History of Greek Food

 
Garden is a place of colors… Garden is a place of battle … Both gardener and plants battle against poor soil, unruly weeds, plant diseases and bad weather conditions. The pleasure of home vegetable garden is painful. But garden is a place of hope.
This week we have amaranths shooting towards sky….
 
Boiling is not the only [...]

The quality of soil is of prime importance in growing a successful organic vegetable garden. Unfortunately, our Cretan garden has poor, heavy, tightly compacted clay soil.  To improve it, we  double dig it, amend it with lime,  add animal manure, organic minerals and grow plants -like legumes- that add nutrients into  it.  Vegetables are rotated each year. This  helps them resist  pests and diseases.   
Everyone knows how hard it [...]

” Their heart is like an artichoke” Greeks say, describing those who are in love with love and keep a leaf for everyone in sight, like an “I love you…. and you…. and you”.   Here,  the phrase retains the meaning of the original French expression  ”avoir un coeur d´artichaut”: to  easily fall in love.

But they also say “Their heart is like an artichoke”  referring to those  who are prickly [...]

Is Aphrodite’s raised sandal a tease or is she intending to slap the goat-legged Pan with it, because she is not interested in an erotic adventure with him?

 100 BC.  National Archaeological Museum of Athens.*
 
Beautifully decorated sandals were traditionally included in bride’s gifts. For jewelry, perfumes and sandals  provided her with the tools to maintain her beauty of the night of her marriage.

Greek red-figure amphora with Hippodameia preparing [...]

Four weeks ago, we arrived back in Athens, after being gone for 3 months. This time I’ve brought  several tons of olives and cheeses, herbs, books and I managed to forget half my clothes.

What I miss while here:

The view from my sister’s kitchen window
 

 
And the view from my balcony

 
Writing under the olive tree very early [...]

One must sacrifice to the gods for three purposes: to give honor, to show gratitude, or because of one’s need of good things. (Theophrastus, On Piety, frag. 12, Potscher, 42-4). And in return, the ancient gods were pleased with the expressions of human gratitude (sacrifices, libations, offerings, dances etc.) to them.
This complex of ideas: man asks, gods give, [...]

Still summer…. the tomato- plants still bear gorgeous, sweet and full flavored red fruits.

You can eat them plain, of course, or make a home- made sun –dried tomato paste. Choose 3 kilos vine-ripened tomatoes, cut them into pieces, sprinkle with sea-salt, leave them under the sun for a day.

The next morning put them in the blender [...]

Verjuice, the juice that is made if we squeeze immature, green grapes, added a  great depth of flavor and a titillating kick to foods, until lemons and various vinegars became more accessible.
 

Verjuice, called aggourida (=immature), was used extensively in Northern Greek cuisine.

8 bell peppers
2 garlic teeth, crushed
verjuice
virgin olive oil
salt
black pepper
Preheat the oven to 170 C [...]