Greek food glossary and food terms
GLOSSARY OF FOODS AND FOOD TERMS
Note: Variations in spelling may be noted, especially the interchange of
"d" and "th."
Anginares: artichokes. Jerusalem or root artichokes are not known
in the Greek kitchen; this term refers to the small globe variety.
Arni: lamb, the favorite Greek meat and highlight of feasts.
Avgolemono: egg-lemon sauce prepared by adding fresh lemon juice to
whisked eggs. This frothing tangy sauce may then be used to flavor any
white stock (made from either fish, veal, or chicken) by carefully adding
a little hot stock to the egg-lemon mixture, then returning all to the hot
but boiling stock. Or the egg-lemon mixture may be used for fish,
vegetables, or casseroles.
Baklava: famed Mediterranean pastry whose origin may be debatable
but whose crispy sweetness is not. Made from many layers of
butter-brushed, nut and sugar-sprinkled layers of phyllo pastry, gently
cut in diamonds and secured with whole cloves. Immediately after baking, a
spiced hot syrup is poured over. The crisp diamond wedges are served
together with the oozing syrup, the only accompaniment an icy glass of
water or a demitasse of coffee. Who needs more?
Barbouni: red mullet, a favorite fish usually served grilled or
fried. The cheeks and liver are considered special delicacies.
Bechamel Sauce: by this name, the sauce's origin is attributed to
Louis de Bechamel, of the court of King Louis XIV. However, it should be
noted that this same sauce – a roux of fat and flour whisked with a
liquid, usually milk or cream – was described by Athenaeus in 200 C.E. and
widely used in Greek cuisine.
Bourekakia: a Turkish name covering
all the tiny appetizer pastries made from Phyllo pastry and filled with
many different savory fillings – vegetable, meat, cheese, etc. In Greece
they commonly take their name from the filling, for instance Kotopitakia,
chicken; Tiropitakia, Feta cheese, etc.
Dolmadakia: with akia being the diminutive, and dolma meaning any
stuffed food, this term refers to tiny stuffed foods such as small rolls
of cabbage, spinach, or vine leaves or tiny scooped-out vegetables. These
are filled with savory mixtures such as bechamel sauce and cheese or rice
with seasonings.
Domates: tomatoes.
Fakki: meatless brown lentil soup, a standby for fast days and a
staple soup when meat is scarce.
Fasolada: a meatless bean soup.
Fava: a yellow lentil soup served hot and thick and garnished with
a little olive oil and lemon juice and a sprinkling of chopped raw onions.
Feta: most widely known of all Greek cheeses, firm and white and
made from goat's or sheep's milk, usually stored in a salt brine.
Galactoboureko: Phyllo pastry with a rich custard filling.
Halvas: the homemade version is a simple egg and semolina cake over
which is poured a sizzle of hot syrup. The commercial version is a firm
paste of pureed nuts and seeds, predominantly almond and sesame, and may
be colored and/or flavored with chocolate or pistachio.
Horta: general name given to assorted cultivated and wild greens
enjoyed by simply boiling, draining, and serving at room temperature with
olive oil and a squeeze of fresh lemon juice.
Imam Bayaldi: slowly baked eggplants stuffed with tomatoes and
sliced onions and flavored with garlic. Literally "the caliph fainted." So
named because the dish was exquisitely delicious, and the priest was said
to have fainted – here the stories differ – either when he tasted it or
when he was denied a taste.
Kafes: coffee. Turkish coffee introduced into Greece and brewed in
a long-handled pot called a briki. In Greece it is called Greek coffee,
but it is still made in thirty-three variations, as is the Turkish.
Kalamarakia: baby squid.
Kataifia: very fine shreds of a wheat flour pastry rolled up with
chopped nuts and served with a spicy sweet syrup.
Kefalotiri and Kasseri: names of two Greek cheeses that are aged
and hard and suited to grating. Very similar to the Italian Romano or
Parmesan.
Kefthedes or Keftethes: tiny meatballs prepared with finely minced
meat (any kind) blended with bread crumbs and eggs then seasoned with
garlic, mint, oregano, and salt and pepper. The mixture is formed into
tiny balls and fried in oil till brown. Usually a part of appetizers.
Kolokythia: called baby marrows in England, courgettes in France,
and zucchini in Italy. Greeks enjoy the flowers freshly picked, stuffed,
and fried.
Kouloura: one of many Greek breads. This one is made from white
wheat flour and baked in a ring shape, light and crusty.
Kourabiedes: rich buttery shortbread-type of cookie baked in round
halls then liberally sprinkled with rosewater or orange flower water and
dusted with icing sugar. Piled in a mound, these are a Christmas
specialty.
Latholemono: oil and lemon sauce.
Lathoxitho: a vinaigrette sauce of oil, lemon juice, or wine
vinegar plus seasonings.
Mastica: the powdered resin from a small evergreen grown mostly on
the Greek isle of Chios. Used for flavoring yeast dough. There is also a
liqueur by the same name.
Mayeritsa: the eagerly anticipated soup of lamb entrails finished
with avgolemono sauce and enjoyed after the midnight services of Easter
Sunday.
Melitzanosalata: a popular Mediterranean appetizer of pureed
eggplant seasoned liberally with onion and vinegar and garnished with
black olives and tomato wedges.
Melomakarona or Finikia: traditional Christmas cookies similar to
Kourabiedes but flattened and finished with a drenching of honey syrup and
a dusting of nuts.
Moussakas: browned eggplant slices
layered with tomatoes, cheese, onions, and ground meat finished with a
bechamel sauce. Typically Greek, there is a faint taste of cinnamon.
Meze: a simple term to cover the complex array of delicious small
nibbles that may accompany drinks.
Octapothi: octopus. Ancient technique of rubbing the fresh-caught
greenish octopus with a rock until it is a pearly gray color and well
tenderized was long ago perfected by Greek fishermen.
Pastizzio: a baked layered casserole of cooked pasta sprinkled with
cheese and a layer of seasoned minced meat. The casserole is finished with
cheese and bechamel sauce then cut in squares to serve.
Phyllo or Filo: another food whose origin is difficult to pinpoint
but this paper-thin pastry is usually made commercially of egg, flour, and
water. Sold in packages of many sheets, it is the basis of many Greek
appetizers (bourekakia), pies (pita), and sweet nut-rich pastries. The
Greek word phyllo means leaf. The thin sheets are brushed with butter or
oil then layered, filled and stacked, flipped into triangles, or rolled
and twisted.
Pilaf: cooked rice with melted butter poured over then pressed into
a mold. Unmolded, it is then served with any variety of sauces,
seasonings, and garnishes as may occur to the imaginative cook, and named
according to the ingredients.
Psaria: fish.
Saganaki or Tiraki: any firm cheese cut in squares, dusted with
flour, and quickly fried in hot oil and served as an appetizer.
Salata: salad.
Saltsa: sauce.
Skordalia or Skorthalia: a smooth thick sauce made with oil and
lemon juice and soft white bread and as much garlic as desired.
Souvla: the name of the spit used to
roast Iamb.
Souvlakia: skewered cubes of lamb with onions, green peppers, and
tomato wedges, all marinated then broiled.
Spanakopita: baked in a rectangular pan, this "pie" is matte of
buttery layers of phyllo with a center portion of chopped cooked spinach
and Feta mixed with bechamel. The pie is cut into squares to serve, and
may be a light main dish or one of many dishes accompanying a feast.
Spanakorizo: spinach and rice. A favorite Lenten dish of browned
onions, tomatoes, and chopped spinach with water and rice added, then the
whole cooked till dry and fluffy.
Stefado: a method of cooking used for any meats or game. Literally
a stew. Cut-up pieces of meats are marinated overnight in a bowl with
cut-up vegetables and seasonings, white wine, vinegar and oil. The next
day the pieces of meat are browned then simmered slowly with the strained
marinade. Most traditional accompaniment is onions. The dish is eaten with
bread and wine.
Tahini: smooth puree of sesame seeds.
Tarama: fish roe, usually referring
to carp roe.
Taramosalata: smooth creamy dip made of roe, white bread or potato,
garlic, oil, and lemon juice.
Tyropita: layered phyllo pastry (or otherwise shaped), filled with
cheese.
Tzatziki: a tangy dip of plain yogurt, minced cucumber, and garlic,
salt and pepper.
Vasilopita: made especially for Saint Basil's Day, this sweet yeast
bread is perfumed with grated orange rind, cinnamon and mastica.
Yaourti: plain natural yogurt.