Greek cuisine

GREEK CUISINE
REPORTED BY:
ROGER ALAIR
In this Chapter We
Discuss The
Following:
1.History
2. Overview
3. Origins
4. Some Regions
5 Typical dishes
1.5.1 Breads
2.5.2 Appetizers and
Salads
3.5.3 Soups
4.5.4 Vegetarian main
dishes
5.5.5 Meat and seafood
dishes
6.5.6 Quick meals
7.5.7 Desserts and
sweets
8.5.8 Cheeses
9.5.9 Non-alcoholic
beverages
10.5.10 Alcoholic
beverages
11.5.10.1 Wine
12.5.10.2 Beer
13.5.10.3 Other
14.5.10.4 Coffee

WHAT IS GREEK CUISINE???
 Greek cuisine is a Mediterranean cuisine. Contemporary Greek cookery makes wide
use of olive oil, vegetables and herbs, grains and bread, wine, fish, and various meats,
including lamb, poultry, rabbit and pork. Also important are olives, cheese, eggplant
(aubergine), zucchini (courgette), and yogurt. Greek desserts are characterized by the
dominant use of nuts and honey. Some dishes use filo pastry.

 Greek cuisine has a long tradition and its flavors change with the season and its geography.
Greek cookery, historically a forerunner of Western cuisine, spread its culinary influence - via
ancient Rome - throughout Europe and beyond. It has influences from the different people's
cuisine the Greeks have interacted with over the centuries, as evidenced by several types of
sweets and cooked foods.
 It was Archestratos in 320 B.C. who wrote the first cookbook in history. Greece has a culinary
tradition of some 4,000 years. Ancient Greek cuisine was characterized by its frugality and
was founded on the "Mediterranean triad": wheat, olive oil, and wine, with meat being rarely
eaten and fish being more common. This trend in Greek diet continued in Roman and
Ottoman times and changed only fairly recently when technological progress has made meat
more available. Wine and olive oil have always been a central part of it and the spread of
grapes and olive trees in the Mediterranean and further afield is correlated with Greek
colonization.
 The Byzantine cuisine was similar to the classical cuisine including however new ingredients
that were not available before, like caviar, nutmeg and lemons, basil, with fish continuing to
be an integral part of the diet. Culinary advice was influenced by the theory of humors, first
put forth by the ancient Greek doctor Claudius Aelius Galenus. Byzantine cuisine benefited
from Constantinople’s position as a global hub of the spice trade.
WHAT IS GREEK CUISINE???

 While Greek cooking has influenced and been influenced by other cultures, as have the cuisines of most
countries, of all of those countries, Greece must be foremost in the ranks of having a "fusion" cuisine
which is easily traced back to 350 B.C.
 In c.350 B.C., when Alexander the Great extended the Greek Empire's reach from Europe to India, certain
northern and eastern influences were absorbed into the Greek cuisine.
 In 146 B.C., Greece fell to the Romans which resulted in a blending of a Roman influence into Greek
cooking.
 In 330 A.D., Emperor Constantine moved the capital of the Roman Empire to Constantinople, founding the
Byzantine Empire which, in turn, fell to the Turks in 1453 and remained part of the Ottoman Empire for
nearly 400 years. During that time, dishes had to be known by Turkish names, names that remain today
for many Greek classics.
 With each successive invasion and settlement came culinary influences - from the Romans, Venetians,
Balkans, Turks, Slavs, and even the English - and many Greek foods have names with origins in those
cultures, most notably the Ottoman Empire. Dishes with names like tzatziki (from the Turkish "cacik"),
hummus (the Arabic word for chickpea) and dolmades (from the Turkish "dolma"), that can be found in
kitchens from Armenia to Egypt, have also found a home in Greek cooking, and been adapted over
hundreds of years to local tastes and traditions.
 And during those times, the classic elements of Greek cuisine traveled across borders as well, adopted
and adapted in Europe, North Africa, the Middle East, and ... with Alexander the Great, farther east.
WHAT IS GREEK CUISINE

 The most characteristic and ancient element of Greek cuisine is olive oil, which is used
in most dishes. It is produced from the olive trees prominent throughout the region,
and adds to the distinctive taste of Greek food. The basic grain in Greece is wheat,
though barley is also grown. Important vegetables include tomato, aubergine
(eggplant), potato, green beans, okra, green peppers, and onions. Honey in Greece is
mainly honey from the nectar of fruit trees and citrus trees: lemon, orange, bigarade
(bitter orange) trees, thyme honey, and pine honey. Mastic (aromatic, ivory coloured
resin) is grown on the Aegean island of Chios.
 Greek cuisine uses some flavorings more often than other Mediterranean cuisines do,
namely: oregano, mint, garlic, onion, dill and bay laurel leaves. Other common herbs
and spices include basil, thyme and fennel seed. Persillade is also used as a garnish
on some dishes. Many Greek recipes, especially in the northern parts of the country,
use "sweet" spices in combination with meat, for example cinnamon and cloves in
stews.
OVERVIEW

 The climate and terrain has tended to favour the breeding of goats and sheep over
cattle, and thus beef dishes are uncommon. Fish dishes are common in coastal
regions and on the islands. A great variety of cheese types are used in Greek cuisine,
including Feta, Kasseri, Kefalotyri, Graviera, Anthotyros, Manouri, Metsovone and
Mizithra.
 Too much refinement is generally considered to be against the hearty spirit of the
Greek cuisine, though recent trends among Greek culinary circles tend to favour a
somewhat more refined approach.
 Dining out is common in Greece, and has been for quite some time. The Taverna and
Estiatorio are widespread, serving traditional Greek home cooking at affordable prices
to both locals and tourists. Recently, fast-food has also become more popular in
Greece and Europe, with local chains such as Goody's springing up, but the
McDonald's have mainly closed down.[10] Although fast food is gaining popularity and
many major fast-food chains have opened all over Greece, the Greek people still rely
primarily on the rich and extensive repertoire of Greek cuisine. In addition, some
traditional Greek foods, especially souvlaki, gyros, pita such as tyropita and
spanakopita (respectively, cheese and spinach pie) are often served in fast food style.
OVERVIEW

ORIGINS
Kalamata olives
Greece has an ancient culinary tradition dating back several millennia, and
over the centuries Greek cuisine has evolved and absorbed numerous
influences and influenced many cuisines itself.
Some dishes can be traced back to ancient Greece: lentil soup, fasolada,
retsina (white or rosé wine flavored with pine resin) and pasteli (candy bar
with sesame seeds baked with honey); some to the Hellenistic and Roman
periods: loukaniko (dried pork sausage); and Byzantium: feta cheese,
avgotaraho (cured fish roe) and paximadi (traditional hard bread baked
from corn, barley and rye). There are also many ancient and Byzantine
dishes which are no longer consumed: porridge as the main staple, fish
sauce, and salt water mixed into wine.
Many dishes are part of the larger tradition of Ottoman cuisine and their
names reveal Arabic, Persian or Turkish roots: moussaka, tzatziki,
yuvarlakia, keftethes, boureki, and so on. Many dishes' names probably
entered the Greek vocabulary during Ottoman times, or earlier in contact
with the Persians and the Arabs. Some dishes may be pre-Ottoman, only
taking Turkish names later; Ash and Dalby, for example, speculate that
grape-leaf dolmathes were made by the early Byzantine period.
Thyme, one of the most
traditional Greek herbs, was
mentioned in the Odyssey.

REGIONS
"Dakos", traditional Cretan salad
“Tsigaridia", traditional dish of Cephalonia
Dakos or ntakos (Greek: ντάκος), also known as koukouvagia or
koukouvayia (κουκουβάγια, "owl") or –in eastern Crete–
kouloukopsomo (from koulouki + psomi, pup + bread, allegedly the
bread given to puppy dogs), is a Cretan meze consisting of a slice of
soaked dried bread or barley rusk (paximadi) topped with chopped
tomatoes and crumbled feta or mizithra cheese, olives and flavored with
herbs such as dried oregano.
Greek Pork Belly

Distinct from the main stream regional cuisines are:
Cuisine of the Aegean islands (including Kykladitiki, from Kyklades)
Cuisine of the Ionian islands
Ipirotiki (Epirotic cuisine)
Kritiki (Cretan cuisine)
Kypriaki (Cypriot cuisine)
Macedonitiki (Macedonian cuisine)
Mikrasiatiki, from the Greek refugees of Asia Minor, including Politiki, from the
tradition of the Greeks of Istanbul (Constantinople)
Pontiaki, found anywhere there are Pontians (Greek immigrants from the
Black Sea region)
REGIONS

Greek cuisine is very diverse and although there are many common
characteristics amongst the culinary traditions of different regions within
the country, there are also many differences, making it difficult to present
a full list of representative dishes. For example, the vegetarian dish "
Chaniotiko Boureki" (oven baked slices of potatoes with zucchini, myzithra
cheese and mint) is a typical dish in western Crete, in the region of
Chania. A family in Chania may consume this dish 1-2 times per week in
the summer season. However, it is not cooked in any other region of
Greece. Many food items are wrapped in Filo pastry, either in bite-size
triangles or in large sheets: kotopita (chicken), spanakotyropita (spinach
and cheese), chortopita (greens), kreatopita (meat pie, using minced
meat), etc.
TYPICAL FOOD IN GREEK

Lagana
Daktyla
Eliopsomo, bread with olives
Paximadi, Cretan bread
SOME EXAMPLE OF TYPICAL DISHES IN
GREEK CUISINE

GREEK CUISINE
Greek salad: the so-called Greek salad is known in Greece
as village/country salad (horiatiki) and is essentially a
tomato salad with cucumber, red onion, feta cheese, and
kalamata olives, dressed with olive oil. In Cyprus it contains
also cracked wheat (bulgur), spring onions instead of red
onions, and lemon juice.
Spanakopita: spinach, feta (sometimes in combination with
ricotta cheese), onions or scallions, egg and seasoning
wrapped in phyllo pastry in a form of a pie.

GREEK CUISINE
Saganaki: fried yellow cheese, usually graviera cheese;
the word "saganaki" means a small cooking pan, is used
to say "fried" and can be applied to many other foods.
Kolokythoanthoi: zucchini flowers stuffed with
rice or cheese and herbs.

GREEK CUISINE
Fasolada: a bean soup defined in many cookery
books as the traditional Greek dish, sometimes
even called "the "national food of the Greeks". It is
made of beans, tomatoes, carrot, celery and a
generous amount of olive oil usually served with a
variety of salty side dishes.
Psarosoupa: 'fish soup' can be made with a
variety of fish, and several kinds of vegetables
(carrots, parsley, celery, potatoes, onion),
several varieties include the classic kakavia
which is drizzled with olive oil.

GREEK CUISINE
Magiritsa: the traditional Easter soup made with
lamb offal, thickened with avgolemono.
Revithia: a chickpea soup.

GREEK CUISINE
Gemista: baked stuffed vegetables. Usually tomatoes,
peppers, or other vegetables hollowed out and baked
with a rice-and-herb filling or minced meat.
Arakas me anginares: oven-baked fresh
peas with artichokes.

GREEK CUISINE
Lachanorizo: cabbage with rice.
Anginares a la Polita: artichokes Constantinople style
with artichoke hearts, olive oil, potatoes, carrots dill.

Spetsofai: a stew of country sausage, green
mild peppers, onions and wine. Originates from Pelion.
GREEK CUISINE
Moussaka is an eggplant and/or potato-based dish popular
in Balkan and Mediterranean cuisines, with many local and
regional variations.
The same name and recipe is found throughout the lands
that were formerly part of the Ottoman Empire. In Greece,
the dish is layered and typically enjoyed hot. In Turkey, it
is sautéed and served in the style of a casserole, and is
consumed warm or at room temperature. In Arabic
countries, a variant of the same recipe is eaten cold.

GREEK CUISINE
"Strapatsada" or "Strapatso" is a popular dish in many regions
of Greece, due to the availability and low cost of its
ingredients (fresh tomatoes, eggs and olive oil). It is often
prepared "on the spot" and served for lunch or a light snack,
however it can also be served cold.
In cuisine, an omelette or omelet is a dish made from beaten
eggs quickly cooked with butter or oil in a frying pan, sometimes
folded around a filling such as cheese, vegetables, meat (often
ham), or some combination of the above. To obtain a fluffy
texture, whole eggs or sometimes only egg whites are beaten with
a small amount of milk or cream, or even water, the idea being to
have "bubbles" of water vapour trapped within the rapidly cooked
egg. Some home cooks add baking powder to produce a fluffier
omelette; however, this ingredient is sometimes viewed
unfavourably by traditionalists.

GREEK CUISINE
Baklava is normally prepared in large pans. Many layers
of phyllo dough, separated with melted butter, are laid in
the pan. A layer of chopped nuts—typically walnuts or
pistachios, but hazelnuts are also sometimes used—is
placed on top, then more layers of phyllo. Most recipes
have multiple layers of phyllo and nuts, though some
have only top and bottom pastry.
Before baking, the dough is cut into regular pieces, often
parallelograms (lozenge-shaped), triangles, or rectangles.
A syrup, which may include honey, rosewater, or orange
flower water is poured over the cooked baklava and
allowed to soak in.
Baklava is usually served at room temperature, often
garnished with ground nuts.

GREEK CUISINE
Diples or Thiples (Greek: Δ ) is a Greekίπλες
dessert, made of thin sheet-like dough. The dough
is rolled into long, thin strips, fried and folded in hot
oil and then dipped in syrup. Traditionally, warm
honey is used in place of syrup, and the diples are
sprinkled with chopped nuts and cinnamon Diples
can be made in different shapes, of which the most
common are bow ties and spirals.[3] Diples are a
typical dessert in the Peloponese and are also
served at weddings and at New Year's celebrations.
Another form uses an iron mould dipped in diples
batter and cooked in cooking oil until the diples
separates from the mould. It is topped with honey,
crushed walnuts, and cinnamon.

GREEK CUISINE

GREEK CUISINE
Feta Cheese- is a brined curd white-cheese made in
Greece from sheep's milk, or from a mixture of
sheep and goat's milk. Similar white-brined
cheeses produced outside the European Union are
often made partly or wholly of cow's milk, and they
are also sometimes called feta. It is a crumbly aged
cheese, commonly produced in blocks, and has a
slightly grainy texture. Feta is used as a table
cheese, as well as in salads and pastries. Most
notable is its use in the popular phyllo-based
dishes spanakopita ("spinach pie") and tyropita
("cheese pie"), or served with some olive oil or
olives and sprinkled with aromatic herbs such as
oregano. It can also be served cooked or grilled, as
part of a sandwich, in omelettes, or as a salty
alternative to other cheeses in a variety of dishes.

GREEK CUISINE
Kefalotyri or kefalotiri (Greek: )(Turkish: (Kelleκεφαλοτύρι
peyniri) is a hard, salty yellow cheese made from sheep
milk and/or goat's milk in Greece and Cyprus.[citation
needed] A similar cheese Kefalograviera, also made from
sheep and/or goat milk, is sometimes sold outside
Greece and Cyprus as Kefalotyri. Depending on the
mixture of milk used in the process the color can vary
between yellow and white.
Kasseri -is a medium-hard pale yellow cheese made from unpasteurized
sheep milk with very little, if any, goat's milk mixed in, in Greece and Turkey.
There is also a cow's milk version.
It is a soft textured, stringy rather than crumbly, chewy, hard-rind cheese and
belongs to the pasta filata family of cheeses, like Provolone or Muenster. The
use of fresh unpasteurized milk is necessary to obtain the correct flavor and
texture, and aging of at least four months is required for the development of
flavor. Aged kasseri faintly resembles Parmesan or Asiago but is not as
creamy.
The name "Kasseri", produced in Greece is a protected designation of origin
in the European Union.

 Non-alcoholic beverages-There is a variety of non alcoholic beverages that are
drunk in Greece even to this day.
 Portokalada (orangeade) and Lemonada (lemonade), in 1971, these beverages
were served everywhere, in homes, cafes, tavernas and restaurants. They were
made with fresh strained orange juice or lemon juice either mixed with carbonated
water or flat mineral water and you added sugar to taste. There were also bottled
local versions. In 1989 on the island of Rhodes there were 2 companies that made
& bottled their own portokalada & lemonada using local oranges, lemons and
water. These beverages are still standards today, as of 2014, the difference being
that most of the small local companies sold their businesses to the big companies
like Fanta etc., thus, greatly changing the quality.
 Visinada (cherryade) is made from dark cherry syrup (which was originally
homemade) mixed with cold water.
GREEK CUISINE

 Alcoholic Beverages:
Wine-The origins of wine-making in Greece go back 6,500 years and evidence
suggesting wine production confirm that Greece is home to the oldest known grape
wine remnants discovered in the world and the world’s earliest evidence of crushed
grapes. The spread of Greek civilization and their worship of Dionysus, the god of wine,
spread Dionysian cults throughout the Mediterranean areas during the period of 1600
BC to the year 1. Greece's viticultural history goes back to prehistoric times,iand wine
production was thriving until the 11th century.After World War II, Greek winemakers
imported and cultivated foreign grape varieties, especially French ones, in order to
support local production.In 1960s, retsina, a dry white wine with lumps of resin, was
probably the most well-known Greek wine abroad. In recent years, local varieties are
rediscovered and often blended with foreign ones. In early 1980s, a system of
appellations, modelled on the respective French one, was implemented to assure
consumers the origins of their wine purchases. Today, there are 28 appellations
(Appellations of Origin of Superior Quality and Controlled Appellation of Origin)
throughout the country, from Macedonia to Crete.
GREEK CUISINE

GREEK CUISINE
The mineral profile of the grapes bodes well for blending and in
recent times its has been blended often with Sauvignon blanc,
Sémillon and Malagousia. Assyrtiko grapes clusters are large,
with transparent yellow-gold skin and juicy flesh. In the volcanic
soil of Santorini, there appear to be some unique characteristics
that develop in the grape variety, and therefore in the wine. One
of these characteristics is that Assyrtiko does not lose its acidity
even if it is very ripe. Throughout Greece, the grape is vinified to
make a variety of dry and sweet wines, including Vinsanto-like
musky and syrup-sweet dessert wines. In Retsina, it is often
blended with the less-acidic Savatiano grape.

GREEK CUISINE
Agiorgitiko (Greek: ; also known asΑγιωργίτικο
Aghiorghitiko, Mavro Nemeas and St. George) is a
red Greek wine grape variety that, as of 2012, was
the most widely planted red grape variety in Greece,
ahead of Xynomavro. The grape has traditionally
been grown in the Nemea region of the Peloponnese
but can be found throughout the country including
Attikí (Attica) and Makedonía (Macedonia).
A Nemea wine made from
100% Agiorgitiko.

Coffee
The traditional coffeehouses in Greece are called kafenia, and they offer
coffee, refreshments, alcoholic beverages and snacks or meze. However,
in recent years coffee culture evolves and, especially in the large urban
centres, kafenia are gradually replaced by modern "cafeterias". Preferred
types of coffee by the consumers are, among others, the Greek coffee (a
variation of the Turkish coffee), frappé (a Greek foam-covered iced coffee
drink), and the freddo versions of capuccino and espresso, which vary
from the Italian original. Iced coffee-based drinks, such as freddoccino or
freddito, are also popular, especially during the summer period.
GREEK CUISINE

Kafenio-A kafenio typically serves various types of Greek coffee, including
Greek coffee and frappé, as well as beer, retsina, and ouzo. Most kafenia
provide meze or free snacks and rarely serve full meals. Kafenia were
traditionally family-run businesses and furnished simply. The walls are
often whitewashed. Kafenia often serve as social centers of the villages
and islands where they are located. People socialize after work or play a
game of cards. In previous centuries, the kafenio was a place where
women were not welcome but now kafenia are frequented by girls and
women.
GREEK CUISINE

GREEK CUISINE
Frappé coffee (also Greek frappé ) is a Greek foam-
covered iced coffee drink made from instant coffee
(generally, spray-dried).[1] Accidentally invented in 1957
in the city of Thessaloniki, it is now the most popular
coffee among Greek youth and foreign tourists. It is very
popular in Greece and Cyprus, especially during the
summer, but has now spread to other countries. The
word frappé is French and comes from the verb frapper
which means to 'hit'; in this context, however, in French,
when describing a drink, the word frappé means chilled,
as with ice cubes in a shaker. The frappé has become a
hallmark of the post-war outdoor Greek coffee culture.

Tea and herbal teas
•Chamomile- (chamomile tea)
•Mint tea- right out of the garden
•Faskomilo- (sage tea) tea made from dried of fresh sage
•Tsai vounou- tea from steeped mountain sage. To this day the Greeks still
like to drink a tea made from steeping dried or fresh mountain sage
•Sideritis
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Chamomile- A Chamomile or camomile is the common name for several
daisy-like plants of the family Asteraceae that are commonly used to
make a herb infusion that can help to induce sleep. Because chamomile
has been known to cause uterine contractions that can invoke
miscarriage, the U.S. National Institutes of Health recommends that
pregnant and nursing mothers not consume chamomile. People who are
allergic to ragweed (also in the daisy family) may also be allergic to
chamomile, due to cross-reactivity. However, there is still some debate as
to whether people with reported allergies to chamomile were actually
exposed to chamomile and not a plant of similar appearance.
GREEK CUISINE

Sideritis-Sideritis (also known as ironwort, mountain tea and shepherd's
tea) is a genus of flowering plants well known for their use as herbal
medicine, commonly as an herbal tea. They are abundant in
Mediterranean regions, the Balkans, the Iberian Peninsula and
Macaronesia, but can also be found in Central Europe and temperate
Asia.
GREEK CUISINE

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