Growing up in the Sunshine State, there are a few truths you accept to be universally true: Winter is that three-week period when the temperature dips below 55 degrees (and alsoa prosthetic-taileddolphin who defied the odds and spurred a kids'film franchise), 'Florida Man' isn't some weirdo on the news—it's some weirdo on the news who happens to be your neighbor—and Greek salad is made with a dollop ofpotato salad in the center.
Yes, you read that last part correctly. In Tarpon Springs, FL, a small city about 45 minutes west of Tampa (or roughly two hours from the mecca of Mickey Mouse, Disney World), this twist on aGreek salad has become so popular it's the norm. Technically, though, it wasn't actually invented in Tarpon Springs.
It Started As A Military Meal.
Louis M. Pappamichalopouloscame up with the idea while serving as an army chef in France during World War I, adding a bit of potato salad as the base of a classic Greek salad (filledwithtomatoes, kalamataolives, cucumbers, pepperoncini, andfeta cheese, thendrizzled withan kalamata oliveoil-based vinaigrette) to make the dish a bit more filling for troops.
"My grandfather knew they needed carbohydrates and protein to help sustain them, so he used whatever he could get rations of and made a potato salad, then loaded it up with fresh vegetables on top," says Louis Pappas.
When Pappamichalopoulos—who later shortened his last name to Pappas—moved to Tarpon Springs in 1925, he wound up opening a restaurant called Louis Pappas Riverside Café, adding the dish to the menu after working with servicemen in the area who reminded him of his army days.
Then ItTook on A Life of Its Own.
The creamy, mayonnaise-based potato salad is a mellow contrast to the crisp vegetablesand salty olives and feta, and it soon became the most popular dish at the restaurant, eventually leading to the company's rebranding as Louis Pappas Fresh Greek, trading the one sit-down restaurant for four fast-casualcafés. It also spurred plenty of copycat salads in the area.
"Every once in a while, someone will come in and say, 'Why do you put potato salad in it? That's not a Greek salad like the ones I had in Greece!' and we completely understand. It isn't," saysPappas' grandson, Louis Pappas, who now runs the business. "Usually, though, when they see that this twist on the salad basically built this whole company, they're willing to try it. We'll happily make it without potato salad—or with the potato salad on the side—if they want."
Sure, you could eat it that way, but it'd be like heading to the bayou on Epiphany, Jan. 6, and only watching the Archbishop hurl the cross into the water. You'd miss seeing which of the dozens of Greek Orthodox teenagers retrieved it, receiving a year's worth of blessings.
It's Not the Only Surprise Tucked Away in Tarpon Springs.
If you just read that last paragraph and got confused, you're probably not alone, and definitely not from the Tampa Bay area. Every Jan. 6, the entire city—and thousands of tourists—flock to the bayou in downtown Tarpon Springsfor Epiphany, a Greek Orthodox holiday that honors Jesus Christ's baptism by John the Baptist.
The city hosts the largest Epiphany celebration in the Western hemisphere, according to the Tampa Bay Times, whichstarts with a church service at St. Nicholas Greek Cathedral, then a procession to Spring Bayou, where the Archbishopdelivers a blessing, a dove is released, and a weighted,wooden cross is tossed into the water.Greek Orthodox boys between the ages of 16 and 18 can participate in the dive to retrieve the cross, who sit in dinghies lining the perimeter of the diving area. Once the cross is thrown, the boats nearly capsize as teens dive, leap and belly flop, swimming like mad to be the person who claims it—and a year's worth of glory.
As a kid, this was a normal way of life. You skipped school—regardless of whether you were Greek Orthodox (I wasn't)—cheered for the kids you knew like they were quarterbacks about to throw a Hail Mary in the last five seconds of a homecoming game, and spent the afternoon in the park at a festival, watching traditional Greek folk dances and dodging your friend's yia yia (grandma), who liked to complimentyou and then spit on you (three times, no less!) to ward off the evil eye for said compliment.
Oh, and you better believe there was plenty of Pappas Greek Salad on hand, too.
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