Archives: Stories

Saint Fanourios pie is a fasting pie made in memory of August 27th. According to tradition, fanouropita is made with seven or nine ingredients. These numbers symbolize the mysteries of the church, the days of creation, and the angels’ battalions. Seven or nine ingredients seem to further enhance the strength of the pie. According to popular tradition, Agios Fanourios is a great finder of lost objects. It is precisely this attribute that has created the peculiar worship practice during the day of celebration. Fanouroptia, after it is being blessed by the priest, it is shared to those who are present … Read more

Rusks are ideal for breakfast, consumed with cheese, butter and honey, sausages or tomato and feta cheese. Traditional rusks are made from various cereal flours: corn, barley, wheat, rye or even carrot flour. They are made from bread baked twice to eliminate all its liquids in order to be preserved longer. This is because at the past, families were not financially able to have fresh bread daily. Rusks were in other words the bread of the poor, those who spent their day in the field or in the farms. Rusks are also found in ancient times. Their name was “Dipyrite … Read more

It is nothing more than a thick paste of roasted, grated, peeled sesame, used in North African and Middle Eastern cuisines. In these countries tahini is a common ingredient in sauces and soups, and in particular in the preparation of hummus, tahini salad and tahini soup. The name “tahini” is of Arabic origin and probably comes from the word “tahana” which means “grind”. Sesame cultivation dates back to 1500 BC, when, according to Herodotus, it was cultivated in Mesopotamia, on fertile soil along the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, and it was mainly used for oil production. Tahini is of exceptional … Read more

The nutritional habits in ancient Greece are saved either in ancient Greek and Roman literature or in artistic depictions of the time. Cereals and vegetables ranked first in their preferences. Wheat, barley and oats, but also lettuce, radishes, cucumbers, greens, onions, garlic, mushrooms, pumpkins, legumes such as beans, lentils and the chickpeas were served on a daily basis. Fruits made up the next largest food group within ancient Greek nutrition, such as grapes, apples, pears, pomegranates and figs. Nuts, olives, but also dairy products (milk, cheese, yogurt), eggs, honey, as well as herbs and spices (oregano, thyme, mint, parsley, silfio, … Read more

This is a traditional Greek treat, associated with summer evenings and visits to friends’ homes. Vanilla is named “submarine” because it is served in an ice-cold glass of water with a spoon of vanilla dived in it. There are many varieties of flavours such as mastic, vanilla, pink rose, pistachio. Tradition says that this aromatic sweet was inspired by a Chios pastry chef in Constantinople. They called it “white sweet” and became the favourite treat in the Constantinople ‘s mansion houses. When the Chios refugees returned to their island, they added a mastic scent. Vanilla is a white and fragrant … Read more

Trahanas or tarhana is one of the oldest foods in the eastern Mediterranean. It looks like a tiny gravel and it has many variations. Trahanas is produced with a variety of ingredients, such as semolina or wheat flour, groats or broken wheat, mixed with milk, sour milk, yogurt or even peppers or vegetable pulp and hot peppers. The story of trahanas goes back to ancient times, as an evolution of the porridge that fed Greeks and Romans. Marcus Gavius Apicius, the Roman author of cookbooks of the 1st AD. century, refers to tractae (a type of viscous slurry used to … Read more

Frappe no matter how one prefers to drink it (sweet, bitter, with or without milk, with ice cream, stirred or shaken, strong or decaffeinated) frappe is always refreshing and stimulating. The ingredients are simple: instant coffee and water, sugar, milk and ice and a straw to enjoy these freshening sips. Our “national coffee”, as often described, is said to have been accidentally invented in 1957 at Thessaloniki International Fair by Dimitris Vakondios, an employee at the booth of the Swiss company Nestle, which was producing instant coffee Nescafe, which was is largely identified with the frappe. It said that Vakondios … Read more

During the last decades, the fast and continuous changes in the way of living have alienate modern Greeks from previous habits of their everyday life, transforming them into a kind of folklore. But this does not affect the fact that these elements that tend to extinct, used to be an integral part of a forgotten way of living. One of these elements is the old home equipment, aka the devices of the household when electricity and water supply were kinds of luxury, especially on rural areas of Greece.A proper old-fashioned Greek household included utensils such as faucet, washtub, ice bucket, … Read more

The term “Mediterranean diet” is used to describe the dietary habits of the people who live around the Mediterranean Sea. The special Mediterranean climate, the long periods of sunshine but also the soil conditions and of course the presence of the sea element have shaped the food culture. Olive groves, vineyards and the seabed have provided the raw materials for the Greek and Mediterranean diet. The most important of these remains the extensive use of olive oil. All the guidelines and rules that one comes across in the Mediterranean diet books are essentially eating habits that the rural people already … Read more

Spoon sweets hold the sceptre of the most hospitable treat in any Greek household. Served with a glass of cold water it welcomes guests. Today it is also a popular choice for tourists, as they leave Greece, taking with them colourful souvenir spoons packed in small glass jars. Their story seems to go back many years when there was the need for housewives to preserve fruits all year long either sun-dried or making jam and syrup. Sweeteners, such as honey and later on sugar, are natural preservatives, while they offer fruits a pleasant taste. Maintenance, canning and storage practices may … Read more

Although “exotic” in origin, spices are an integral part of Greek cooking. A family of seasonings that give taste in every recipe and spice up every dish. The spices traveled from the East to the West via the ‘Spice Routes’, the sea routes starting from the west coast of Japan, crossing Indonesia and India, reaching the Middle East ending up to Europe. Due to this sea route the growth of spice trade was established. The word etymology is sometimes attributed to the Pakistani word “bahar” while others claim that the word is Arabic or Turkish. The term spice describes all … Read more

It is consumed warm in the cold days of winter. It is a powder that is boiled with sugar or honey and flavored with ginger. Salepi is produced from the roots of the wild orchid, called Orchis mascula or cormorant. The ancient Greeks believed that the orchid was a symbol of manhood and fertility. They believed that eating orchid condyles could favor the birth of male children. This is the herb known as cormorant today. Apart from the demulcent properties, salepi is also aphrodisiac and in antiquity it was also called “Satyrion”.Theophrastus first gave the name Orchis, inspired by the … Read more

Its two main ingredients are rice and milk. With plenty variations rizogalo is actually served in many parts of the world. It is served as a dessert, as a snack and as part of a hearty breakfast. By adding to this base, milk boiled rice, citrus zest, Aegina pistachio, rose water, mastic or even Kozani’s saffron, we can create wonderful and delicious variations of this creamy pastry that has many lovers. But the main spice that comes with it is cinnamon. Either by adding cinnamon sticks when boiling the rice, or sprinkling with grated cinnamon on the surface of the … Read more

The olive tree is a native species to Greek Land, cultivated in the Aegean as early as 2.000 BC, and oil, is omnipresent since then in Greek life: nutrition, religion, mythology, medicine, literature, art. Hercules planted an olive tree at the Temple of Hera in ancient Olympia, after completing his twelve labours. Goddess Athena donated to the Athenians the first olive tree in the world and this why it became the sacred tree of Athens. The Olive wreath also known as kotinos was the prize for the winner at the ancient Olympic Games. It was a branch of the wild … Read more

Mustalevria, a grape jelly, is a healthy, fragrant and traditional seasonal sweet. It is associated with the coming of autumn and its main ingredients are must and flour, as the word itself indicates. Mustard is the grape juice produced before the fermentation process. Mustalevira appears after the end of the summer holidays, when must is produced. One can find it clay or plastic cups in dairy stores, bakeries and pastry shops, and the secret to its success is the good proportion of must and flour. It has a crystal surface, its texture is creamy, and it has a cool taste. … Read more

The word meze is associated with social gatherings, friends and small plates on the table full of delicacies, miniatures of meals, either in sunny balconies or in cosy tavern in the wintertime. Wine, tsipouro, raki or ouzo are the drinks required as complement for enjoying numerous meze dishes. The word comes from the Persian maze, which means “taste” just like the Turkish meze. The appetizer has a special place in the history and culture of our country. From ancient times, Greeks and Romans used to feast on small dishes with fresh fruits, wine, cheese, olives and vegetables accompanied by wine. … Read more

The ideal breakfast usually includes fruit jam. We spread it on bread or toast with butter or without, and we enjoy unique flavors and colors on our plate, satiating more than one sensation. The first jams are said to have been originally made in ancient Greece in an effort to preserve the quinces with honey. This resulted in the “melimelon”, which in turn was processed by the Romans to discover the pectin that came from boiling the fruit. Since then, this sweet has survived and spread worldwide. The basic ingredient, along with the fruit or fruit combination we choose, is … Read more

The lukum may be considered to be a Turkish-origin sweet (aka Turkish delight), however, there are regions in Greece that are famous for its production. Syros , Komotini and Serres are some of the areas known for producing these cubic sweet bites that create this wonderful chewy sensation on the palate. In Syros the Turkish delight arrived from Constantinople in the early 19th century by refugees from Chios Island, who added the famous mastic to the confectionery. It is said that what gives the Syrian lukum its unique flavor is the brackish water of the island along with the years … Read more