Category: Greece

FOOD AND CULTURE OF GREECE

Pleasures drive out pain and excessive pain leads men to seek excessive pleasures… – Aristotle

The above was spoken by a Greek, and more than twenty centuries later it is still the core truism of Greeks everywhere. No characteristic is more typically Greek than the inherent ability to balance pain and pleasure delicately and live life to the fullest.

Ten million Greeks living on the mainland and on 1,400 Greek islands suffer the daily realities of existence in a harsh meager land where political problems simmer and where poverty and hardship are old neighbors. But while the body may subsist on bread, cheese, and olives as rural daily fare, the Greek soul is spiritually nourished by the mystically dazzling landscape of endless blue skies, the clarity of a strong white sun, and the warmth of rustic red earth.

These are the same elements that bore witness to the “Glory of Greece.” This included a brilliant span of 200 years from 500-300 B.C.E. when Athens became the light-source of the western world and spawned a plethora of literature, philosophy, mathematics, democracy as well as a sophistication in style of living seldom equaled. While the rest of the world was gnawing on roasted meat, the Greeks were savoring many varieties of fruits and seafood, experimenting with cooked mixtures of meats and vegetables, developing sauces and dressings (white sauce, mayonnaise, marinades of oils and seasonings), blending seasonings, and even writing cookbooks.

Because reminders of Greece’s past greatness are everywhere visible in the civilized world of today, the past and the present are one reality to the Greek. It doesn’t matter what subject is under discussion, Greeks will have an opinion – and a word for it. It is the incredible blending of past greatness, living the present to the fullest, and unflagging faith in the future that makes simple survival the ultimate Greek pleasure. With bold words and classic gestures, with intense curiosity and endless enthusiasm together with an age-old ability to dramatize, the Greek brushes aside pain and troubles, gently disdains time, and plunges fully into the enjoyment of life.

Others may point to the closeness of Greek family life or to the stability of the Greek Orthodox Church as central to Greek optimism and self-confidence. But it is all of these factors and something more. It is an ancient tradition that Greece is somehow more than a land or a people but rather a special image that was nurtured by the ancient gods of Greece and preserved for all eternity by an
omnipotent “god of Greece.” That innate Greek faith is rooted firmly in the belief that while other gods may be alive or dead, the “god of Greece” will somehow forever intervene just when things seem hopeless. And a glance at Greek history bears out this philosophy.

When the great Hellenistic age came to a crushing end with the Roman Conquest of 197 C.E., Greek schools declined and Greek democracy disappeared, yet Greek language and culture survived. The novelty of Greek cuisine – varieties of wild animals, fruits, and seafood, the ingenious uses of sauces and seasonings, recipes and utensils – was a revelation to the Romans. They unabashedly adopted Greek foods, together with Greek art and architecture, Greek philosophy and refinements. And they valued their Greek chefs above all. While the Greeks helplessly watched as Athens gave way to Rome as the center of the western world, they must have also experienced some satisfaction in seeing that Hellenistic influence proved stronger than armies.

The embers of Greek language and culture that flickered during the Roman domination were fanned to a bright flame during the thousand years after the fall of Rome. The period of the Byzantine Empire with its center in Constantinople actually took its name from the ancient Greek community on which it stood: Byzantium. Christianity was introduced by the Emperor Constantine as the state religion of the Roman Empire around 325 C.E., much to the credit of the early Christian theologians who incorporated many Greek ideas into Christianity that the latter flourished even though Rome was later sacked by hostile pagan tribes.

Again, however, this Greek flowering of influence was abruptly cut off in 1204 C.E. as the Crusaders captured Constantinople and parceled it out to Frankish knights. The new rulers crushed everything Greek. Latinization was the goal, Greek ships and trade were turned over to the Venetians, and strong attempts were made to impose Catholicism. It did indeed seem that the Franks dominated every aspect of life, with one exception. Greek women quietly saw to it that the children they bore never forgot that they were Greek.

The continuing benevolence of the god of Greece was about to meet the strongest test. On Tuesday, May 29, 1453, the Byzantine Empire was crushed completely with the capture of Constantinople by the Turks. So deep is the memory of that terrible day that even to the present, Greeks consider Tuesday a bad-luck day and the entire month of May fraught with grim symbolism. Yet historians see a positive aspect in that the mass dispersal of thousands of Greeks throughout Europe (as a direct result of the Turkish conquest) may have been responsible for the revival of learning that led to the Renaissance.

The suppression and cruelty of the Ottoman domination lasted 400 years. And while the Greeks learned, among other things, to enjoy sipping Turkish coffee, smoking the narghile (water-filtered smoking pipe), and preparing meat on skewers, which they called souvlakia (from the Turkish sis kebab), the Turks, who were previously a nomadic people, very quickly developed a taste for Greek cookery Not surprising then, in the manner of all conquerors, they also gave Turkish names to classic Greek dishes.

It seems the Greek’s hopeful confidence, that age-old faith in the god of Greece, was to be renewed again. In their 400-year occupation, the Turks made two fateful errors: first, they gave the Greeks concessions in trade, shipping and administration, at once unwittingly creating Greek leadership and a Greek navy; and second, they decided to place the Orthodox Church leaders in charge of their communities. The Greek leadership and navy were the seeds of the subsequent Turkish downfall, while the authority and strength of the Church in small communities unified Greeks everywhere and served to preserve their language and culture. While the rest of the western world at that time became a blend of Roman and Turkish culture with only echoes of Greek taste apparent, to the Greeks themselves their vital roots remained strong.

When people are suppressed, their only daily concern is survival. They have neither the time nor freedom to devote to the arts, literature, philosophy, or the delicacies of the palate. Choice lands were cultivated by the Turks and the Greeks were forced to retreat to barren rocky lands and mountain areas, often surviving on cheese made from the milk of mountain goats, wild herbs, olives, and whatever crops they could nudge from the unwilling land. The Turks called the Greeks Rumis and it is from this bitter time that Greeks still refer to the noble and creative part of themselves as Hellene and any bursts of stubbornness or selfishness as Romios.

Of necessity, then, Greek cuisine became an art of the past. It was so successfully adapted, transformed, and renamed mostly by the Turks and Italians that its Greek origins were all but forgotten. Yet one piece of ancient writing remains: The Banquet of the Learned (Deipnosophists), written in 200 C.E. by Athenaeus, a Greek philosopher living in Rome. His detailed descriptions of foods eaten, their methods of preparation, and even cooking utensils and cutlery as well as menus for dinners and banquets are remarkable in their sophistication. It is from Athenaeus that we learn of kakavia. A seafood stew introduced to Marseilles by seafaring Greeks, kakavia later became world-renowned as bouillabaisse. The book discusses sauces in loving detail: that emulsion of eggs, lemon juice, and olive oil called mayonnaise; a thick white sauce called bechamel; and even cruets of oil and vinegar to be set on the table and used to dress fresh or cooked vegetables. The use of blends of curry probably was introduced in Alexander’s time after his conquest of northern India, but Greek cooks were already long familiar with fragrant thyme and oregano, mint and marjoram, and the Isle of Rhodes was noted for a ginger-flavored bread.

There is more. The general acceptance of small nibbles of food with drinks as “provocative to eating” not only added graciousness to dining but may even be the ancient root of the Greeks’ predilection never to drink without the accompaniment of food.

Athenaeus further describes many stuffed, baked vegetables and leaves, tiny meatballs called kefthedes, light crusty breads and thin crispy pastries, polenta and dumplings, capers and pine nuts, force-fed geese, herb-grilled fish and seafood, and unusual combinations of meats cooked with vegetables. The flavored beverage was a light drink of wine diluted with fresh water and sometimes flavored with honey or spices. It is incredible to think that these commonly known culinary cornerstones of today were part of daily fare even before 200 C.E.

The Greeks have been suppressed and forced to survive on meager rations for so long that it was often Greek emigrants rather than native Greeks who revived interest and pride in culinary pursuits. The first large wave of Greek emigrants followed that fateful Tuesday in May 1453. But other events in Greek history have spurred waves of emigrants, especially to North America. In 1891 a combination of serious crop failures, especially in Laconia and Arcadia, as well as fear of conscription in Turkish lands, sent emigrants out of the country in waves that continued even after the First World War. The combined shortages and suffering that the Greeks endured during the Second World War and during the subsequent civil strife once again sent them to seek a better, more peaceful life elsewhere. Arguably, it is this recent memory of pain that motivates Greeks in North America to take every advantage of the results of hard work, enterprise, and education.

Greeks know and treasure their deep roots in the past. Against a backdrop of painful history, their own pride and determination, together with the help of the god of Greece, have kept alive and vital a culture, language, and cuisine that have few equals. Despite an occasional fretful fingering of the worry heads, the Greek has learned to find pleasures in day-to-day living and to brush aside the painful events of the past with a hopeful sigh to the future. It is a feat of survival and pride that Aristotle himself would enjoy reading the many Athens newspapers of today, Greeks from the Byzantine Empire would be at home in the worship and rituals of the Greek Orthodox Church, and even Athenaeus would he happily familiar with today’s Greek table.

SPECIAL OCCASIONS IN GREECE

To outsiders it seems that “Greeks are always either feasting or fasting.” There is good reason: 98 percent of the Greek population is Greek Orthodox and the calendar revolves around the fasts and festivals of the Church and all public and private activities are geared to it. Feasting preceded by fasting actually only occurs during five important holidays of the year: Christmas, Carnival Time (Lent), Saint George’s Day, Assumption, and Easter. Other festive days are usually marked with special foods, most significantly with the inclusion of lamb or kid. Other occasions include name days, saint’s days, weddings, funerals, baptisms, planting or reaping crops, or the opening of a new business.

Fasting, in Greek Orthodox tradition, is a strictly observed discipline which includes vegetables, fruits, grains (bread), and olives but no animal products such as meat or fish and not even wine or oil. Greek homemakers are scrupulous in their observance of fast days even though their ingenuity in preparing meals is heavily taxed.

Such piety can be understood when it is realized that for the Greek, the Church is not just a Sunday matter but an integral part of traditional everyday life. Papas (the priest) with his long hair, beard, and flowing robes is deeply involved with every family, and presides over every occasion with ceremonies, blessings, and often advice. During the 400-year Turkish occupation, the Church was credited with saving Greek culture and language and became the source of hope and security to each Greek family. Having proven itself in the most difficult times, this faith is still a source of comfort. When talk and worry beads can’t solve a problem, many Greeks prayerfully light a candle to a special saint, consult the papas, or (when in Greece) make a special pilgrimage to a holy site.

Although traditional daily life is strongly inter-woven with the Church, there is also a deep belief in the immortal god of Greece. Within this fabric of mysticism are also some threads of ancient superstitions that are so much a part of Greek life that it is difficult to draw a line between custom and belief.

The ten or twenty beads on a string commonly called Greek worry beads do not have the religious significance of the Catholic rosary; they are used by all classes as an aid to meditation, a substitute for nervousness, or simply to “chase the bitterness away”. Furthermore, the casting of spells, the fear of the “evil eye,” the concern for “bad-luck Tuesdays,” or the grim connotation given events in May – like the worry beads – are often practiced more as a custom than out of any tangible conviction. Nonetheless superstitions persist. Rural children and animals often wear necklaces of blue beads, and May Day wreaths often include whole buds of garlic, the blue heads and fresh garlic considered effective means of warding off the evil eye. The cutting of cloth for clothes, the scheduling of weddings, and even the planting of flowers during the month of May are all considered activities fraught with bad luck.

One of the most prevalent superstitions occurs each year in the days between Christmas and Epiphany (January 6). At this time, it is believed that strange crippled ghosts known as kallikandzaris rise from the earth’s depths to poison foods and frighten people. For this period of time all edibles are carefully hidden or disguised; torchlight searches from house to house and strong crosses nailed on doors and over windows are believed to help ward off evil attacks. In the evening, sieves are placed on windows and in doorways because it is believed that the ghosts become fascinated by the holes in the sieves and spend the night counting them rather than inflicting harm. The frightening season of the kallikandzaris comes to a close when the papas blesses the waters on January 6, and all the ghosts are believed to return from whence they came.

For the Greeks and for many other people with ancient roots and traditions and profound religious feelings, myths and even pagan traditions have become such an integral part of daily life that distinctions or rationalizations are often difficult to make and the prevailing principle seems to be quite simply, “Why take a chance?”

The most important festival for the Greeks is Easter, with its emphasis not on Crucifixion, but on Resurrection. Apokria (carnival time or a “farewell to meat”) is gaily ushered in with parades, costumes, and many parties filling two weeks of merrymaking before Lent. The forty days of Lent are solemnly observed with a diet of bread, olives, vegetables, grains, legumes, and fruits. Invertebrate seafood are used in coastal areas. Most Greeks observe these fasting traditions strictly during the first and last week of Lent, while the devout follow the ascetic diet for the full forty days. But even for them, the usual daily fare of bread and olives and boiled beans and sliced raw onions may be relieved by a traditional sweet called halva, made from farina or semolina, and flavored with almonds and sugar.

The week preceding Easter Sunday is called Holy Week and is busy with the preparations of the holiday which even include “spring cleaning” indoors and the exterior whitewashing of all homes. On Maundy Thursday or Holy Thursday, the lambs are killed and hung, and eggs are hard-cooked then dyed red and rubbed with oil to make them shine. On Good Friday, the tsoureki (Easter bread), fragrant with caraway seeds and nestled with the red eggs, is baked. The evening meal is traditionally bean or lentil soup flavored with vinegar to represent the vinegar believed given to Christ when he thirsted. Saturday includes the joyful marketing and preparations of the festive foods for Easter Sunday. But through all these preparations, the fast continues with the austere bread, olives, legumes, and fruits.

The spiritual climax of the Easter festival is the midnight service on Saturday when all lights in the church are extinguished while the papas chants. Finally the announcement of Christos anesti is greeted by the lighting of everyone’s candles from the priest’s three-branched candelabra. Then, carefully shielding the flame, people carry each candle home to be reverently placed before the family’s icon. Now the happily traditional midnight meal of myeritsa soup, olives, tsoureki, and citrus fruits is enjoyed by all. After the meal, the game of egg-cracking keeps everyone laughing.

Easter Sunday finds most of the men busily preparing a shallow trench filled with glowing charcoal over which the souvla (spit) of lamb will be cooked with an occasional basting of olive oil and lemon juice. Soup, stuffed vegetables, and many sweet pastries will be a part of the festive meal. Understandably, after the austerity of Lent, it will be the mayeritsa and roasted lamb that will be relished most.

By comparison, Christmas is a much quieter and less significant festival on the Greek calendar. Fish is traditionally eaten on Christmas Eve and eel dishes are especially popular. Special sweets such as kourabiedes (buttery cookies), christopsomo (walnut and sesame seed breads topped with a cross of dough), and fried treats such as diples and loukomades, crispy fritters dusted with cinnamon sugar or served with sugar syrup, are the highlights of the season.

January 1st is called Saint Basil’s (Vassilio’s) Day and this is the day not only for exchanging gifts (Saint Basil was known to be a philanthropist), but also for enjoying old rituals designed to foretell fortunes in the coming year. Splitting open a pomegranate and counting the seeds is used to suggest the abundance of the coming year. The evening is spent singing kalandra (carols) and then at midnight, vasilopeta (Saint Basil’s Cake) is served. Everyone watches the serving with suspense, for somewhere in the cake a good-luck coin is embedded. Tradition states that the first slice is for Christ, the next for Saint Basil, and if one of these should have the coveted coin, a donation must be made to the church. But if one of the family or guests receives the slice with the coin, good luck is said to be theirs for the coming year.

Like other Greek occasions, funerals too have a share of both religious and superstitious ritual. Surviving family members usually eat a quiet meal of fish, bread, and wine followed by Turkish coffee. Special memorial services are held on the fortieth day after the death and also on the first and third-year anniversaries of the death. A special plate of kolyva is prepared for blessing at the church, then it is eaten by all the family. Kolyva represents one of the most symbolic dishes: the wheat for everlasting life, the raisins for sweetness, and the pomegranate seeds to symbolize plenty. A very old tradition holds that when Greeks leave a house of mourning, they must sprinkle themselves with water to drive away the spirit of death. Modern Greeks leaving a funeral will seldom return directly home, but will stop at a pastry shop to eat and drink. This seems to be a form of ritual purification similar to the older one of water sprinkling.

MEALS AND CUSTOMS IN GREECE

Greeks don’t like being alone and don’t think that anyone or even any thing should ever be alone. For example, a drink must always be accompanied with food and food must always be enjoyed with friends. Greek men can always find an excuse to be with other men and consider it an unparalleled honor to have guests – even strangers – to share their home and food. Greek women seriously value their reputation as hostesses and the very finest will be provided to the guest even if it sometimes means that the family must do without.

So deeply valued is the concept of hospitality that it is closely interwoven with a sense of self-esteem in the Greek word philotimo. Since a part of hospitality is a display of generosity, members of the Greek family happily extend every courtesy and the best of their food to their guests. This, however, can have adverse effects. Greek women may be insulted if only one helping of food is taken; they firmly believe in the Arabic saying, “The food equals the affection.” Greek men may feel shamed if their offers of hospitality are refused. Moreover, it is often true that any failed gesture in the ritual of hospitality on the part of guest or host can be construed as either a personal insult, a family or communal insult, or even disdain of the ancient gods themselves.

Perhaps it is not even correct to suggest that the treatment of guests is any kind of “ritual” to the Greeks, for their enjoyment of people and their warmth of affection are sincere. Thus, if one’s appetite is limited, it may be best to visit during the late afternoon rather than at mealtime. In Greece, from five to nine o’clock is considered late afternoon when visitors would be treated to spoon sweets, fresh cool water, and perhaps Ouzo and pastries. The Greeks delight in their children and it is expected that visitors will admire the little ones and bring small gifts for them. But should the guests’ admiration extend to a particular object in their home — in the generosity of most Mediterranean peoples — the Greek family would probably make you a gift of the admired item.

Age-old tradition even accompanies the offering of refreshments to visitors. It is the Greek hostess who serves all food and drink while the host remains at all times to converse with the guests. The oldest guest is served first. Traditionally, a spoonful of the homemade sweet is taken together with a glass of water and, before partaking, the honored guest extends good wishes to the entire family and ends with the expression: “Yiasus!” This means, “To your good health!” Everyone then sips the water and tastes the sweet preserves. This will be followed by general conversation. Ouzo or whiskey may then be served accompanied by the tasty small pastries that Greek homes never seem to be without, especially when guests arrive.

The pattern of the day’s meals varies from rural to urban dwellers. The Greek farmer rises early, often with little more than grape juice or fruit brandy to start his day. His noon meal will be brought to the fields for him by his wife or daughter and the basket will contain a hot soup, bread and cheese, perhaps olives and raw onions, tomatoes and cucumbers and occasionally a sweet pastry or fresh fruit. The farmer eats his evening meal after sundown when the chores are completed. The meal is similar to the noon one except that a meat dish may be added if meat is available or if it is not a fast day. The table is set with colorful woodenware and the women place the meal on colorful cloths woven from goats’ wool.

Turkish coffee begins the city dweller’s day, while the noon meal may extend for much of the afternoon and even include a siesta. Many cosmopolitan menus are available to those in cities, and it is only in private homes that often the really authentic Greek dishes are preserved and treasured. Typically a visit to the coffeehouse or taverna ends the workday from the smallest villages to the cities, and is a habit continued even in emigrant countries – but only for men. Traditionally dinner is served very late in the evening – ten o’clock is considered the usual time. And even after dinner at home it is not considered too late for an evening visit to the taverns or kafeneion.

Although mealtimes form a pattern there is always time for snacking, always a place to provide what the mood dictates. The kafeneion is the Greek cafe where Turkish coffee in its many varieties will be individually, ceremoniously prepared in a long-handled pot called a briki. It is also a place where a man may enjoy animated conversation or a quiet snooze while sprawled out on several chairs. Zacharoplasteions are strategically located shops which offer tempting varieties of honeyed pastries, nutted sweets, and fabled candy confections to be enjoyed with Turkish coffee whenever the urge for sweets insinuates itself. Hunger, whether for a meal or a hearty snack, may be assuaged at the psistarya, eateries whose specialties include charcoal-roasted lamb rotated on spits and served with simple green salad, Greek bread, and the husky red house wine.

And then there are the tavernas, second home to most Greek men. Why not? For it is here that anything from a small drink to a complete meal can be enjoyed with conversation and often with debate and frequently with the insistent and soulful rhythms of the bouzouki. It is in the Greek tavernas that the guests are expected to walk directly to the kitchen to make their selections of food (a word or two of advice to the chef is in order too). Platters are placed on a table and diners help themselves or they may choose their foods directly from the cooking pots. The meal is always enjoyed with crusty white bread and wine. It is also in the tavernas that the lusty combination of good food and drink, good friends and music together well up in the Greek soul and burst forth in the controlled exuberance of impromptu dancing. The Greeks have a word for that impulsive ecstasy of the spirit – they call it kefi.

The Greeks are a people to whom the word zenos means both stranger and guest; to whom philotimo expresses the sincerely natural rituals of hospitality; and to whom the height of spiritual pleasure blends people, food, drink, and music into a spontaneously joyous burst of kefi. Why shouldn’t the Greeks have the right words for the things they do so well?

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.

FOODS FROM GREECE

DAIRY PRODUCTS

Milk is not a favorite beverage for the Greeks, whose dairy products of choice are yogurt and cheese. Yogurt, usually made at home, is used as a snack or ingredient in many dishes. Cheeses vary from mild to strong and may be grated for use in cookery or cut into cubes for salads or appetizers. Most popular is Feta, a pungent goat’s-milk cheese preserved in brine. Other cheeses used are: mild Kasseri; Mizzithra made from ewe’s milk and resembling cottage cheese; and Kefalotiri, which is a salty and hard grating cheese. Manouri and Graviera are used much like Feta; all three lend a pronounced flavor to tyropitas and spanakopitas, a marriage of phyllo pastry with the cheese as filling. Saganaki is an appetizer of deep-fried flour-dusted cheese squares served hot and sprinkled with fresh lemon juice.

FRUITS AND VEGETABLES

As in most Mediterranean countries, Greek fruits are noted for their luscious ripe tastes and are enjoyed fresh or lovingly preserved in thick heavy syrups to be served to guests accompanied with a glass of fresh cold water. Served in this way, fruits are called spoon sweets. Sometimes these are also made from selected tiny vegetables such as tomatoes. Lemons and other citrus fruits are used most widely. In season there is also a choice of grapes, figs, quinces, strawberries, cherries, apricots, plums, peaches, and many varieties of apples. Special autumn favorites are peponi, a Greek melon resembling both a honeydew and a cantaloupe, and karpouzi, a richly flavored type of watermelon.

Vegetables have a special place in the Greek menu and they are used frequently. Carrots, potatoes, and small beets are year round staples, while aubergine (eggplant) and courgette (zucchini) head the list of seasonal favorites. These may be made into pickles, stuffed and baked, or sliced and layered into casseroles with sauce and cheese. Even the zucchini flowers are considered a special treat and served batter dipped and fried. Kolokithokorfades is a zucchini flower specialty where the flowers are gently filled with a cheese mixture before being dipped in batter and fried. Artichokes, okra, broad beans and lima beans, cauliflower, fresh peas, tomatoes and cucumbers as well as many wild greens such as mustard, dandelion, and spinach are collectively known as horta.

Horta is cleaned, chopped and boiled, then served with lemon juice and oil. But other vegetable preparations may be more elaborate, including bechamel sauce and cheeses; layered between phyllo pastry and cheeses; or scooped out and baked with fillings. Dolmadakia are meat and rice stuffed vine (grape) leaves. Vegetables can also be a part of pilafs (with rice), yeast dough, and sometimes breads (zucchini bread) and vegetables can be a light meal when combined with eggs to make omelets or souffles.

A meal (other than breakfast) without fresh or cooked vegetables of some kind is rare. A main course of meat or cheese is accompanied by salata. This term is loosely used to include cooked, chilled vegetables served with oil and lemon and a sprinkling of herbs or the Greek salata, a carefully constructed mountain of fresh greens (sometimes over a mound of potato salad), garnished with black olives, cubed Feta, tomato and cucumber chunks all shimmering with oil and lemon juice and fragrant with fresh oregano.

Olives are of special importance in Greece. Greeks prefer their olives black, but these may be brined, pickled, or even spiced and are a part of almost every meal. Sometimes bread and olives form a simple meal.

MEATS AND ALTERNATES

Goats are plentiful in Greece, but because they are generous with their milk they are seldom used as food. Goat’s milk, and the Feta cheese made from it, are important staples in the Greek diet. Some pigs and chickens are available, but the staple Greek meat is lamb. Meat is generally scarce and expensive, so every part of the animal is used and the main cookery methods promote tenderness and “stretch” the flavor. The sweet nutty flavor of lamb blends well with all vegetables, and often a dish is considered different because of the different herbs used: spearmint, rosemary, oregano, and even cinnamon. Lemon juice and/or yogurt flavor as well as tenderize.

Eggs are not plentiful in Greece but are used in pastries, omelets, and the famed avgolemono sauce used to finish soups, glaze fish and meat dishes, top casseroles, and add a golden lemon touch to vegetables.

People living on the islands and near coastal regions enjoy fish and seafood dishes prepared from recipes that date to Greece’s Golden Age: grilling with herbs, oil and lemon juice; baking in parchment, and baking fish on a bed of chopped vegetables. Dishes may include eels (a traditional Christmas dish), squid, octopus, shrimps, cod, red mullet and sun-dried petalia. Those who do not live near the sea make every effort to obtain fresh fish and seafood for they are great favorites.

Fish roe is considered a special delicacy and may be made into small cakes and fried in oil (tarama kefthetes) or made into taramosalata, the popular dip used as an appetizer. This creamy mixture is made by pureeing soft white bread, fish roe, onions, olive oil, and lemon juice. It is served either from a bowl garnished with bread chunks and black olives, or as a filling for scooped-out cucumbers and small tomatoes.

Another valuable source of protein is available in the many varieties of nuts: almonds, pine nuts, walnuts, pistachios, and chestnuts. These are used in pastries and confections and often mixed with rice as a stuffing for vegetables or as a pilaf. Sometimes choice nuts will be arranged on a serving platter and honey poured over to be served as spoon sweets for guests.

Thick and hearty lentil soup (faki soupa) and bean soup (fasolada) are favorites in Greek cuisine. They have often satisfied appetites in hard times, and also are the Lenten staples when the consumption of meat is forbidden.

BREADS AND GRAINS

Bread is on the table for all meals. Kouloura, a crusty white bread baked in a ring shape and sprinkled with sesame seeds, is typical. Some wholegrain breads are used with appetizers (mezedakia) and some specialty dishes, but white breads are preferred. Wheat flour is used for breads and pastries.

Rice and pastas are eaten in small quantities, mostly in soups, in occasional casserole dishes or in pilafs to add variety to the menu. Pilaf is the name given to a rice-based dish of Turkish origin where sauced meat and/or vegetables are served either with molded rice or over a mound of rice.

Phyllo pastry is one of the most versatile. Modern Greek women buy the commercially made paper-thin sheets (“phyllo” means “leaves”). Liberally spread with oil or melted butter, they can be folded, rolled, layered, or twisted into endless sweet or savory delights.

FATS

Olive oil is of prime importance in the Greek kitchen. Some fats and margarines are made with olive oil and flavored like butter. Butter is used especially for its taste in baked goods.

SWEETS AND SNACKS

The traditional ending to a Greek meal, and a favorite snack in itself, is fresh fruit. But this is not to say that Greeks don’t have a sweet tooth. The offering of sweets is an important symbol of hospitality in the home, and a sweet pastry with Turkish coffee makes a pleasant break any time of day. Special breads and baked goods are made for festive occasions and these are crunchy with nuts and spiced with cinnamon, ginger, and cloves. Baklava (layered nut-filled phyllo), kataifia (sweetened shredded wheat), and even a simple semolina cake called ravani are all enhanced with a drenching of hot thick syrup right after baking. Other confections include fritters (loukomathes), rich buttery cookies (kourabiedes), beignets (svingi), and sugared nuts and dried fruits.

Sweets are always served with a drink – Turkish coffee, Ouzo, or a simple but welcome glass of cold water.

Homemakers take great pride in preparing treasured recipes for spoon sweets. Choice fruits in season are carefully preserved in thick sugar syrups and enjoyed with guests anytime but especially in winter when fruits are not available. They may be made from citrus peels (lemon, limes, oranges), grapes, fresh figs, cherries, and even eggplant or tiny tomatoes.

SEASONINGS

Garlic, leeks, and many types of onions are widely available and used in most fish, vegetable, or meat dishes. In fact, the classic stefado (beef stew) owes its rich flavor to slowly simmered onions. Except for skordalia – a potent garlic mayonnaise, forerunner of the French aioli – garlic is used in moderation. A surprise to some tastes is the use of cinnamon, either stick or powdered, in many meat dishes.

Greek cooking has a pleasant freshness that comes from the generous use of fresh lemon and wild herbs. Together with lemon, garlic and onions, parsley and celery leaves, mint, oregano and green dill (not the dill seeds) are most frequently used. Chamomile and sage are used as herbal teas, while both marjoram and basil are used as potted plants rather than seasonings. In fact, most Greek homes have a little pot of basil for good luck and to give as a sign of affection – and to keep away flies and mosquitoes.

Greeks were among the first to use capers pickled in wine vinegar and used in sauces or as a garnish. Baked with bread, sesame seeds are a favorite, and sesame seed oil is used in the confection called halva (there is also a cake called halva made from semolina). Pureed seeds are used in the appetizer called tahini, a popular dip in many Mediterranean countries.

Three other flavors tease the palate: orange flower water, retsina, and mastic. Orange flower water is extracted from the oil of orange blossoms and is used in delicate sweets. Retsina is pine-flavored resin extracted from pine trees and gives its name to the well-known white Greek wine. Mastic is made from a resinous shrub and gives its clean pungent flavor to sweets, breads, and even chewing gum, and is popular in many Balkan countries too. The most widely known use of mastic is in the potent drink Mastika distilled on the Greek island of Chios.

BEVERAGES

Water, thirst-quencher, refresher, and symbol of hospitality, is the most frequently used beverage in Greece. Natural wellsprings are respected and cherished and many mark the location of monasteries and villages. Water and a sweet will he offered to a stranger even before the individual’s name is known; water brings men to the taverns and the zacharoplasteion (pastry shops) where sometimes the classic water may be replaced with Ouzo or Turkish coffee prepared exactly to taste. Water brings women to the wells to fill their jugs and also to socialize.

Ouzo, reputedly the favorite drink of Alexander the Great and believed to be the inspiration for Pastis and Pernod, is prepared by infusing distilled grape spirit with a blend of fennel, aniseed, saponaria, and mastic. The predominant flavor is licorice-like; it can be taken straight or with water when it turns milky.

Turkish coffee is a pleasant relic from the Turkish occupation and is always prepared to individual preference: glikos, very sweet; metrios, half sugar and half coffee; schetos, black. Actually, “to taste” means that there are more than thirty precise levels of flavor and preferred sweetness.

The usual beverage with meals is either cold water or homemade wine; more recently, children have been encouraged to drink milk. Retsina, the white resin-flavored wine considered so typical of Greece, is actually only one of many varieties, both red and white, and not all are treated with resin. Many legends describe the origins of the resin-flavored wine but the most persistent tells of Greeks pouring the resin over their wines during the early part of Turkish domination to prevent their conquerors from taking their wines. Later, when the Greeks tasted the resinous wine, they enjoyed it. Most visitors react like the Turks and drink something else. Fix and Alpha are Greek beers; imported ones are preferred.

DOMESTIC LIFE IN GREECE

Greek survival is attributable, in large measure, to the closeness of family ties and responsibilities. There is no doubt that the Greek male child is favored and loved by mother and sisters, but in later years he returns this affection with a strong devotion which often includes the postponement of his own marriage in favor of seeing his sisters provided for. And the Greek male’s lifelong devotion to his mother is legendary: it is said that with the slightest look or gentlest sigh from his mother, the Greek male capitulates to her wishes.

Every Greek feels himself or herself a strong part of an extended family that includes concern for someone from the same village or area. Greek emigrants do not need to he told where to seek advice or help; they will automatically seek out relatives no matter how distant, and former villagers or neighbors. This kind of help and shared responsibility comes naturally to a people whose history is flecked liberally with examples of the need for mutual aid, without which survival would have been impossible.

Except for the upper classes, where women exhibit considerable independence, male and female roles in the traditional Greek family are clearly defined. The men not only enjoy their favored position, they carry this loving confidence with them into their work and into their male-oriented leisure hours. Every village, no matter how small, boasts a plateia or village square where the men congregate to enjoy Turkish coffee, a sip of Retsina or Ouzo, or where they lounge on chairs reading the paper or listening to the talk. It is a male preserve and the women neither complain nor intrude. In fact, most Greek women contentedly follow the saying of Euripides: “A woman should be everything in the house and nothing outside it….”

The women concern themselves with homemaking and crafts, with childrearing, with the kitchen garden and – in rural areas – the goats, sheep, and chickens. Not for them the problems of fields or businesses, money or education. Nor do they envy the male social life. They find fulfillment in their weekly visit to the church, and their daily trip to the village well or market. Even in North America, with increased accessibility and opportunities for women, many Greek women choose to retain this traditional role.

The rural Greek family home commonly comprises two large rooms: one for sleeping (Greek children usually go to bed when their parents do), and one for everything else. Firewood and stores are kept under the house. Large earthenware jars are used to store and cool fresh water taken daily from the local wells. In the main room of the house the walls are lined with open shelves displaying cooking and table utensils, strings of garlic and onions and colorful jars of sweet preserves (spoon sweets). Day-to-day baking is done outside in beehive-shaped ovens, while the local, fourno (bakeshop) shares its facilities for special occasion baking. This is also one of the few times that young boys share in household tasks: it is their job to bring home the fragrant baked foods from the fourno. Villagers also share wine and olive presses, for each home makes its own olive oil and ferments its own wines.

Recent government programs encourage the arts of butter, cheese, and yogurt-making, dispense information on nutrition, and educate people about various methods of food preservation that include drying, canning, salting, and pickling. Traditionally, Greeks favor fresh seasonal foods, an understandable preference considering that storage and transportation, together with low annual incomes, frequently meant that the available food was the day’s menu. But it should also be noted that preference for fresh seasonal foods is also distinctly shown by those with a discerning palate.

Modern methods of food storage and preservation are available to those in the larger cities, as of course are an increased variety of foods both local and imported.