Philip Chrysopoulos in Greekreporter.com about Maniots: Maniots are descendants of the ancient Spartans. There is a Greek village in Mani, on the Peloponnesian peninsula, called Neochori where all the residents boast that they are true descendants of ancient Spartans.
The former coffee shop owner Giorgos Oikonomeas — who never left his birthplace — claimed that the villagers are true descendants of the brave Spartans.
“If you want to get a taste of what life would have been like in Ancient Sparta, look no further,” he told the reporter. “We are as Spartan as can be.”
To further prove his point, the 86-year-old Maniot, whose physique still suggests that he could jump onto the battlefield at any moment, served the reporter a lalangi, a crispy strip of dough deep-fried in olive oil. Oikonomeas explained that the lalangi is named after Lelegas, the first king of Sparta, who asked that lalangi should be prepared for his army, then became a staple for all Spartans.
“Maniots are descendants of the ancient Spartans,” Oikonomeas said flatly, recalling his mother feeding him boiled eggs to make him strong to continue the family tradition.
Follow the story here. All photos in this post are from the village of Vatheia on the Mani Peninsula.
