’s also another version called Ekmek Kataifi or Ekmek, which has the same syrup soaked shredded Filo and Nut base, topped with a layer of custard and whipped cream on top of that.

This is a pretty good summary of the main types. I don’t know all the Greek names for the various shapes.

2 Likes

The baklava i was not impressed with was not rancid or bad, it just was not very good.
I usually go to Naxos Bakery near Hotel Coronis but this time I went to a Cafe Veneti, which is a bit larger and feels like a chain.
The variety there was pretty impressive. I only have two photos from Naxos Bakery, but i would have needed 10 or 12 to show all the varieties of pastries, breads, sticks and pies at Cafe Veneti.

2 Likes

I hope the baklava in your future is all delicious. Some is definitely a lot better than others. :slightly_smiling_face:

1 Like

https://www.foodgal.com/2022/02/nova-scotia-maple-chicken/

Years ago, I nearly was… adsorbed into a very large Greek family centered in the GTO. One branch owned, wait for it, a Greek restaurant. Any relative anywhere who could get there descended on the closed restaurant for a chaotic reunion. Amazing combination of personalities, tastes, tics, grudges, and backstories. Color in a world of sepia is how I think of it.

2 Likes

It’s amazing how interconnected the Greek restaurant owners are across North America.

My grandparents and their family friends ran restaurants in small towns. They had worked in larger restaurants in big cities when they first arrived to North America. One family friend ran a local soda business. A mail order bride in our family married into that local soda business.

In Toronto, out of my Greek and Macedonian friends, most of their parents ran restaurants, butcher shops, or bars. 2 friends’ parents were resto suppliers. When I would mention I was visiting Regina or Vancouver, a friend would say, check out my cousin’s steakhouse.

Everyone seems to know someone who is connected to Rita Wilson or Nia Vardalos. Haha.

Tons of grudges. Greeks are expert grudge holders, myself included. Could give the Irish a run for their money. Hahaha

3 Likes

My sister calls them Greek Grudges.

2 Likes

Purity cookies from Newfoundland.