Pastitsio: Ode to Messy Comfort!
Pastitsio and its many incarnations are the perfect food for our times: it offers comfort in the knowledge that even the most steadfast of things are in a state of constant change.
Happy Trees: Dr. Kavvadias Olive Oil from Corfu
Corfu is not your typical Greek island. It’s very humid, and it averages the most rainfall yearly in all of Greece, making it incredibly green and giving the island a distinct terroir from the rest of the country. And so perhaps it stands to reason that Corfu also does not produce your typical Greek olive […]
Greek Meze Primer
Greek Meze Primer All over the Mediterranean, small, savory plates of food enjoyed in a convivial atmosphere make for one of the region’s basic dining experiences. Known widely now as tapas, antipasto, merende, even hors d’oeuvres, these tidbits comprise a whole pan-Mediterranean culture: that of sharing food and drink with friends in an unrushed, unharried […]
Ancient Wisdom in a Bowl of Lentil Soup
Lentils are a kind of miracle food. They calm us down and fill us up with good nutrition. They’ve been part of the Greek diet forever and are, indeed, one of the indigenous pulses of the Eastern Mediterranean, around forever. I am paying homage to the humble Greek lentil soup in several variations, peppered with a little nutritional info, too!
Healthy, Brown-Bag Delights!
This year, “back to school” has particular significance. We are all looking forward to some return to normalcy. Back to school also calls to mind lunch! At least for me, and by default also extends to the (hopefully large) back-to-the-office crowd. Whether you’re brown-bagging it on the way to the classroom or office doesn’t matter; […]
Gyro: An Ancient Greek Street Food
Gyro: An Ancient Greek Street Food Who would’ve known! There is actually a National Gyro Day and this year it is Sept. 1! Yes, gyro, as in that tapered tower of thinly sliced meat rotating on an upright spit that is a delectable street-food in many parts of the world. Gyro, pronounced “GHEE-ro” in Greek […]
THE BRUTAL ELEGANCE OF XINOMAVRO
Xinomavro is the leader of Greece’s red wines. It is a grape so wild, so extreme, that it has taken generations of determined winemakers and farmers to tame it to the brutally elegant wines it produces today. A variety worthy of its title, the King of Greek Wines. The name of the grape indicates much […]
Agiorgitiko – One of Greece’s Great Reds
Agiorgitiko is a mouthful. A complicated name for a complex wine. Complicated in the ways that it’s difficult to pronounce, that its spelling changes label to label, and its name has changed over the several millennia that this grape has existed. Let’s go back to the beginning. Agiorgitiko originates from Nemea where even then they […]
When Greeks Do Corn
Yogurt, octopus, lamb, olives, oregano. These foods “belong” to the Greek kitchen in the world’s eye. Not so corn. Yet this American staple has been part of the Greek table for several hundred years, most likely introduced and disseminated by the Ottoman Turks, who may have encountered it first in Africa. The Turkish word for […]
Sip Greek Coffee…for Long Life!
Shining a spotlight on many people’s favorite beverage reveals a few healthy surprises! If Greek coffee is not on your radar when it comes to a healthy Mediterranean diet, you may want to take a closer look. In fact, a 2013 study in Vascular Medicine[1] found that Greek coffee may hold the key to a longer life!
Ikaria Longevity Secret: Drink Greek Coffee
Ikaria Longevity Secret: Drink Greek Coffee Greek coffee made headlines in 2013 as the elixir of life, the secret to longevity among inhabitants of Ikaria, all thanks to a stuffy conducted by Dr. Gerasimos Siasos a physician and professor at the University of Athens Medical School, and published in Vascular Medicine in March, 2013. It […]
Greek Easter on Ikaria
Easter is the most serious holiday in Greece, a symbolic celebration of renewal and a palpable celebration of spring. Most Greeks leave the city for the countryside, their exodus as much a yearly ritual as the roasting of the Paschal lamb or goat.