ARTE Distribution

The Kapani market is situated just behind the Aristotelous square of the city of Thessaloniki, facing the Aegean Sea. Exploring this market is exploring the city and its history: a tasteful mix of Sephardic, Balkan, Turkish and Greek delights.

All can be found in the intricate streets of the market or tasted at the many cafés and tavernas operating there daily. Harilaos has a stall with 1800 products: dried fruit, peanuts, herbs and spices coming from all over the region He knows where they come from and who makes them, like the pasteli, the most ancient of all energy bars. Stavros buys the sesame from the farmers up north and roasts the seeds adding his own honey: the result is a tasty slab which was already known in Ancient Greece. The city was once called the ‘Jerusalem of the Balkans’. Now known for its food and gastronomy, the rich Macedonian farmland is behind the city.  
 At the Kapani market one can see the butchers chopping their meet in front of their stalls while the fishmongers clean their fish on the other side of the lane. In the early morning Michalis goes to the fish auction for the catch of the day. Even though overfishing has taken its toll, there is still a great variety of fish in the Aegean sea and Michalis negotiates the best buy. At the stall he has to win his customers with an attractive stall, his abilities in preparing the fish and calling out to those passing by. Euripides instead follows the daily flow from his café-taverna. Initially, he prepares his Greek coffee for the elderly clients coming for their morning chat and those selling at the market.  Then he prepares the Meze, the bite the Greeks have for lunch or before dinner.