Sabrina is Chinese . Mrs. Anna is not. She is Greek and lives in the island of Hydra.

 

 Sabrina is the daughter of the most famous singer of China. Mrs. Anna makes the famous traditional almond sweets (a sort of macaroons) of Hydra.

 I accompanied recently Sabrina and her family in a very interesting trip to Hydra island.

There Sabrina wanted to do a special and unusual gift; to make traditional Hydra macaroons with Ms. Anna and to offer them to her parents.

 

 

 

 

Mrs. Anna’s workshop is located at the back of the Tsangaris pastry shop, just a few meters away from the so picturesque port of Hydra.

 82 years old Mrs. Anna prepared with a warm smile small knolls of purified almond paste. Sabrina was following exactly the procedure. We were taking pictures.

Traditional Hydra macaroons are of two types; roasted and boiled. At first the almond paste (made from almonds ground in the mince machine) is kneaded with semolina and rosewater into pear- shaped pastries which are baked then in the oven (roasted macaroons). Then the macaroons are sprinkled with powdered sugar. In the boiled version of the traditional macaroons the almond dough is boiled in stew pot with rose water. After that it is spread at wide pans to cool down. Then it is sprinkled with powdered sugar and cut into small square bites.

 

 

 

 

 With confidence of 50 years to work Mrs. Anna creates small tasty diamonds. Sabrina attempts to do the same. Her own sweets are a little weird… We all laugh, soiled with powdered sugar. The smell of the delicious bitter almond is spread everywhere.

 

 

 

 

Mrs. Anna sends us a big smile when we are done. We try the superb macaroons of Hydra. They are the most famous sweets among the coastal and island villages of the Saronic Gulf and Myrtoon Sea . This is because, in the old times, sailors used to take those macaroons when travelling at the sea, as those sweets withstood time (they do not contain milk or butter or eggs to be spoiled).

 

 

 

 

We go down the old path to the port.  Sabrina has put jazz music  – Blossom Dearie for accuracy – at her smartphone. I think this music fits perfectly with this June afternoon in the port of Hydra. Sabrina lives in New York City, she is studying  film making  and she adores  Woody Allen.

Jazz, Hydra and bitter almond. Somewhat like this a movie can start I guess…

 

 

 

 

 

 

Where am I ?

 

In Hydra , in one of the most beautiful Greek islands. It is located very near the coast of the Peloponnesus, at the Saronic Gulf, and the fastest way to come here is by the modern high-speed boats from Piraeus port. The nicest way though  is to drive by car to Metohi (a small port located on the coast of the Peloponnesus, close to Ermioni coastal town) and then get to Hydra island by boat (do not forget that in Hydra island there are no roads or cars!). The Tsangaris pastry shop is located near the central market, at Economou street.