d e d e- ld t- p, ur e lf- rn o- o- e is ts d nt is e is- a- as so s ... - Economia

• Marika Yannoukou,
subsequently
Mitsotaki, with
her father –a true
gentleman, by
common agreement.
Grandmother Nonika’s kitchen
M
arika Yannoukou, subsequently
Mitsotaki, was born in
the inter-war period to one
of the most privileged Athenian families,
who –as later events were to prove–
was fortunate enough not to have other
children. Her maternal grandfather
was the well-known industrialist and
formidable entrepreneur Zavoyannis.
Also involved in politics as a member of
parliament for the party that supported
Eleftherios Venizelos –the charismatic
statesman and builder of modern
Greece in the early 20th century– her
grandfather represented the district of
Piraeus from which he hailed.
When it was time to marry, he chose
a sweet and –by all accounts– beautiful
young woman from the island of Hydra
to be his bride. In her fervor to present
him with the much-needed son, she
gave birth to twelve girls, of which only
four survived into maturity. In the end,
following subsequent losses, of this
large family and its descendants only
one daughter, Marika, was left. As the
only remaining child, she was doted
upon by her parents and all family relatives
and especially her mother’s sisters.
Marika Mitsotaki becomes emotional
when speaking of her parents.
“They were extraordinary people. My
father was a true bon vivant, a remarkable
man! My mother, Dora, was a terrific
homemaker, always making sure
that everything was in perfect order… I
remember, for instance, that she insisted
that I use the pink clothes hanger for
my pink dress, the blue one for the blue
dress and so on. She was also a fantastic
cook and I made a point of watching
her in action –I loved to see how she
combined ingredients to come up with
wonderful flavors… But I also observed
what my parents ordered when we travelled,
I wanted to know and try new
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