When the weather turns cold, this thick soup is especially delightful. It’s vegetarian- and vegan-friendly, and a favorite lenten dish as well. In Greek: σούπα με μπιζέλια, pronounced SOO-pah meh bee-ZEL-yah Add a fish dish like taramosalata, some Greek olives, and lots of crusty bread, and you’ve got a traditional meatless Greek Wednesday, Friday, or Lenten […]

Ingredients: 1 kilo of mushrooms 1/2 a cup of butter or olive oil 2 onions sliced 1/2 a cup of red dry wine 1/2 a cup of water 1 tsp of crushed coriander seeds Salt and pepper to taste Method: Wash the mushrooms, cut in quarters or slices and boil for a few minutes until […]

Ingredients: 1 kilo of spareribs 2 cups of red dry wine 1/2 a cup of olive oil 2 tbsp of crushed coriander seeds Hot water Salt and pepper to taste Method: Have your ribs cut one bone at a time and in small pieces about 2 inches long. Place in a large enough bowl to […]

In Greek: πάστα ελιάς, pronounced PAH-stah el-YAHS This blend of olives, garlic, oil, and vinegar is a sharp and tangy spread for breads, breadsticks, and vegetables, and the perfect meze to bring out the best in Ouzo or wine. Prep Time: 15 minutes Total Time: 15 minutes Ingredients: 3 cups of pitted black (Kalamata) or green olives 3 teaspoons extra virgin […]

Freshly made dips taste great, but sometimes, after they’ve been refrigerated to chill or stored for a short while, the taste seems to change. Whether you’re making dips ahead of time or storing some leftovers, here are some tips to make sure your dips always taste their best. Aerate Dips and spreads made with sharp […]

Greek name and pronunciation: Piperi, πιπέρι, pronounced pee-PEH-ree At the market: Black and white peppercorns and ground pepper are usually readily available at the market. Green peppercorns, packed in brine or freeze-dried, are generally available as well. Physical characteristics: Pepper is a vine that produces clusters of berries which look like a foot-long length of […]

In older times, traditional sweets were made from the boiled thick grape juice which apart from honey was the only other available sweetener. Such sweet grape products were especially made in village clusters that produced grapes in abundance. In 1801 Clarke noted that, “perhaps there is no part in the world where the vine yields such […]

As was the case with earlier historical periods, the Byzantine era also yielded abundant and often vivid information on nutritional habits and patterns. Our knowledge, however, of general culinary practice and especially of specific recipes and quantities of ingredients is disappointingly meager. An exception to this general dearth, albeit a minor one, is information traced […]

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 […]

Description: There is taken, upon the name of God the Most High, of honey scorched in naqrah (perhaps this word means ‘a silver vessel’), three ratls, pounded scorched oven bread, ten loaves; starch, half a ratl; roasted anise, fennel and nigelia, two uqiyahs of each; Byzantine saffron, an uqiya; celery seed, an uqiyah; Syrian Carob, half a ratl; […]