HISTORY OF GREEK FOOD
● In historical famines or severe food shortages, people were forced to consume any available source of food, even foodstuff of the worst quality (grass, pieces of leather, rats etc.). However, starvation almost never affected people equally. It was the poor or the inhabitants of poor areas who suffered the most.
● Shortage of food was one of the main problems of World War II, particularly the winter of 1944/45. Fruit and vegetable producing areas were luckier than the rest of country, since they could even make flour by dried fruits (apples, pears, figs etc.) or dried vegetables (zucchinis, wild greens etc.).
● During that period, the apple bread became popular in apple producing areas. It used apple flour as a major ingredient and yeast as raising agent, though sodium bicarbonate was also used sporadically. Wheat bread consumption increased after the World War II against the other kinds of bread but some years later an apple cake made its appearance in cookbooks and cooknotes. This cake seems to be the rich child of the apple bread.
APPLE BREAD
1 ½ k. apple flour
500 gr. whole wheat flour
50 gr yeast
1/3 tsp salt
2 tbs olive oil
1 lt. warm water
olive oil, for brushing the pan
In a bowl dissolve the yeast in ½ cup warm water. Stir well and add 1 glass of warm water and 1 glass wheat flour. Stir again, cover with a cheese cloth and let for 12 hours in a warm place.
The next morning, combine the remaining wheat flour with the apple flour and salt in a large bowl.Make a well in the center and pour in the starter mixture, the olive oil and the rest of warm water.
Stir to form the dough. Knead with your hands, sprinkling the dough with more flour if it is too sticky or adding some warm water if it is too hard. (The whole wheat and apple dough needs more kneading than ordinary bread dough.)
When dough becomes smooth put it in a bowl, cover with a cheesecloth and let it rise in a warm place for about 2 hours.When the dough is doubled in size, divide it and shape in loaves.
Place them on oiled loaf –pans, brush with olive oil or milk and cover. Let rise in warm place or until doubled in size. Bake the loaves for 40 - 50 minutes or until lightly golden and hollow sounding when tapped. Let breads cool on a rack. (preh. oven 180º C)
APPLE CAKE
1 cup milk
2 ½ cups self rising flour
¾ cup sugar
½ cup virgin olive oil
¼ tsp. salt
1 tsp cinnamon powder
½ tsp ground nutmeg
2/3 tsp lemon zest
1 ½ cup apples, peeled and chopped
olive oil for the pan
Preheat oven to 190º C. In a bowl beat together the sugar and the olive oil, until the mixture is light. Add the eggs and beat again. Add the milk and stir. Add the flour, salt, zest and spices, mix and beat. Add the apples and mix well.
Pour the mixture into an oiled baking pan. Bake for 40-45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove the cake from oven and let it cool for 10 minutes before removing it from the pan.
PISPILITA PIE
Forty years ago, a typical woman from Greek rural area spent all day cleaning the house, preparing meals, baking, sewing, milking, making butter and cheese, raising poultry, rabbits, sheeps, goats, pigs, gathering olives, harvesting greens and fruits, cultivating small vegetable gardens, preserving food for year-round consumption…. being wife, mother, guardian of her children’s health and moral purity.
In the beginning of 20th century the situation was even worse. Food preparation was labor intensive and time consuming as based on cooking over an open fire or on wood stove or in wood fire oven.
Since few houses had indoor plumbing, water for cooking and cleaning was carried in from outside.
In this world where hard work and tireless dedication were almost routine, the making of a pie seemed like a good idea. A pie is a simple way of enclosing a filling in a dough or pastry or flour crust and cooking it in various ways even if the making of some pies involves a great deal of work.
On the other hand, a large pie feeds a family for a couple of days, as a meal or as a snack and a good pie becomes a source of pleasure.
Pispilita’s name derives from the Greek word paspalizo = sprinkle and is a wild green pie with cornmeal layer instead of phyllo sheets. Pies with cornmeal layers have long tradition in Western, Central and Norhtern Greek corn producing areas. They are rough, ‘poor’ pies with a combination of seasonal wild greens gathered from the fields and home made dairy products. Moreover, they are awfully tasty and can be prepared very quickly. Pispilita is made in Epirus, however is found throughout corn producing areas under various names.
A basic ingredient for the Epirotiki pispilita is the nettle. Stinging Nettle (Urtica dioica), the most common nettle species, has a flavour similar to spinach when cooked.
A thick soup made from the young nettles is considered a delicacy in Rhodes island and in Pontos while nettles pies are common in Central Greece, Western Macedonia and Epirus.
Recipe
1/2 k. nettles
250 gr. wild sorrels
250 gr. white beet leaves
2 large onions, finely chopped
6 scallions, white and tender green parts, finely chopped
1 medium leek, white and tender green part, finely chopped
½ cup fresh mint, finely chopped
200 gr. feta cheese, crumbled
3 tbs sour trahanas or bulgur or rice
olive oil
salt & freshly ground black pepper
3 ½ cups yellow cornmeal
2 cups olive oil
2 cups water
olive oil to brush the baking pan
Wearing gloves wash the greens thorougly, drain and chop. Transfer to a colander, add salt, rub the mixture and let it aside for 1 hour. Press with your fingers to extract most of the liquid and transfer to a bowl.
Add leeks, onions, cheese, mint, pepper, trahanas (or bulgur or rice) and ½ cup olive oil. Mix all together. In a bowl mix 2 ½ cups flour with some salt, 1 cup olive oil and 1 cup water.
Make a pulp. Brush a baking dish with olive oil, pour in the cornmeal pulp and spread the greens mixture evenly. Sprinkle the remaining cornmeal over the surface, drizzle the remaining ½ cup olive oil and 1 cup water.
Bake for one hour or until the pie is dense and golden. Let the pispilita cool for 10 minutes before cutting to serve. It can be served warm or at room temperature the next day.
CHEESE & SESAME BALLS
MANOURI is one of the joys of Greek cheese production. The word derives from the ancient Greek manos (tyros)= light, not hard (cheese) and highlights the cheese’s old origin.
A good manouri is an exceptional fresh Greek cheese. It has delicate, milky taste, characteristic flavor, dense but smooth, almost spreadble texture and white color.
It is produced in Thessaly, Central and Western Macedonia from whey of goat or sheep milk, or mixture of them, with the addition of fresh full-fat milk and fresh cream.
You’ll find it at the market in log-shaped rolls, or in pieces cut from a roll.
Although cheese purists eat it on its own, perhaps with a drizzle of virgin olive oil, or with a cracker biscuit, what manouri really does, is afford you the ability to play around it.
Try it fried or grilled, in pies or in stuffings for vegetables or, even better, eat it with some fresh or dried figs or preserves or nuts and honey.. it is fantastic!
The recipe that follows is for cheese junkies and was inspired by reading piece of a poem entitled ‘Deipnon’ The Dinner by Philoxenus of Cythera. Philoxenus of Cythera (435 BC-380 BC) was a Greek dithyrambic poet who had an adventurous life.
This extravagant Deipnon in verse, which have been preserved by Athenaeus, author of The Deipnosophists, probably intended as a satire on the luxury of the court of Dionysius, tyrant of Syracuse.
During the banquet, interminable dishes were consumed by the gigantic appetites of the guests: breads white as snow, fat eels and a conger eel to awake a god’s appetite; a ray fish, some tope, an electric ray, cuttlefishes, squids, octopuses, and a roasted lobster as large as the table; cuttlefishes dredged with flour; fried shrimps; desserts placed on green leaves and sweet- sour breads larger than a pot; an enormous chunk of roast tuna fish; a home raised pig’s belly, shoulder and kidneys; a kid’s roast head; lambs’ tripes, intestines, feet, head, noses seasoned with sylphium; boiled or roast kids and lambs; hares, chickens, partridges, and cushats; breads; golden honey with yogurt and fresh cheese; honey pies sprinkled with sesame seeds, cheese pies and fried desserts made with sesame seeds and cheese.
Recipe
300 gr. manouri
2 tbs. + 1/3 cup of flour
1/2 cup thyme honey
1 cup sesame seeds
olive oil for frying
Crumble cheese by hand. Add 1 tbs. honey, 3 tbs. sesame seeds, 2 tbs. flour. Mix well. Shape into balls, roll in flour and fry in hot oil.
Gently heat the honey for a few seconds until runny, but don’t overheat it. Place the cheese balls on a plate covered with ½ cup sesame seeds. Pour honey over them and sprinkle with the rest of the sesame seeds.
CHICKEN WRAPPED IN DOUGH
Two years ago, I visited with 4 friends the archaeological site of Eleftherna, at the northern foot of mountain Psiloritis (Rethymno, Crete). The day was very hot and the walk into the history brought us thirst and hunger.
At the taverna we crawled in, we ordered drinks and something to eat. Having myself participated in the excavation for 5 years, I felt glad to see again the old lady who owned the place. Since it was Sunday, she had almost boil a whole free-range chicken to make a pilaf. I was surprised when I saw her kneading dough, stuffing the chicken with rice and onions and wrapping dough up and over it. Rethymno, unlike Western Crete and other parts of Greece, has no tradition of meats wrapped in dough.
The dear lady explained the reason she made this ‘pita’ was because she liked the challenge of creating an unusual and special dish, as a sign of hospitality. Since that summer I have made the recipe again and again, though not exactly the same. One major change to it from the original is the use of tea, instead of water, in the dough. Brewed tea leaves are added to it as well, giving chicken and dough a slightly bitter, spicy flavor.
Ingredients:
1 whole chicken
Dough:
2 cups of black chinese tea
1 tbs. spent leaves from the brew flour as needed to keep the dough from sticking (around 5 cups)
Stuffing no 1:
1 medium onion, finely chopped
½ cup rice, Greek Carolina or Arborio
1/3 cup mushrooms, finely chopped
salt
pepper
Stuffing no 2:
1 large onion, finely chopped
3 garlic teeth, finely chopped
1 tabs. mustard
1 tbs. ground cinnamon
2 tbs. red wine
salt
black pepper
Prepare the dough:
Put the tea into your blender or food processor with the tea leaves and blend. Put the mixture in the fridge for some minutes. In a bowl combine as much flour is needed (around 4 ½ cups), salt and black pepper. Once the tea is cooled add it to the flour. Knead well on a floured surface. If the dough is too dry add some water or more tea, a little at a time. Roll it back into a ball, put it into the bowl, put a towel over it and let it aside. Remove giblets from the chicken and reserve for another use. Wash the chicken, then paper dry. Mix the ingredients for the stuffing no 1 and put it into the cavity of the chicken. Secure tail end with small wooden skewers. Mix the ingredients for the stuffing no 2. Push your fingers under the skin of the chicken until you’ll make a little pocket under all the skin.Push the stuffing, filling all the space out. Roll out dough, large enough to wrap the whole chicken. Place it onto the center of dough. Fold dough up and over it, pressing ends together to seal. Place chicken in a shallow greased baking pan. Bake in oven (in a slow heat) for around 2- 2 1/2 hours. Crack the dough and serve.
QUINCES STUFFED WITH GROUND MEAT
●With the autumn still in, quinces are in eating season…. And yes, I love quinces. Despite their declining in favour in modern times, I love their fine taste, the way they go into both savory and sweet dishes. Baked, cooked or poached they reveal a devine aroma and take a beautiful deep pink color.
● The high acidity of quinces (gr. Kydonia) counteract the greasiness of the foods, so they are ideal for fatty meats. KIDONATO, a dish that involves quinces and pork, lamb or veal was common in past. It was prepared mostly by the Greeks who lived in Constantinople, though it could be found all over Greece. This particular combination of meat and fruit appears to be derived from the Persian cuisine via Ottomans. In Persia the marriage of sour fruits, such as quince, and meats is found in many traditional foods. Persians also stuffed the peeled and cored quinces with meat and transformed them into dolma. The Ottomans adopted these recipes from the Persians, in the 15th century.
The following recipe of stuffed quinces is wonderful as a first dish.
6 large quinces similar in size
400 gr ground meat (lamb or beef, or both of them)
1 tbsp rice
1 cup grape juice
100 gr. almonds, chopped and blanched
1 ½ tbsp raisins
4 tbsp butter
1 tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp ground cloves
salt & pepper
Wash the quinces under cold running water to rub off any fuzz and peel them. Cut off the tops and hollow out, leaving 4 cm pulp on all sides. Save tops and set the quinces aside. Brown the ground meat in 2 tbsp butter. Add 2/3 cup grape juice, rice, salt, pepper, cloves, cinnamon.
Mix thoroughly. Cook until the liquid is absorbed. Let the stuffing cool and fill the fruits with it. Replace the tops and place in greased baking dish. Pour 2 tbsp melted butter over the quinces. Combine 2/3 cup water with the remaining grape juice and pour into the baking dish. Cover and place in preheated oven ( 190°C, 50-60 min.) Check to see if fruits are done. Serve them, while still warm.
SFOUGGATO WITH ASPHODELS (ΣΦΟΥΓΓΑΤΟ ΜΕ ΑΣΦΟΔΕΛΟΥΣ)
● Sfouggato literally means ‘resembling a sponge in texture’. The word is derived from the ancient Greek 'spoggia' 'σπογγιά' = spoggos = sponge. The word spoggia is the source of the Latin sfongia in the Apicius’ recipe ‘Ova sfongia ex lacte’ (sponge eggs with milk).
This Roman sponge- egg dish seems to be the forerunner of the Byzantine sfungaton and modern Greek sfouggato, names for an omelet. Beaten eggs are fried, baked or cooked with sliced vegetables (zucchinis or artichokes or eggplants or okras or fresh fava beans or potatoes or mushrooms and/or onions or lettuce or spinach etc.) or chopped wild greens, or chicken livers or lamb innards, or small fishes or cheese… the choice is unlimited. Flour is occasionally added to absorb excess liquid. The vegetable or meat-ingredients are sautéed or cooked and the eggs are poured over them in the pan or in the casserole.
● Of course, a basic ingredient for this omelet is the shoot of asphodel. Asphodel is the ancient Greek asphodelos, a plant sacred to the Chthonic deities and Persephoni, the young daughter of godess Demeter, who was forcefully taken to the underwold by Pluto. The asphodel also filled the gloomy, shadowy meadows of Hades, the ancient Greek underworld.
According to Homer, the disembodied spirits of common dead dwell (Od.24,14) in the field of these fragrant pale yellow flowers, weeping, wandering around like phantoms, being confused like dreams. Only the heroes, certain people who deserved an afterlife reward for their perfect behavior while alive and the bad guys have different destinations.
The heroes- except those going to Olympus- and the exceptional mortals enter to the Elysian Fields, where life is easy and there is the cool refreshing breeze of the West wind. Of course the bad guys are assigned to an unending punishment in Tartarus.
● As asphodel was regarded the favourite food of the dead, the ancient Greeks planted it near graves.
● The asphodels belong to two similar genera of the family of Liliaceae: Asphodelus and Asphodeline. The ancient asphodel with the pale yellow flowers which was associated with the Chthonic deities and the fields of the dead, is the Asphodeline lutea, a rhizomatous perennial. Asphodelus aestivus is the common asphodel. Both species populate the eastern Mediterranean region, flowering in April - June. And yes, the roots and shoots of Asphodeline lutea and Asphodelus aestivus are edible.
● Hesiod (W. & D., 41), described asphodel as the basic ingredient of a poor man’s pulp. Hippocrates and Dioscorides said that the roots were eaten roasted in ashes.Theophrastus stated that the chopped root was mashed with figs and the shoot was consumed fried. The Byzantine lexicographer Hesychius (s.v. asphodelos) also stated that asphodel’s root is edible.
● Until the end of World War II, the starchy roots saved many Greeks from hunger in times of extreme povery.
● In folk culinary tradition of Crete, Southern Peloponnese and some Agean islands the asphodel is involved in several local dishes. The tender shoots are consumed like wild asparagus and bryony: they are cooked with olive oil, lemon and flour or with lamb or potatoes or eggs etc.
TOMATO PASTE
● In the late 19th century the tomatoes were only available during summer and refrigerators were almost unkown, thus wise and cost-consious women from big cities and tomato producing areas made their own tomato paste for the winter. Keep in mind that tomato was introduced to Greece in 1815 when the country was still under Ottoman domination. It wasn’t until the second half of the 1800s that the tomato finally found a home here.
● When Greeks finally accepted tomato, they considered it as a vegetable worth being preserved for use throughout the winter.
● For villagers of the mountainous areas and the very poor Greeks fresh tomato and homemade tomato paste, were still luxuries. In 1911, the Manoussakis brothers founded the first Greek tomato - canning company, Kyknos (kyknos is the Greek word for swan). In the same year Kyknos manufactured 1000 cans of peeled tomatoes and a significant number of tomato paste cans.
● The farmers from Santorini made their own tomato paste using the waterless cherry tomatoes (tomatakia) that were cultivated on the island. By 1902 hand made tomato paste was exported to Turkey and Egypt. It gradually became a major agricultural export good. The increase in urban populations across Greece, Europe and Egypt resulted in a rising demand for canned tomatoes and paste. In 1929 the first tomato paste-processing factory was built. Tomato paste could easily be packaged and shipped abroad.
● Tomatoes based dishes took flight when producers began selling the canned paste. However, the women did not stop to transform tomatoes to paste because it was economical and tasteful.
● In the early 20th century a new sort of snack was invented: a piece of bread that had sun dried tomato paste on one side, sprinkled with few drops of olive oil an oregano and occasionally topped with some local goat cheese.
● Today, most Greeks use the industrial tomato products, though there is nothing like a wonderfully aromatic home-made tomato paste to thicken and give color to a sauce. The commercial tomato paste is not quite same as the home made one which can also include garlic or peppers or herbs and, traditionally, is dried in the hot August sun.
Cooking and baking method:
4 kilos tomatoes
2 tsp salt
if you like add: 2-3 garlic teeth or 1-2 large sweet green pepper seeded or 1 hot pepper or basil leaves etc.
For storing
sterilized glass jars
extra virgin olive oil
The traditional recipes ask for washed fresh tomatoes pureed through a food mill. Greeks hardly prepare peeled and seeded tomatoes for the paste but if you have time peel them, halve them and discard the seeds.
Blend the peeled tomatoes until pulped or cut them into quarters (In this case, also add garlic and/or peppers now). Transfer to a pot, add salt (garlic or peppers etc.) and bring to a boil for 2-3 minutes, stirring regularly. If you have cut the tomatoes in quarters, it’s time to process them in a food mill, processor, or blender until well pulped. Then cook them over very low heat for 45-60 minutes, uncovered, stirring occasionally. (Please, avoid aluminum pans and use a wooden spoon).
Transfer the pan to the oven and bake for about 5 hours (75°C) or until the sauce will become very thick and homogenous. Spoon the mixture into sterilized glass jars, cover with virgin olive oil, let it cool down and store in the refrigerator. To use, dilute with a little boiling water.
Baking and sundrying method.
Puree the washed and skinned tomatoes in a food mill or food processor or a blender. Transfer to a pot. If you’ll use garlic its time to crush it, if you like peppers or basil process them in the blender with a little tomato-liquid. Transfer to the pot, add the salt and bring to a boil (2-3 minutes). Let the mixture cool down. Line a bowl with cheesecloth and pour the mixture into it. Gather the ends of the cheesecloth together, tie them with a string and hang it to drain for one night. Unwrap the cloth and spread the mixture 2 cm thick on baking dishes. Put out in the sun for 2-3 days. Protect the paste from insects with a piece of cheesecloth or netting.Transfer the dishes in the oven and bake for about 3 hours (50°C). Transfer the paste into sterilized glass jars, cover with virgin olive oil, let it cool down and store in the refrigerator. To use, dilute with a little boiling water.
STUFFED CYCLAMEN LEAVES WITH FAVA
● Fava occupies a special place in Greek diet since ancient times. In the past, it was the poor man’s meat and one of the basic Lenten dishes. During religious fasting periods amounts of this puree was consumed particularly in the orthodox monasteries.
As the monks avoid the olive oil during periods of fasting, their fava was served with sesame oil. Today it is served in a tahini substance.
Fava is also a favorite dish in the menu of tavernas since Byzantine years. From tavernas it finally made a triumphant entrance to the haute cuisine.
● Fava comes from the Latin word faba = bean. But when the Greeks say fava they refer to either the dried or fresh seeds of Vicia faba (broad beans) or the dried seeds of Pissum sativum (peas) or the yellow shelled lentils or the seeds of Lathyrus (grass peas). They also refer to the variety of pulses that are made from them.
● Kyaminon etnos, a pulse soup made of broad beans, was a common ancient dish. Fava from peas was a favorite food during the years of ottoman occupation. However the fava from Lathyrus is the most delicius pulse of all.
● Lathyrus has played a key part in the Aegean and Cretan gastronomy. Its history goes back to prehistoric times. Lathyrus sativus, the cultivated grass pea, and its progenitor Lathyrus cicera have been found in archaeological sites from Santorini and Crete, dating to 1500 B.C. and to 1480-1425 B.C. respectively.
● Lathyrus seeds contain a neurotoxin, beta-N-L-alpha-beta-diaminopropionic acid, or ODAP. This can cause permanent paralysis if a person eats too much lathyrus, which happened in time of hardship when little else was available. The neurotoxin is destroyed by cooking, so the well-cooked grass peas are absolutely safe.
● The bulk of lathyrus -fava production comes from Aegean islands and Crete, however Santorini fava is considered unique as originates from the variety Lathyrus clymenous. It has a slightly sweet flavor, a velvet taste and a really high price. Dry climate and volcanic soil rich in potassium, magnesium and iron provide the perfect conditions for the cultivation of this legume.
● Lathyrus fava is usually associated with the local cuisines of Aegean islands where is served in various different ways: with chopped onions, fresh parsley and virgin olive oil; accompanied by dried octopus, or sardines or lakerda (cured mackerel); sauted with fried ‘kavourma’ (smoked pork); as patties (favokeftes). The leftover fava can be mixed with other ingredients like sauted onions or sun dried capers cooked in a tomato sauce. In these cases it’s called pantremeni (married).
● Fava can also find its way into the filling of a very distinctive dolma which is made with cyclamen leaves.
● Cyclamen is a widespread genus of flowered plants, which in its various species and subspecies grows from southern Spain to Iran and from North- Eastern Africa to Palestine. Cyclamen Graecum is a subspecies with beautiful heart-shaped leaves. Its wild distribution includes Corfu
island, the southern parts of Sterea, most of the Peloponnese, the Saronic islands, Crete, Rhodes, the islands of Eastern Aegean, the Sporades, parts of Cyprus and the south coast of Turkey.
● The dolmades with cyclamen leaves are found in the islands of Dodecanese. The preparation that follows is from Symi island. A similar recipe is common in Rhodes, though it contains lentils instead of lathyrus. Of course one can prepare these dolmades using vine leaves even if their taste is altered.
Recipe
500 gr. grass peas or yellow split peas
1/2 cup short-grain rice
2 large onions, finely chopped
3/4 cup tomato, grated
3 tbs. fresh parsley, finely chopped
1 cup olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
40-45 tender cyclamen leaves
juice of 2 lemons
Pick through the grass peas and remove any pebbles. Transfer to a bowl, cover with water and soak overnight. Next morning drain and rinse them. Combine the grass peas, rice, onions, tomato, parsley, ½ cup olive oil, salt and pepper in a large bowl. Pour the juice of 1 lemon. Stir well and taste. Bring water to a boil and blanch the cyclamen leaves for 30 seconds. Remove and rinse immediately under cold water. Place each leaf on a board (shiny side down) and put ¾ tablespoon of the filling near the bottom of each leaf. Roll up as for dolmathes. Place each dolma, seam side down, in a large steel pan and press tightly to one another.
Pour in the remaining olive oil, remaining lemon juice, 1 tsp salt, and enough water to cover the dolmades. Place a plate to weigh them down and to keep them rolled while cooking. Cook at a low heat for about 45 to 60 minutes, or until dolmades are tender and the juice absorbed. Remove and let them cool. Serve them warm or cold, with thick Greek yoghurt.
CHEESE SALAD
400 gr. feta cheese, crumbled
600 gr strained yogurt
1/3 cup milk
1 1/3 cup sultanina grapes, washed and dried
3/4 cups almonds, blanched and chopped
white pepper
Pour the milk into a bowl, add 100 gr yogurt and the crumbled feta, and work with a fork into a smooth paste. Add the rest of the yogurt, stirring continuously. Mix in the grapes and almonds and sprinkle with pepper.
Refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or until it is time to serve.
Available in www.historyofgreekfood.com/. Adapted to be posted by Leopoldo Costa
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