Stroll through Athinas Market with Chef Nikos Karathanos

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Nikos Karathanos ©Nikos Karanikolas

Nikos Karathanos grew up in the working-class neighbourhood of Neo Irakleio, with no exposure to fine dining or molecular gastronomy. What he did have going for him was his brash ambition to excel in the world of haute gastronomy – on his own terms. He works with the top names in Greek gastronomy – Michelin chefs Lefteris Lazarou and Jerome Serres, from whom he learnt valuable lessons- and with Apostolos Trastelis, the enterprising spirit behind bastions of fine dining in Greece, Spondi, Hytra and Fuga. Nikos learnt quickly, and before long, bagged two Michelin stars, becoming the youngest-ever Greek chef to do so. After his stints at Hytra, Galazia Hytra and Cookoovaya, Nikos Karathanos is currently the creative inspiration at Ateno.

I felt the need to leave behind the the safety of the kitchens that brought me my stars and awards to re-discover cuisine as it should be – with quality raw materials that show off a dish more than complicated processes do. Attitudes are changing towards food, as are portions. Dishes are becoming more intimate, but no less thoughtful.

I prefer being called a cook, rather than a chef, I am not dazzled by frilly, foamy cuisine. I’m all for comfort food, of refining my grandmother’s recipes from her childhood in Constantinople, and to deconstruct menus to their most elemental form.

Little wonder then that his footsteps unerringly lead him to the vibrant, colourful Athens’ central market, with its tangle of smells, sounds and faces that remind him of “my childhood and memories of Athens as it used to be – before the advent of supermarkets, fast food and cafeterias.” Which international chef does he most resemble? “When I was younger, I was in awe of Ferran Adria and Gordon Ramsay, but temperamentally, I identify more with Jamie Oliver’s accessible, boy-next-door approach to food. I like getting my hands dirty, sharing my love for food, rather than making it seem like an esoteric art.” Nikos’ cuisine has always shown a bias to vegetables and legumes too, “long before it became a fad.”

Greece is fortunate to have sun-kissed vegetables that lend it a naturally rich flavour. Add to that the different terroirs – from volcanic soil to mountainous regions and coastal areas – and the flavour palette is that much richer. Our culinary history is testimony to the abundance of vegetables, bulbs and roots in our diet.

#ON FISH & FRIENDSHIPS

As we wind through the Central Market, Nikos pauses to catch up with his go-to fishmonger. “It is the human aspect of looking for produce at the Central Market that explains my love of this part of town. You learn so much just chatting with people passionate about food and you make lasting friendships too, in the bargain.”

#SUGAR N SPICE AND ALL THINGS NICE

At Elixir, the smells of a Greek hillside comes alive. Sea sponges vie for room with spice jars, pastourma strings dangle from the ceiling, oregano bouquets overwhelm with their pungent aroma, wicker baskets hark back to a time long gone.

Whatever my initial mood, once I have wended my way in and out of this vibrant neighbourhood – revelling in the vigorous atmosphere, the incessant movement and the babble of many tongues – I always come home feeling lighter than I did upon setting out.

#MEATY ENCOUNTERS

The butcher at Pirlibos at the Central Market, whom Nikos has been visiting since he was 16, stocks “the best Greek beef from Karditsa and Corinth, organic beef from Naxos and pork from Chalkida. And he stocks the best jokes too!” “What I love about Athinas is that the shops follow a pattern handed down through time, coming in groupings selling similar wares: the modern-day version of pre-Independence esnafia or sinafia, the guilds of blacksmiths, tanners and leather-workers, or grocers that made up the social fabric of merchant Athens,” enthuses Karathanos. The tailors have transformed into shops selling clothes and workmen’s garb, the blacksmiths have turned into ironmongers, the tanners and leather workers have joined ranks and become outlets for sandals, shoes or other leather goods, the grocers continue being grocers – and the meat, fish vegetable and fruit markets have also joined the dance, though further along the street towards Omonia Square.

“This continues to be a true neighbourhood, where people still pass the time of day and take those few seconds to greet you with a smile and a word before serving you. Here, time flows at a pace slow enough to allow human relations to be established and grow from one visit to the next and money is not all that counts.

Doorways framed by a collection of brushes, scissors and coat-hangers, steps blocked by shallow baskets holding washers, plugs and an assortment of tools, flyswats, doormats and shoelaces. It is chaotic, colourful and everything Athinas is about!

A BIT OF HISTORY:
Named after the ancient city’s patron goddess, Athinas joins what in the young Greek capital of the 19th century were its two vital hubs: the squares of Monastiraki (little monastery), representing the centre of the hamlet that Athens was reduced to under Byzantium and then Ottoman rule, and Omonia (concord), conceived as the new seat of power (though, in the end, the royal palace was built just above Syntagma and is today’s House of Parliament). The Varvakeios Agora, built between 1877 and 1886 by architect Ioannis Koumelis and an example of the work of first generation of Greek architects – who followed in the footsteps of the Bavarian Ernst Ziller and the Danish Hansen brothers responsible for introducing the neoclassical style to Athens. Named after caviar merchant Ioannis Varvakis, it was excavation work on the Central Market that revealed the Roman Agora. The meat and fish markets, with raucous vendors, competing for the attention of the daily throng of shoppers, are the busiest section of the market.