A gesture of Cypriot Hospitality A traditional and delightful Greek Cypriot custom is the offering of spoon sweets to guests as a symbol of hospitality. They are called spoon sweets because the usual serving size is a well-filled teaspoon. Spoon sweets are popular both in Cyprus and in Greece, usually served with Greek coffee and a […]

GIGANTES ME SELINO Gigantes, giant beans, are similar to what Americans know as butter beans. This recipe comes from Ioanna Brotsi, who opened her Arcadian home to us, invited ten of her neighbors, and served us up a feast of old recipes and handwritten cooks’ notebooks. Makes about 4 to 6 servings Ingredients: 1⁄2 pound dried Greek giant […]

Greek name and pronunciation: Anithos, άνιθος, pronounced AH-nee-thohs (soft th sound, rhymes with “dose”) At the market: Dill is sold as fresh cuttings (sprigs) bundled into convenient amounts, in sprinkle-pour bottles of dill weed (dried leaves), and in sprinkle-pour bottles of dill seeds. Physical characteristics: The dill plant grows to a height of 8-30 inches. […]

Greek name and pronunciation: Vasilikos, βασιλικός, pronounced vah-see-lee-KOHS (rhymes with “dose”) At the market: Expect to find at least one variety of basil at your green grocer or supermarket. Green basil is the most comonly used variety for cooking. Fresh basil leaves are packaged in 2- to 4-ounce disposable containers. Dried basil is available in […]

This is a nice way to serve olives. The marinade is a delicious and colorful combination. It’s served as a “mezé,” which in Greek means something to nibble on: An appetizer to be served with an aperitif before dinner. Ingredients:  1 cup Kalamata olives 1/2 cup oil cured olives 1/2 cup green olives Zest of 2 lemons 1 tablespoon […]

Ingredients: 6 slices of tope (dogfish or smooth-hound shark steaks) 250 g mulberries or blackberries 25 g olive oil 25 g walnuts, chopped 6 slices white bread, dried and crumbled 1 spring spearmint, finely chopped 2 tbsp. raisins or currents 25 g fresh butter 1/2 cup sweet, white wine salt, pepper juice of one lemon […]

Syrup of Lemon Byzantine recipe

Byzantine food refers to the food of Byzantine, a part of Roman Empire. The food is the result of the fusion of Roman and Greek cooking styles. With the development of Byzantine trade and empire, various kinds of new vegetables and spices, along with sugar, were brought in the region, which eventually led to the […]

Now, when you entertain people to a Greek meal, you can impress them with your knowledge of Greek! The letters in bold italics show where the accent should go when you pronounce it. almond – ameegdalo (soft d) aniseed – anitho apple – meelo apricot – vereekoko artichoke – aggeenara (hard g) asparagus – sparangee (hard […]

(A Collection of Medieval and Renaissance Cookbooks, Vol. 2, pg. Misc-3. It is one of the three recipes translated from Kitab al-Tabikh (The Book of Dishes): Oriental 5000 (British Library) pp.70b, 71a, 74b.) White sals. Walnut meats, garlic, pepper, cinnamon, white mustard, Tahini and lemon juice. Ingredients: 1 c. walnuts 2 (or 1 very large) cloves garlic […]