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Greek salad

Greek cuisine is a typical Mediterranean cuisine, which shares characteristics with, among others, Italian cuisine, Serbian cuisine, Turkish cuisine and cuisine in the Middle East. Modern Greek cooking uses a lot of olive oil, vegetables and herbs, cereals, bread, wine, fish and various kinds of meat, such as poultry and rabbit. Typical ingredients in Greek cuisine are lamb and pork, olives, cheese, eggplant, zucchini and yogurt. The desserts are dominated by nuts and honey. Many dishes include phyllo dough.

History

The oldest finds found in Greece that show that humans switched from hunting and gathering food to growing and producing their own food are 7,000 years old, that is, from the Neolithic. The main food then seems to have been cultivated wheat, oats, barley and rye as well as legumes such as lentils and peas, which were supplemented with wild, fresh or dried fruit such as olives, acorns, nuts, plums and blackberries. Thereafter, wine and broad beans began to be grown, followed by figs, wild pears and sweet almonds. They also started raising sheep, pigs and cows for the sake of milk and meat.

The Bronze Age

Oregano was an appreciated spice as early as antiquity

Gradually new foods were introduced and as new cooking methods were developed and refined, life improved. This is verified by the large number of cooking tools that have been excavated at sites, but also by the fruits that have been found burnt in the remains of various palaces. Cooked and grilled, or in some cases raw vegetables and legumes, were staples in the diet. Most dishes were flavored with spices such as oregano, peppermint, thyme, saffron, garlic, cloves and capers. The main ingredient in all diets was wheat. The wheat was used to make flour, which was the basic ingredient in porridge, as well as many kinds of pies that were sprinkled with honey, sesame seeds or, in Crete, poppy seeds. The flour was also used to make bread, which was often sacrificed at shrines.

Olives and olive oil, along with other oils, such as sesame oil, clove oil, and linseed oil, were also staples. Flaxseed oil was used to lubricate grilled pies. Dried fruits such as almonds, chickpeas, acorns, walnuts and carob seeds were also used. Locust bean seeds were mainly used to produce the sweetener locust bean honey, which was used in the manufacture of sweets. However, the citrus tree was still unknown.

They ate very different kinds of meat. Pork, beef, lamb and goat meat were often eaten grilled, cooked or finely chopped into pies. Milk and cheese were common products, while chickens and pigeons were bred for meat and eggs. Hunting, which was one of the pleasures of antiquity, provided delicacies such as wild boar, deer, roe deer, wild goats, hares and wild bulls. In Crete, [[snail]s were also eaten. Minoans used to pick snails in the fields to such an extent that it became a Greek export commodity. There was a lot of fishing and seafood made up a large part of the food. Seafood such as sea bream, Striped red mullet, tuna, European bass, scorpionfish, stingray, sardines, Gilt-head bream, octopus and squid, eaten grilled, salted, sun-dried or in soups. Everything was served with wine that came in many varieties in all regions of Greece.

Antiquity

Vegetable food

Quince has been in Greek cuisine for a long time, and was used in the absence of lemons to give the food a more acidic tone.

Many influences from antiquity remained during antiquity. During the period, cooking began to be considered art. In the 500s BC. attracted the attention of many chefs who created new dishes and became interested in gastronomy. In the 400s BC. was written the first cookbook in Sicily by Archestratus. The information we have today, however, comes from another author, Atheneos, who in his work Dipnosophistes (Sophists of Symposium), describes the cooking process from the Homeric era up to 200A.D. His work mentions all common dishes, their names and how to cook them. Many of the dishes of Greek cuisine, including many soups, originate from antiquity.

Hecamede pours kykeon for Nestor

The drink kykeon was made from a nutritious porridge of barley, and was also drunk in religious contexts. The drink was often supplemented with mashed legumes, vegetables, pieces of meat, fish or poultry. Melas zomos, which was the national dish of the Spartans, was a soup made from pork, wine and vinegar. The most popular dishes in antiquity included vegetables and legumes. Some of them were eaten raw and others were boiled or fried. The most appreciated legumes were lentils, broad beans, peas, chickpeas and lupins, while using many vegetables and wild herbs such as onions, zucchini, cabbage, mallow, artichoke and endive. Fruits such as grapes, different kinds of apples (which were also made for cider), cherries, pears and quinces were popular. The quinces were eaten cooked and served with meat during Roman times. Fresh or dried figs and juices from unripe pomegranates, which were commonly used instead of lemons to get acid in the food next to the quince fruit. Dried figs, sweet almonds, roasted chickpeas and walnuts were called tragemata and were eaten with wine after the main courses during the symposium. The ancient Greeks used spices to flavor food, such as oregano, saffron, thyme, pepper and cloves. They mixed sour, salty and sweet together. One of the spicier dishes was a sauce made from garlic and oil, something similar to today's skordalia (garlic sauce). Mustard seeds, which are now made from mustard, were also used as a spice.

Baklava, today mainly known in Middle Eastern cuisine, but which is originally a Turkish dish.

Cereals, grown in large quantities, were the basic ingredient in many dishes. Wheat or barley flour was used in the preparation of plakountes, small pies in various forms that were roasted and sprinkled with honey, walnuts, sweet almonds and sometimes with sweet cheese. The flour also made many different kinds of bread, prepared in different ways. Other ingredients were often mixed with flour, such as honey, oil, wine and spices. They made grits from wheat which were ground in hand mills. The ancient Greeks had no rice, but they knew of its existence as a dish in the East. They did not know at all about the existence of tomatoes and potatoes, which today are part of modern Greek cuisine.

Filo dough was often made to wrap different fillings in. The fillings could contain sweet almonds, walnuts, sesame seeds and honey. It resembled today's baklava, the origin of which is a debated topic; it is not known for sure if it is Turkish or Greek. Round small pastries were sacrificed to the gods at the shrines during ceremonies, while large loaves of bread were sacrificed at larger feasts. For special feasts, small quantities of various kinds of legumes and vegetables were gathered, which were boiled together and then sacrificed to the gods as a thank you for the harvest. After the celebration, the whole family gathered around the table and ate from polyspermia. The ceremony showed how important the harvest was to their diet.

Animal food

Kokoretsi is made on intestines and is today's eilito.

Pork was the most popular meat and was also considered sacred as it was a symbol of fertility, and was therefore sacrificed to the gods. Lambs and kids were eaten mainly fried on skewers and from their intestines they used to make eilito, something similar to today's kokoretsi. Eggs, at least in Roman times, were fried, boiled or cooked mixed with milk and honey in a kind of cream that thickened when placed over a fire. Other popular dishes were venison and mince pies. Meat is not eaten every day but on selected occasions, mainly after the sacrifice.

Fish was more common than meat and was grilled or cooked. Fish soup was cooked in a kakavi, a large stew, from which the name of the dish kakavia comes. Relatively often, different fish were salted, such as sardines, mackerel and bonito, and the dish was then called taricho. Garos, a kind of sauce used for fish, meat and vegetables, was made from fermented fish. Molluscs and shellfish were also eaten, mainly squid. Many more fish species were probably used at that time - more than we know today.

Roman and Byzantine Empire

The Romans were influenced by the many characteristic features of Greek cuisine. They appreciated Greek food early on and asked the best Greek chefs for advice on how to prepare their food. When the Roman Empire expanded, it was clearly influenced by the cooking customs of the enslaved peoples and when one could afford to import the most peculiar and expensive foods, a complex kitchen was created. The luxurious Roman banquets and the famous Lucullus feasts made an impression on history through its abundance and eccentricity. Gradually, however, the tendency to buy expensive foods for delicious dishes diminished. The Byzantine Empire quickly resumed, after the fall of the Roman Empire, the ancient Greek cuisine and developed it by assimilating dietary influences. During the Turkish occupation, the Greeks borrowed many elements from Turkish cuisine, which in turn had already borrowed many elements from Greek cuisine from Byzantine times. The loans from the Turkish, Venetian and French cuisine later became traditional eating habits.

Present

Today's cuisine

In modern times, tourism has brought Greece closer to other European eating habits, which has led to a large new selection of dishes. Eating habits from the Middle East and Latin America have spread to Greece, while American cuisine tends to affect the whole world. During Christmas and New Year, the Greeks begin to cook the traditional Greek filo dough. Small bread cakes (kourambiedes), small honey cakes (melomakarona), sweet pastries (diples, a mixture of donuts and strudels), New Year's cakes (vassilopites) and New Year's cookies are found in many Greek homes during the Christmas weekend. During the carnivals, many imaginative dishes are created. What you mainly eat is then pasta and pork cooked in many different ways, as well as tasty pastries such as honey cakes (loukoumades).

Taramosalata

During the summer, many fruits and vegetables are ready to be harvested. These often have to replace lunch during the summer due to the heat. Leftover fruits and vegetables are preserved and become marmalade or jam to eat in the winter. The vegetables (okra, broad beans, zucchini, eggplants) are often the basis of the food during the summer. Among all Greek dishes, moussaka is often the favorite and parade dish. When the first cold comes in the autumn, the traditional Greek bean soup is prepared. During Lent the religious restrictions have put the Greeks to the test. Despite the extremely limited number of permitted foods, good dishes and even pastries have been created. Some examples of dishes that have been added during Lent are seafood dishes, taramosalata, tzatziki, spinach pie and other vegetable pies.

During Easter, lambs, kids and the famous mayiritsa are mainly eaten. On Easter day, the traditional skewer is set up, while in the following days you eat many different meat dishes prepared from lamb and kittens - in the oven with potatoes or pasta, in stews such as fricassee, or grilled roasts, etc. Another important part of Greek Easter is the red eggs.

Nightlife

The café is a traditionally important place in Greece. In the past, the café was a gathering place for men, and women were allowed to meet in another place. Today it is not as strict and both women and men have access to the cafes. The café often serves coffee, raki, wine and cold food. In rare cases, the café has a menu. There are bars and discos in pretty much every major tourist area and city, most of which are similar to the western ones. Prices have risen significantly in recent years, although they are still cheaper than in many other countries.

Different foods

Olives and olive oil

Olive oil

The olive tree is indispensable to the Greeks and olives are consumed in some form almost every day. Olive oil is a basic ingredient in Greek cuisine and is found in most households to the point that olive oil and oil are almost synonymous terms. The Greeks consume the most olive oil in the world per capita. Due to the widespread use of olive oil, the olive tree is very common in Greece and thousands of families have olive tree cultivation as a profession, mainly in the Greek islands and the Peloponnese. Greece is the world's second largest producer of olives and the third largest of olive oil. och den tredje största av olivolja.

Olives are a tasty starter. Olives are very unusual in cooking but are eaten raw. These are collected at the end of the year, at the same time as the olives used for oil are harvested. There are many different edible olive varieties depending on which area the fruit comes from and how it has been taken care of. The most famous are the olives from Kalamata and Amphissa. The ways of disposing of and preserving olives do not differ much from how they were done in ancient times.

The history of olives

The history of olive growing in the Aegean Sea in ancient times is obscure. Charred olive tree trunks have been found during excavations of Neolithic settlements. The domestication of the olive tree is dated to the early Bronze Age, around 3000 BC, but the systematic exploitation of the olive tree started in Crete in 2000 BC. Productions of olive trees, olives, olive presses and storage oils on the island date to the Minoan age, after 1700 BC. The findings show that people under the Minoan ageused olives in their diet and oil as fuel. It seems that welfare in Minoan Crete was partly based on oil exports. The cultivation of olives and production of oil was of great importance for the economy of the Cretan and Mycenaean society became known only after the decryption of the Mycenaean written language Linear B. Many geological monuments from Knossos, Mycenae, Pylos and other Mycenaean residences are engraved with the symbols from Linear B for olive trees (e-ra-wa), olive oil (e-ra-wo) and olives. At the same time, the same painting showed ideogrammaticpictures of the olive tree and its products. Oil was one of the most important products in Greece not only in ancient times but has been so in all eras. According to Greek mythology, the olive tree was a godsend; Athena gave the olive tree to the Athenians and she became their protector. Solon the Wise Lawgiver, 600 BC, determined the optimal distance between two olive trees so that the greatest possible harvest would be given, and he also forbade the pruning of more than two trees per year and growers. In addition to the economic importance of growing olive trees, due to the significant exports of oil to many ancient lands, the Greeks used olive oil to offer, as igniters, for religious purposes and to paint walls and vessels. Above all, however, the olive tree was a symbol of peace, wisdom and profit.

The winners of the ancient Olympic Games received as a prize a wreath of olives, a symbol of peace and reconciliation between people. In Athens, the olive tree was associated with the prize of similar athletic sports, a prize that not only had a symbolic value but was accompanied by a significant financial reward. Every four years, the Athenians organized Panathenaea, a festive event that included religious ceremonies and athletic games, in honor of Athena. The winners of the competitions were awarded large earthen vessels, the famous Panathenean urns, which were filled with olive oil. These luxurious urns, which are today exhibited in many museums around the world, were decorated with images of the athletic games and of the goddess Athena. Each winner, mainly in trotting, could win from 30 to 70 urns containing 2.5 to 5 tons of olive oil from the sacred olive groves in the city. It seems that the winners were able to sell the oil they won, as evidenced by the large number of Panathenean urns found around the entire Mediterranean up to the Crimean peninsula. It is said that out of the money you got to sell the oil won, you could buy two to three houses or 140 sheep.

During Roman times, the production of olives and olive oil was still of great importance to the Greeks and exports provided significant incomes. It was similar in Byzantine times. In addition, due to the rise of Christianity, the olive tree gained a special symbolic significance for the new religion. According to the religion, Noah's dove carried an olive branch, a sign of God's grace, and Jesus called the tree a blessed tree. Christians were anointed with olive oil and the olive oil is of great importance to Christians throughout their lives, for example through the oil lamps that are lit at the iconic table in the Greek household. In many monasteries and churches around Greece there are very old plantations. For example, olives have been grown on Athos since the 11th century.

Oliver today

A several hundred year old olive tree on the island of Euboia.

Nowadays, olive trees are grown and olive oil is produced using modern methods. The species that is mainly grown is Olea europaea, due to its long lifespan. By the Mediterranean, there are trees older than 300 years that still produce olives. In Kalamata there is an olive tree that is 800 years old and more than eight meters high. The tree has become a natural monument in the area. The olive tree grows in dry areas, even on rocky or rocky ground. In fertile and abundantly irrigated soil, it grows quickly and bears fruit, but it can not withstand temperatures below -9°C. The harvest takes place when the olives are in the last stage of ripening, when the color changes from green-yellow to black. The earlier the harvest, the worse the oil yield and the quality, but if the harvest is done later, the fruits will be worse, but the oil yield will increase. In the past, the harvest was done by hand when the fruits fell to the ground. To facilitate this method, plastic nets are now laid over the ground in which the olives must be collected within 15 days. The harvest is usually done by hitting the tree, but efforts are now being made to abandon this method which damages the fruit. Therefore, both machines and chemical substances are now used, which makes the fruit fall more easily from the tree. After collecting the fruit, the olives are stored for a short time in bags or wooden boxes and transported to oil presses. There the leaves are removed and the fruits are washed and then they are put in the oil mill, which consists of two or three cylindrical granite stones that spin around metal or wooden axes and crush the olives. The fruit then goes through special machines that separate the oil from the juice and the procedure ends in the oil press where the olive oil is separated from the pulp. For this last step, a hydraulic press is used today, which has caused a revolution in the oil industry.

Olive oil is an important factor for the balance of metabolism and the brain as well as bone development in the human body, while it is recommended for the elderly as its vitamin E slows down cell alteration and natural aging. Olive oil also contributes to the prevention of gastric ulcers and bile ailments while it, due to monounsaturated fatty acids, reduces cholesterol. High cholesterol can lead to cardiovascular disease and atherosclerosis.

Greek cheeses

Saganaki

Like olives, cheese is a matter of course for the Greeks and is eaten almost every day, either as an appetizer or as a complement to the main courses, or as an ingredient in many kinds of dishes, such as pies, salads, saganaki, pasta, omelettes, sandwiches and more. The knowledge about cheese making comes from antiquity, and it seems as if you do something similar to what you did then. The Greeks produce a large amount of cheese, most of which is of Greek origin. In addition, the Greeks import cheese from many other countries. The Greeks are the people of Europe who eat the most cheese per person, which is largely due to the Greek feta cheese.

Hard and soft cheeses

Feta is made from sheep's milk. The taste is semi-sour and a little salty, and the cheese is stored in salted water in barrels or cans.

In general, the cheeses are divided into hard and soft cheeses. The soft ones are cooked after a short treatment, which binds the water in their mass and they mature quickly. A disadvantage is that the shelf life is short, only under very special conditions or in the freezer the shelf life will be longer. The hard cheeses need a longer treatment, contain very little water and ripen slowly, but the shelf life is long. Feta is probably the most famous Greek cheese and it is eaten in large quantities in Greece. It is white and is made from sheep milk. The taste is semi-sour and a little salty and it is stored in salted water in barrels or cans. It is an important ingredient in Greek peasant salad, but can also be served raw as an appetizer with oil, oregano and pepper, or grilled with tomatoes and oregano. It is widely used in vegetarian dishes and is the main ingredient in the traditional cheese pie. Manouri is a white cheese made from whey with a large amount of fat goat's or sheep's milk. It is unsalted but contains a lot of cheese. The shelf life is short but the quality is high. Manouri is mostly produced in the areas of Thrace, Macedonia, Epirus, Naxos and Crete. Mizithra a white cheese made from whey, similar to manourin. It belongs to the same category as manourin, but its quality is lower. It is served fresh or dried and dried using the most grated pasta. Mizithra in Crete is well known and is used there to make small pies.

Kefalotyri is a white-yellow cheese made from sheep's and goat's milk. It has small holes and a spicy and salty taste. Due to its hardness, it is often used grated for pasta, or fried in hot oil and is then called saganaki, which is a well-known and appreciated starter. In Greece, cheese has been created for centuries. Today it is mainly produced in Epirus, Thessaly, Parnassus and Crete. Kefalograviera is just like kefalotyrin a white-yellow cheese, but is made from cow's milk or a mixture of cow's and sheep's milk. It has a rather spicy taste and has many small holes. Graviera s a semi-hard yellow cheese made from cow's milk and a small amount of sheep's milk. It is similar to the cephalogravier but has a sweeter taste and larger holes. Kasseri is a semi-hard white-yellow cheese made from sheep's milk with a rather spicy taste. The production of cashiers in central Greece is important.

Typical Greek dishes

Appetizer

Meze is the collective name for a number of different small dishes, usually served with, for example, ouzo. Orekika is the Greek name for an appetizer and is often used when eating a main course of non-Greek origin. Sauces are often served with a loaf of bread or pita bread. In some regions, dried bread is softened in water. Examples of Greek starters are dolma (sarma, vine leaves stuffed with rice and vegetables and often meat), Greek salad, horta (wild or grown vegetables, steamed or blanched which are then made into a salad and flavored with lemon juice and olive oil. They can be eaten as one easy meal with potatoes, especially during fasting instead of fish or meat), melitzanosalata (eggplant salad), saganaki (fried cheese), skordalia (thick garlic and potato puree), taramosalata and tzatziki. Many other foods are wrapped in filo dough, either in smaller triangles or in large sheets with the names kotopita (chicken), spanakotyropita (spinach and cheese), hortopita (vegetables), creatopita (minced meat) etc.

Soups are valued in Greece both for their great nutritional value, and because they are simple and quick to prepare. The most flavorful are considered to be those made from veal or fish broth, but vegetables, lemon and eggs are also added for taste. Examples of soups are fakes (lentil soup, and one of the famous everyday Greek soups, usually served with vinegar and feta cheese ), fasolada (a bean soup described in many cookbooks as the traditional Greek dish, sometimes also called "Greek national dish".), magiritsa (the traditional Easter soup made from entrails from lamb) and psaro soup (a fish soup that can be cooked with many different kinds of fish and many kinds of vegetables such as carrots, parsley, celery, potatoes, onions, etc. There are many variations, such as the classic cocoa which get some splashes of olive oil.)

Main courses

The vegetarian main courses are very popular during Lent, especially during the "Great Lent" before Easter. Examples of vegetarian main courses are gigantes (oven-baked beans with tomato sauce and various herbs, often seasoned with different kinds of pepper. ), spanakorizo (spinach and rice stew cooked in lemon and olive oil sauce) and yemista (oven-baked stuffed vegetables, usually tomatoes, paprikas or other vegetables that are hollowed out and stuffed with rice and herbs.)

Greek cuisine has long been considered healthy because it contains a lot of olive oil and fresh vegetables. Today, meat has gradually become an increasingly important part of the diet and many people eat meat both once and twice a day. The most common types of meat in Greece are pork, lamb, beef, goat, chicken, veal and rabbit. When meat used to be expensive, meat was eaten almost twice a week and often with a lot of vegetables, pasta or groats. One of the most famous meat dishes is moussaka which consists of eggplant, minced meat, potatoes and tomato sauce, as well as béchamel sauce is a good example of how to mix many components including meat into one dish. Many meat dishes are prepared in tomato sauce and red wine, others in, for example, lemon. Garlic and other onions are widely used in stews and oven-baked dishes. Pastitsio is a dish that is reminiscent of lasagne, although not with so much sauce, and made from pasta, minced meat, tomatoes, garlic, onions and béchamel sauce. Giovetsi is lamb baked with pasta and tomato sauce. Examples of other animal main courses are païdakia (grilled lamb chops with lemon, oregano, salt and pepper), gyros (fried meat on a vertical skewer served with sauce, often tzatziki and garnish as tomato and onion in pita bread. Popular Greek fast food), kleftiko (lamb marinated in garlic and lemon juice slowly baked on the bones. It was originally cooked in a perforated oven. ), keftedes (fried meatballs with oregano and mint ) and stifado (venison stew on rabbit, venison or similar with pearl onions, red wine and cinnamon ). Souvlaki a popular dish in Greece, almost regarded as fast food and has been described as "Greek burgers". The dish is widely sold throughout Greece, for example in fast food restaurants. It consists of grilled meat, often pork, on a large skewer. Put the pieces of meat in a pita bread together with all kinds of vegetables and sauce, it is called gyros. They can also be served on the skewer lying on a plate, often served with rice or pasta.

Desserts

Many Greek desserts are made on sugar, and often even filo dough. Nuts are used in many desserts, and when the dish is baked and ready, it is covered with sweet syrup based on honey, both for taste and shelf life. However, the dessert is rarely eaten after the main course, with the exception of various fruits, but is more like sweets. The sweet is then eaten in the middle of the day, often outdoors, along with a cup of Greek coffee and a glass of ice cold water. The pastries often use nuts such as walnut, pistachio, hazelnut and sweet almond and are pastries such as baklava and kataifi, either inside the pastry or chopped on top. There are many cakes for special holidays, such as melomakarona, a cake soaked in honey, served for Christmas, and eaten with kourabiedes, cakes of flour, butter and chopped roasted almonds sprinkled with icing sugar. For New Year, vasilopita is served, which is cut into pieces during the wee hours. It often contains a silver coin, which brings happiness to the one who receives the coin.

The baklava, believed to be of Turkish or Lebanese origin, is the model for the Greek baklava, which is often made of thicker filo dough and is larger than its Turkish model. Examples of other desserts are, for example, diples, a Christmas and wedding delicacy of thin, sheet-like doughs cut into large squares and dipped in a pot of hot olive oil for a few seconds, after which it solidifies into a screw-shaped for. Then it is immediately removed and sprinkled with honey and chopped walnuts. Other examples could be galactoboureko, a vanilla cream in between filo, halvadopites, a nougat of sesame and sweet almond in a thin shell, moustokouloura, cake flour mixed with fresh grape juice instead of water, rizogalo, rice pudding and spoon cakes. Spoon cakes are made from different fruits, ripe or unripe, or green unripe nuts. Are mainly made in the same way as marmalade except that the fruit is cooked whole or in large pieces. Yogurt with honey or syrup is often served.

Drink

Ouzo

Main article: Ouzo

Probably the most famous Greek liqueur is ouzo. Ouzo, which is like a brandy, has a very special taste and is spiced with anise. The drink is very common all over the country, and sometimes you get a glass for free after a meal at a restaurant. Critics believe that the best ouzon is made on the island of Lesbos. In Crete, the Turkish variant raki is popular instead of ouzo. Raki's alcohol content varies greatly, and is produced from many different fruits, among which grapes and figs are common. The drink is then flavored with anise. Most manufacturers of raki are old distilleries, because new distilleries are taxed by the government. Because the drink has such a high alcohol content, it is easy to get drunk from the drink. Tsipouro is another liqueur that is similar to ouzo, although it often has a higher alcohol content, around 45 percent, and is flavored with herbs. The drink is often home-brewed, and is made from must residues from wine making. Raki and tsipouro are basically the same drink, only that raki has a higher alcohol content.

Wine

This section is a summary of Greek wines.

Main article: Greek wine

A glass of retsina from Greece

Naoussa wine

A simple rule is that light wine is used for unseasoned food while a darker wine is used for rich tasty dishes. Greek starters drinking often dry white wine, as well as fish and seafood, which also have a nice, subtle scent. Red wine is used for meat, no matter how the meat is, depending on how spicy the taste of the meal is. Dry white wine is better suited to pasta and vegetables, rosé wine or red wine to omelettes or rice dishes. In general, wine is chosen after the most spicy of the dishes served. Wine is not only a meal drink, but also a companion drink. Red wine is more common and cheaper than white. A popular Greek wine is retsina, which is a white wine with resin from aleppo pine, originally for improved shelf life but now also for the taste. The wine should be drunk fresh, and the taste is very special.

The history of wine

Greek mythology and archaeological finds from antiquity show that wine was cultivated for a long time. It seems that vineyards that produced grapes for wine were first grown in Central Asia and from there they spread to the Middle East. The Greeks were one of the first European peoples to produce wine. According to archaeological evidence, vines were first cultivated in northern Greece during 4000 BC. while it has been established with certainty that wine was produced in 2000 BC. Homer mentioned the large number of existing wines and praises it not only as a pleasant drink but also as a medicine. Hesiod described different ways of making wine. Ancient Greeks promoted wine production very much. Each city could boast its own wine, while the most famous came from Thassos, Chios, Kos, Rhodes, Euboea, Thera, Crete, Cyprus, Myrtelene, Naxos and Thrace.

In ancient times, wine diluted with water was drunk by both women and children. The proportion that Hesiod recommended was three parts water to one part wine. In addition, wine was drunk differently than is the case today. During the symposium, for example, the main course was not accompanied by wine, but the wine came afterwards with sweet desserts, so-called tragemata (dried fruit, sweet almonds, honey pies). The ancient Greeks do not seem to have drunk wine to get drunk. During the symposium, the participants discussed philosophical problems for hours on their own chosen topic. Plato compiled his most famous philosophical dialogue drinking wine in symposium. He wrote: "Wine reconciles you to yourself". According to Greek mythology, it was the wine god Dionysus who taught the Greeks to make wine. When Dionysus was hunted by Hera, Zeus' wife, and took refuge on a mountain, he was raised by the nymphs in a cave full of wild vines. Growing up, Hera's anger forced him to wander all over the world, whereupon he taught all he could about vines and wine. During his wanderings followed nymphic maenads him and a large group of satyrs. The menadas kept rods decorated with ivy and vine leaves and came in ecstasy dancing in a wild way. The satyrs took part in the lively team running and danced and hunted the nymphs. God with his entourage gave the people who welcomed him of his sweet wine to please them and to make them happy. However, those who did not accept him were punished because he could cause mania with his wine and lead them to extremes. This should show that wine in moderation makes you feel better, but in excessive amounts it leads to catastrophic mania. Dionysus taught the souls the correct way to use these gifts and punished those who refused to receive them or crossed the boundaries. Most Greek regions thus began to cultivate wine and worshiped the god, as people through intoxication and the insane dances could free themselves from anxiety and feel free.

Different wines

The wines that the Greeks liked most were strong and sweet wines with many spices (cinnamon, thyme and the like). At the same time, they made wine from other fruits such as apples in the form of cider, pears in the form of apitis, quince in the form of kydonitis, figs in the form of sycitis and pomegranates in the form of rhoditis. Quite often they diluted the wine with water, as they thought this was a good way to make the wine last longer. For the same reason, they had in pine bark to create the most famous Greek wine, retsina. This wine was then stored in clay pots or in special large urns in which they were exported. The handle of these urns was stamped with information about capacity, quality, age and where the product came from.

Modern wine production

Muscat

Modern Greece continues to produce large quantities of wine. 200,000 families across Greece work in winemaking and together they produce 500 million liters of wine a year, at a total of 360 wineries. A large part of this is exported abroad and is considered to be of high quality. According to the rules get about 20 Greek regions produce wines with the designation Appellation of Higher Quality. The variety of Greek wines is very large due to the large difference in the nature of the soil in the different areas.

Thrace, the most famous area in antiquity for its production of the famous wine of Thassos, today produces a limited number of wines that are inferior to those from other regions. However, Macedonia has some of the most excellent Greek wines, such as naoussa (dark red, strong wine) and topikos agioritikos (local Mount Athos), which is a red and white wine produced in the monasteries of Mount Athos. The tradition of making wine on Athos started 1,000 years BC. when the first monasteries were established on the peninsula because wine was a basic ingredient of the monks' diet and was also used for therapeutic purposes. A large number of white wines are produced in Attica in the Greek mainland. In the Greek mainland, grapes of the savatiano variety are also grown, which are used, among other things, to make retsina.

The Peloponnese is the wine region of Greece with the greatest diversity. Muscat, among other things, is grown here, which are sweet white wines with a taste of the muscat variety. On several islands in Greece, wines are grown for winemaking. On Samos produced a now famous, sweet, aromatic wine of muscat grown at altitudes up to 800 meters. On Santorini grown high-quality wines, where cultivation is favored by the island's volcanic rock. In both Rhodes and Crete, many wines are produced, including daphnes, which have been grown since ancient times.

Beer

There is no traditional beer production in Greece, but a number of local breweries have been established. These beers are relatively inexpensive. Examples of Greek beers are Vergina, Zeos, Mythos, Alfa Hellenic Lager, Fix and Kaiser, all of which are produced locally, some under license.

Non-alcoholic beverages

In addition to soft drinks, different types of juice are very common. The climate makes the oranges sweet, which is especially suitable for the production of orange juice. In most places in Greece, except for some islands, tap water is drinkable. The coffee is served strongly in small cups. It is almost never filtered, but the swamp remains at the bottom of the cup. It is often served in the form of Nescafé, with a lot, little or no sugar. The water can be hot, although the cold variety frappé has become popular, due to the country's hot climate. Tea is drunk, though not so much. There are tea plantations in Crete.

References

Printed sources

• Mavromataki, Maria (2002), The Best Traditional Recipes of Greek Cooking, Aten: Haitalis, ISBN 960-8284-14-7, OCLC 440673405

See also

• Greek wine

External links

• Greekcuisine.com
• Recept med mera