Delve Into The Exotic Flavors Of Greek Cuisine
Greek cuisine is your typical Mediterranean cuisine, with influences from Italy and the Middle East. The basic grain is wheat but they have also been known to grow barley. The Greek terrain is favorable for breeding of sheep and goats rather than cattle. Most of the traditions in Greece and the Greek Islands are based on religious characteristics or from paganism. Most of the meals today revolve around traditions, festivals and celebrations. The cuisine is fresh, aromatic and served with a warmth and vigor.
Take a look at some of the exciting dishes you may encounter when choosing to feast on Greek Cuisine.
Did you know that the oldest known evidence of wine production was in Europe? It was dated 4500 BC and comes from archaeological sites in Greece. No wonder why Greece is one of the most notable names when the word “wine” comes to mind. Not only that, the earliest attested terms referring to wine would be the Mycenaean Greeks.
Categories or Greek Wines & Other Alcoholic Beverages
* Tsipouro- it is very potent alcohol. It is occasionally drunk with ice and a small amount of water to help dilute it.
* Ouzo- this is the renowned Greek alcoholic beverage of choice, and is a country trademark.
* Mavrodafni- this is a sweet, thick, and dark vino, which is nearly black in color. This is usually consumed for Holy Communion.
* Retsina- white wine
Mezedes- (mezes is single) Mezedes are basic appetizers that can be served before or with the main dishes.
Some of the most popular mezedes include:
Wine and appetizers won’t be complete without the main dish, the most awaited food that will be served. Here are the lists of the most famous Greek cuisines.
Main Dishes
* Pastitsio- This dish is similar to spaghetti
* Paldakia- Grilled lamb ribs served with lemon
* Kokoretsi- This is generally consumed at Easter. It is wrapped and roasted entrails of lamb
* Kleftiko- Lamb, which is roasted as a whole carcass, in the outdoors
* Moussaka-Casserole dish with eggplant or zucchini, garlic meat sauce and cream cheese and white sauce topping which can be made in a crock pot if you have one. The slow cooker recipes may be slightly different, but will still taste fantastic.
* Gyros- Roasted meats generally served with tzatziki sauce, tomato, onions as garnishes on pita bread. This is a famous Greek fast food
* Pastitsio- This is a Bchamel sauce casserole of macaroni meat
Kokoretsi is traditionally served as a starter. It’s a meal that is customarily made and served at Easter along with Lamb on the Spit. This cuisine is made from the internal organs of a lamb, arranged on a skewer and cooked over the hot coals along with the lamb on Easter Sunday. It can be found at other times of the year in some tavernas. The purpose of this meal was to make use of the organs of the lamb, that was gutted and cleaned ready for the spit, and not to waste any parts of the animal.
* Ouzo- is an anise-flavored aperitif that is widely consumed in Greece and Cyprus. Ouzo is traditionally mixed with water, becoming cloudy white, sometimes with a faint blue tinge, and served with ice cubes in a small glass. Ouzo can also be drunk, straight, from a shot glass. Mixing ouzo with cola destroys the liquorice-like taste of ouzo.
Yuvarlak is a kind of large meatball in sauce. The meat mixture includes rice or bulgur. They are cooked in moist heat and the juices thickened with avgolemono. Avgolemono is a Greek soup made with egg and lemon juice mixed with broth, heated until they thicken but before they boil and curdle.
* Baklava- this famous pastry is topped with nuts, and drizzled with honey syrup.
* Galaktoboureko- a form of layers of custard.
Greece is also a country very rich in culture with every dish symbolizing an event and a bit of their history. The more we know about the history the more we can appreciate the cuisine.
Michelle is definitely an expert article writer whose niche is blogging about simple, but tasty, house cooking. Her articles frequently stress the advantages of crock pots recipes like crock pot chicken, which is one of her absolute favorites for making Exotic flavors of Greek Cuisine.
