Bakers in Peristeri, suburb of western Athens, created the largest New Year’s cake, Vasilopita: 78 meter long, 9 tons heavy and with 200 lucky coins!
in a unique event, the Guild of Bakers of Athens, Suburbs & Surroundings (SAAPP) and the Municipality of Peristeri, created the biggest Vasilopita in the Greece that broke all previous records.
On December 29 in the dawn, the giant Vassilopita was installed in the Town Hall Square next to Metro station for the joy of thousands of local residents and visitors who came for the event from all Attica.
citizens.
The New Year’s cake was cut in over 65,000 pieces and contained 200 lucky coins corresponding to New Year’s gifts as the tradition dictates.
The cake was made by dozens of artisan bakeries (NEIGHBORHOOD BAKERIES) with the assistance of the students of the School of Baking – Confectionery of Galatsi suburb.
The ingredients used to create the giant cake were reportedly: 5,500 kg flour, 1,700 kg sunflower oil, 500 kg sugar, 520 kg powder sugar, 5,000 eggs, 30 kg orange zest, 75 Lt cognac, 70 kg ground cinnamon.
Basil-pie’ or ‘Vassilis pie’ is a New Year’s Day bread, cake or pie in Greece which contains a hidden coin or trinket which gives good luck to the receiver.
The custom is associated with Saint Basil’s day, on January 1, in most of parts of Greece, especially among Greeks with Asian Minor origins who would cut the cake on January 1 in the morning.
Vasilopita is made of a variety of dough, depending on regional and family tradition, including tsoureki bread with yeast or a simple cake with spices that is ready in much shorter time.
For my late mum, Vasilopita with tsoureki dough was an unquestionable must, even if she had to wake up at 4 in the morning to prepare the dough for several cakes on the New year’s Eve. She would then let it rise in warm environment -normally covered with several blankets – , kneed it again and place it round trays, brush it with egg, sprinkle with almonds and let it rise again and then bake it. The whole procedure would take some 10 hours I suspect.
As we were seven persons in the family, 5 adults and 2 kids, one Vasilopita would “disappear” already on New Year morning and the family loved to eat this delicious, fluffy and chewy cake until after the Epiphany.
I wonder how many countries in the world have a tradition of serving some sort of sweet treat containing a coin around this time of year? Perhaps your varied readership could tell us?
In the UK it is Christmas Pudding, also known as Figgy Pudding, containing a silver sixpence. It is a rather heavy, stodgy steamed pudding traditionally served after the massive roast Christmas dinner, which is absolutely crazy when you think about it.
Whoever gets the coin gets the luck for the coming year.