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Greek Recipies 2008
A collection of over 100 genuine Greek and Turkish recipes from some of the t...
Greek Food & Drink Greek Food & Drink Greek Food & Drink Greek Food & Drink
Greek cooking offers an incredibly rich and diversearray of foods and beverages that are the culmination of literally thousands of years of living, cooking, andeating. While each Greek meal is fresh and inviting, it isalso a trip back through Greece's history.
Greek food is a wonderful mix of oriental and European dishes, cooked usingdifferent methods, from frying to broiling to boiling. Food in Greece is both easy to make, as the following recipes show, and delightful.In the recipes given below, some of the ingredients may not be available in yourarea, thus alternates are given where possible, trying to keep the original tasteintact. However, this may not be possible, and no matter what a Greek restaurant in your area says, Greek food is
only Greek food
when prepared inGreece.The following are some of the easiest recipes that anyone can make and turn adinner into a Greek treat. Kalí óreksi (Bon Appétit)!
Ingredients
The names of foods, cooking methods, and basic ingredients have changed little over time.Bread, olives (and olive oil), and wine constituted the triptych of the Greek diet for many centuries, just as they do today.
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 otherherbs such as oregano, basil, mint, and thyme are widely used, as are vegetables such aseggplant and zucchini, and legumes of all types. With 20 percent of Greece made up of islands - and no part of the Greek mainland more than90 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 itsarray of fine wines and spirits, most notably ouzo, an anise-flavoured liqueur that is thenational 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 toIndia, 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 intoGreek 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 inthose 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 inkitchens from Armenia to Egypt, have also found a home in Greek cooking, and been adaptedover hundreds of years to local tastes and traditions.
While Greek cooking has been influenced by other cultures, as have the cuisines of mostcountries, 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., whichsuggests 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 middleages, 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.
Famous Greek dishes
Many ingredients used in Modern Greek cooking were unknown in the country until themiddle ages. These include the potato, tomato, spinach, bananas, and others which came toGreece after the discovery of the Americas - their origin.Moussaka. There are other variations besides aubergine/eggplant,such as zucchini or rice, but the aubergine version ("melitzanesmoussaka") is most popular, so "moussaka" alone is assumed tomean "with aubergine/eggplant".Kleftiko: lamb slow-baked on the bone, first marinated in garlic andlemon juice.Stifado: beef-onion stew with red wine and cinnamon. Rabbit orgame (e.g. hare) is also cooked stifado-style.Souvlaki, lamb and vegetables grilled on skewers, or in general,anything grilled on a skewer (chicken, pork, swordfish, andshrimps).Gyros, meat roasted on a vertically turning spit and served withsauce (often tzatziki) and garnishes (tomato, onions) on pita bread;a popular fast food. Sometimes confused with souvlaki served in asimilar way. The same dish is called döner kebab in Turkish.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 theGreeks, 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 taverna's is very relaxed, informal and unpretentious.
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Greek Recipies 2008
A collection of over 100 genuine Greek and Turkish recipes from some of the top chefs in Turkey and Greece.
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| Rating: | (7 Ratings) |
| Upload Date: | 01/13/2009 |
| Copyright: | Attribution Non-commercial |
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greek food and drinks
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