Greek Cuisine: by Lorenzo Castro

GREEK CUISINE
By Lorenzo Castro
Four Millennia Cuisine

Greek cuisine is founded on principles
of freshness and hearty simplicity.
Its believed that the first ever
cookbook was written in 320 BC by
Archestratus, an ancient Greek poet.
Greeks today eat some of the same
dishes their ancestors did in ancient
times.
These includedolmades(stuffed
grape leaves) and many of the same
fruits, vegetables, and grain products.
Fusion of the East and West

The Greek diet has been influenced by traditions
from both the East and West.
In ancient times, the Persians introduced Middle
Eastern foods, such as yogurt, rice, and sweets
made from nuts, honey, andsesameseeds.
When Rome invaded Greece, the Romans brought
with them foods that are typical in Italy today
including pasta and sauces.
Arab influences have left their mark in the southern
part of Greece. Spices such as cumin, cinnamon,
allspice, and cloves play a prominent role in the
diet of these regions.
Turks later introduced coffee to Greece.
Potatoes and tomatoes were brought from New
World after exploration of the Americas began
about five hundred years ago.
FOOD OF THE GREEKS
Fresh fruits and vegetables play a large role in the Greek diet.
With its long coastline, Greece also relies heavily on fish and seafood.
Meat tends to play a less important role. It is often used as an ingredient in
vegetable dishes instead of as a main dish.
The islands and coastal areas of Greece favor lighter dishes that feature
vegetables or seafood.
In contrast, the inland regions use more meat and cheese in their cooking.
History of Moussaka Recipe

Moussaka is a Greek taverna favourite.
Based on Maghmuma, a traditional
Arabic dish, this mixture of lamb, onion
and aubergine is said to have been
cooked as far back as the 10th century
in Baghdad and served to the caliphs,
the rulers, of the city.
With its bchamel topping, moussaka is
believed to have been the invention of
Greek-born chef Nicholas Tselementes,
an influential cookery writer of the
1920s, who wanted to refine Greek
peasant cooking.
Moussaka
Lamb-Eggplant Casserole
Ingredients
2 medium eggplants, thinly sliced
3 Tablespoons olive oil
2 medium onion, diced
2 green peppers, seeded and
diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 pounds ground lamb or beef
2 teaspoons paprika
teaspoon black pepper
teaspoon salt
teaspoon cinnamon
cup plain yogurt
4 egg yolks
1 Tablespoon flour
Procedure
1)In a large skillet, heat the olive oil and brown the onion, peppers, and garlic.
2)Add the ground meat, paprika, pepper, salt, and cinnamon.
3)When the meat is crumbled and cooked, put it in a bowl and set aside.
4)Saut the eggplant slices in the skillet, adding more oil if needed.
5)Brown on both sides, remove, and set aside.
6)In a large casserole dish, alternate layers of the eggplant and the meat mixture.
7)Preheat oven to 350F.
8)Place cover or aluminum foil over the dish. Bake for 45 minutes.
9)In a mixing bowl, beat together the yogurt, egg yolks, and flour. Remove the casserole from the oven and
remove cover.
10)
Spread the yogurt mixture over the top of the moussaka.
11)
Return uncovered casserole to the oven and bake for 15 minutes. Serve hot.
)Serves 6 to 8.
History of Baklava Recipe

The word "baklava" entered English from
Turkish, although the dish is often thought to
be ofGreek origin.
The history of baklava is not well-documented;
but although it has been claimed by many
ethnic groups, the best evidence is that it is of
Central Asian Turkic origin.
The Greek's major contribution to baklava was
the creation of the dough technique that
allowed it to be rolled as thin as a leaf, rather
than the rougher, bread-like texture of the
Assyrian dough.
The name "phyllo" comes from Greek
language, meaning "leaf."
Baklava
Greek Walnut, Pistachio and
Syrup cake
For the baklava
30 sheets of phyllo dough
500g(17 oz.) walnuts,
chopped (or a mix of walnuts,
pistachios and almonds)
1tspcinnamon powder
1 tsp grounded clove
1 tsp sugar
300g butter, melted (10 oz.)
some whole cloves for garnish
(optional)
For the syrup
650g sugar (23 oz.)
400g water (14 oz.)
80g glucose or honey (2.8 oz.)
zest of 1lemon or orange
1 cinnamon stick
Procedure
1)To prepare this baklava recipe, start by melting the butter in a saucepan over low heat, being careful not to
burn it. Using a cooking brush butter the bottom and sides of a baking pan. (For this baklava recipe you will
need a large baking pan approx. 40*30cm). Begin by layering the sheets of phyllo on the bottom of the baking
dish to form the base of the baklava. Layer the sheets one at a time, making sure to sprinkle each one with
melted butter.
2)In a large bowl, mix the chopped nuts, the sugar, the cinnamon and grounded clove. Sprinklethenut
mixtureover the phyllo base and continue forming the top of the baklava. Top the nuts with the rest phyllo
sheets, sprinkling each one with melted butter and brush the top of the baklava with enough butter.
3)Place the baklava in the fridge for 15 minutes to make it easier to cut into pieces. Remove the baklava from
the fridge and using a sharp knife cut the cut the pastry all the way down into pieces. If you fancy the taste of
clove, place one whole clove berry into the middle of each baklava piece and sprinkle the top with some cold
water.
4)Place the baklava in preheated oven at 150C on the lower rack (both top and bottom heating elements on) and
bake for about 1 hour 30 minutes, until all the phyllo layers are crisp and golden.
5)Prepare the syrup for the baklava. Into a small pot mix all the ingredients for the syrup and bring to the boil.
Boil fro about 2 minutesuntil the sugar is dissolved. As soon as the baklava is ready, ladle slowly the hot syrup
over the hot baklava, enabling it to be absorbed.
6)Let the baklava cool down completely and serve after the syrup is absorbed.

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What are the main influences on Greek cuisine?

What role do fruits and vegetables play in Greek cuisine?

GREEK CUISINE

Four Millennia Cuisine

Fusion of the East and West

FOOD OF THE GREEKS

History of Moussaka Recipe

History of Baklava Recipe

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