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Greece is a
nation of small farmers who produce an incredible array of mainly
organically produced cheeses, oils, fruits, nuts, grains, legumes,
and vegetables.
These are the
foods that form the base of the traditional Greek regimen, to which
they add both variety and nutrition. Greece's climate is perfect
growing for olive and lemon trees, producing two of the most
important elements of Greek cooking. Spices, garlic and other herbs
such as oregano, basil, mint, and thyme are widely used, as are
vegetables such as eggplant and zucchini, and legumes of all types.
With 20
percent of Greece made up of islands - and no part of the Greek
mainland more than 90 miles from the sea - fish and seafood are a
popular and common part of the Greek diet. Lamb and goat are the
traditional meats of holidays and festivals, and poultry, beef, and
pork are also in plentiful supply.
Vineyards
cover much of Greece's hilly terrain and the country has become known
for its array of fine wines and spirits, most notably ouzo, an
anise-flavoured liqueur that is the national spirit.
History
Over the
centuries, Greek cooking has been influenced by many other cultures.
* 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.
With each
successive invasion and settlement came culinary influences - from
the Romans, Venetians, Balkans, Turks, and Slavs - and many Greek
foods have names with origins in those cultures, most notably the
Ottoman Empire. Dishes with names like 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.
While Greek
cooking has 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.
* The first
cookbook was written by the Greek food gourmet, Archestratos, in 330
B.C., which suggests that cooking has always been of importance and
significance in Greek society.
* Modern chefs
owe the tradition of their tall, white chef's hat to the Greeks. In
the middle ages, monastic brothers who prepared food in the Greek
Orthodox monasteries wore tall white hats to distinguish them in
their work from the regular monks, who wore large black hats.
* Many
ingredients used in modern Greek cooking were unknown in the country
until the middle ages. These include the potato, tomato, spinach,
bananas, and others which came to Greece after the discovery of the
Americas - their origin.
Famous
Greek dishes
* Moussaka.
There are other variations besides aubergine/eggplant, such as
zucchini or rice, but the aubergine version ("melitzanes
moussaka") is most popular, so "moussaka" alone is
assumed to mean "with aubergine/eggplant".
* Kleftiko:
lamb slow-baked on the bone, first marinated in garlic and lemon juice.
* Stifado:
beef-onion stew with red wine and cinnamon. Rabbit or game (e.g.
hare) are also cooked stifado-style
* Souvlaki,
lamb and vegetables grilled on skewers, or in general, anything
grilled on a skewer (chicken, pork, swordfish, shrimps).
* Gyros,
meat roasted on a vertically turning spit and served with sauce
(often tzatziki) and garnishes (tomato, onions) on pita bread; a
popular fast food. Sometimes confused with souvlaki served in a
similar way. The same dish is called döner kebab in Turkish.
* Boureki,
similar to kreatopita, from Turkish börek.
* Pastitsio,
a macaroni, meat, and Bechamel sauce casserole
The time of
day when the Greeks gather around a table to enjoy a meal, or some
appetizers (mezedes) with ouzo, is a time held in reverence by all
the inhabitants of this country. For the Greeks, sharing a meal with
friends, either at home, at a restaurant or a taverna, is a deeply
rooted social affair. The Greek word symposium, a word as ancient as
the country itself, if translated literally, means drinking with
company. The atmosphere in typically Greek restaurants and tavernas
is very relaxed, informal and unpretentious. Food preparation, on the
other hand, has its own sacred rules. Good amateur cooks are held in
great esteem in their social circles. A good housewife, in Greece,
means a good cook. And a good cook can spend days preparing a meal
for his or her friends.
Greek wines
Apart from
giving birth to Dionysus, patron god of wine, Greece is the
birthplace of the first VQPRD wines in history. They were the wines
of the islands of Chios and Thassos, renowned in the entire ancient
world. Due to various historic and social reasons, as well as natural
disasters, the art of wine-making was neglected from the middle of
the nineteenth century until the early sixties. It was then that the
ancient traditions of wine-making started being rediscovered and
today one can find many excellent Greek wines produced all over the
country. When tasting Greek wine, bear in mind that it is a product
of a distinctive environment and of grape varieties unknown to
western wine lovers. The wines of Greece are divided into 4 distinct
categories: 1) the Controlled Appellations of Origin, 2) the
Appellations of Origin of Superior Quality, 3) local wines and 4)
table wines.
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