Greek folk pie is the combination of the Greek traditional way of life and pure, fresh ingredients gathered from the rich Hellenic environment. It was inspired to cover the daily nutritional needs of the people that lived and worked in the harsh and altered countryside. Folk pie can be consumed as a snack during the day, as a complement to the main meal or even as the main meal itself. This is achieved using a filling wrapped into a rolled and stretched filo puff pastry. The variation of ingredients used for this filling provides different flavours and types of pie (spinach, cheese, meat, and more). The rolling and stretching of the dough into a large, thin and single sheet, was achieved with a long rolling pin and requires skilled hands to accomplish. Over the centuries with influences from Byzantium, the Bougatsa pie came to be. A sweet, rather than salty filling, is wrapped into filo puff pastry and stretched in the air using bare hands as opposed to a rolling pin. To this day the variety of unique flavours, as well as the nutritional benefits that both folk pie and Bougatsa Pie provide, are enough to satisfy the most demanding audience and make a substantial contribution to a balanced daily diet.
