Greek traditional presentation styles of food

G. Ts., 7th Junior High School of Rhodes, January, February 2017

Mezedes/AppetizersMezedes (pl. for mezes) are:

● savoury appetizers offered in the traditional cafés (kafeneia) of Greece.

● Sometimes accompane an alcoholic drink.

● This kind of serving food incorporates a deeply rooted tradition, that of sharing food and drink with friends.

Meze /Mezedes

The word meze comes from the East; it is a Turkish word.It can be:

slices of bread,

❖ savoury cheeses,

❖ fried eggs,

❖ omelet with fried potatoes,

❖ olives,

❖ roasted chickpeas,

❖ peanuts,

❖ almonds, rusks with olives, fresh beans,snake cucumber, pickles etc.

Fasting dishes. Dishes without meat and dairy productsMany traditional dishes were created under the influence of the Christian religion.

Before major holidays Greeks abided fasting. They didn’t eat meet and diary products.

VASILIOU SPIROS, Supper on the First Day of Lent,Oil painting in wood, 125x78 cm (Municipality of Rhodes, Modern Greek Art Museum)

The greek Lent/fasting (40 days defore Easter) table A dish:

Taramosalata (fish roe dip)

It is a delicious, very refreshing dip

It is served with Greek Sesame Flatbread (Lagana) or with a wide assortment of raw vegetables.

A famous dish for the summer:Stuffed vegetables: gemista INGREDIENTS

5-6 large tomatoes2-3 courgettes2-3 potatoesDill, parsley1/2 kilo rice2-3 eggplants2-3 peppers2 onions1 cup olive oil1 1/2 cups fresh cream or grated cheese

Hollow out the tomatoes, eggplants and courgettes and place their pulp in a bowl. Finely chop and add to the pulp the rice, salt, pepper, olive oil and finely chopped onion, dill and parsley and mix. Season the scooped tomatoes, courgettes, eggplants and peppers and stuff each with the mixture. Place the stuffed vegetables in a baking pan and top them with a tablespoon of fresh cream or just before you turn off the oven sprinkle them with a little grated cheese.

Moussaka: the greek version of an international dish (Middle East, balkans) The modern Greek version was probably formulated by chef Tselementes in the 1920s.

Ingredients:

Eggplant flasks or and zucchini or and potatoes,

minced beef meat and

bechamel sauce on the top.

Souvlaki/ia (pl.)A popular Greek fast food

consisting of small pieces of meat and sometimes vegetables grilled on a skewer.

It is usually served

with grilled bread, or

in a pita wrap with garnishes and sauces,

or on a dinner plate, often with fried potatoes.

The meat usually used is pork, although chicken and lamb may also be used.

The word souvlaki comes from the Medieval Greek σούβλα souvla 'skewer', borrowed from Latin subula.

fasolada (WHITE-Bean Soup): the national dish! Fasolada, a white-bean soup sometimes even called "the national food of the Greeks".It is made of beans, tomatoes, carrot and a generous amount of celery usually served with a variety of salty side dishes(like olives or anchovies).

Appetizers and saladsTzatziki:

yogurt with cucumber and garlic puree, used as a dip.

Served with warm pita bread.

Dakos: A cretan salad

It consists of:

❖ a slice of soaked dried bread (paximadi)

❖ topped with chopped tomatoes and crumbled feta or mizithra cheese.

Sources

http://www.greekgastronomyguide.gr/en/item/cretan-mezedes-raki-crete/

https://akispetretzikis.com/en

http://www.gourmed.com

http://www.mgamuseum.gr/sylloges.php

Bon appetite!Thanks for watching!