Blog
I know it’s true. I’ve seen it work. The way to a man’s heart is visceral. Literally. As in food. Could the same be true if what we’ve lost and need to find is the way back to our own heart, a Heart of Greekness? I think of the elements, and as orchestrator of such […]
Hear my radio interview on The Splendid Table about the Greek resin and spice, Mastiha.
Every meal, whether rich and festive or light, needs a salad. In the Greek tradition, there are so many cruciferous and other seasonal vegetables as well as fruits that may be chopped for a fresh salad. Greens, both sweet and bitter, are generally savored as cooked salads, dressed simply with excellent fresh olive oil, in […]
Tsipouro, the Greek grape distillate, just went upmarket. Many of you may have sampled tsipouro, or its cousins, the Cretan raki and tsikoudia, on visits to Greece or in Greek homes. It’s our “fire water,” the Greek answer to grappa, a grape distillate that Greeks have been making and enjoying for generations. Traditional Greek grape […]
Many a newcomer to Greek cuisine will already know one of its classic dishes—spanakopita, or spinach pie. Spanakopita is just one of an endless array of Greek savory pies. Pita—as the Greeks call the general category of pies—is this cuisine’s soul food. It is the dish that home cooks of yore made on both special […]
Every cuisine in the world is the sum of its parts, of its ingredients, in other words, those basic foods and flavor combinations that are the cook’s alphabet for both carrying on traditions and creating new dishes that are both authentic and contemporary. Greece is blessed with a wide gamut of basic ingredients that flourish […]
An unctuous, cloying scent permeates the winding back roads of the Greek countryside during the short, slate-skied days of winter. It’s the smell of years of olive harvesting and processing come to life again as farmers and producers gear up for their busy season. Mills start churning up for the months of work ahead, and […]
The time is ripe for rethinking the positioning of one of our most traditional foodstuffs, olive oil, on the global market. That market, no doubt, will change dramatically over the next decade, as consumers become more savvy and knowledgeable about specific regional oils and as a group of high-end producers across Europe is hoping to […]
Most consumers recognize Greek table olives either by their place names (Kalamata, Atalanti, Amphissa, Halkidiki, etc.) or by their curing and processing (cracked, split, salt-cured, brine-cured, etc.) While there are dozens of “different” kinds of olives, only three main varieties are commercially important as table olives. The confusion starts here—these few types of olives just […]
Greeks say “I ate bread and olives with him,” to denote an act of friendship. The olive branch is the universal symbol of peace. Like no other fruit, the olive is responsible for shaping an entire civilization. Its history is long and illustrious, and the legends surrounding it are rich and splendid. Mostly, though, literature […]