Market Stall · Sesame Honey Bar
Pasteli
Photo: ChristosV / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 3.0
It's one of the oldest known Greek sweets still eaten today — sesame-and-honey bars like it appear in ancient Greek writing, long before the Peloponnese's sesame and honey became its defining regional export.
Toasted sesame seeds are bound together with heated honey, poured flat and cut into bars or rounds once set, sometimes with almonds or orange zest mixed in. Sold from market carts and roadside stands across the Peloponnese, especially around Kalamata.
Why it's made this way: The Peloponnese has long produced both quality honey and sesame, and pressing the two together made a durable, energy-dense snack that needed no refrigeration — practical for market vendors and travelers alike.
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Part of World of Street Food — 690 dishes from 118 countries.
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