When December rolls around in Greece, a profound sense of tranquility envelops the towns and villages, adorned with twinkling lights and garlands that celebrate the spirit of Christmas. The air is filled with contagious excitement as families come together to uphold time-honored traditions rooted in rich history and deep religious beliefs.
Festive Foods: A Feast for the Senses
Central to Christmas celebrations in Greece is the exquisite array of food that pays homage to both festive cheer and the country’s agricultural bounty. One of the star attractions is Christopsomo, or Christ’s bread, a beautifully braided loaf sprinkled with sesame seeds, symbolizing the body of Christ. Each family has its own recipe, often passed down through generations, with intricate patterns etched into the golden crust. (more…)
Rooster wine with Chilopites is a winter dish and is very delicious! This dish represents one of the classic meals in Greek cuisine, featuring a slowly braised rooster in a hearty and aromatic tomato and wine sauce served over chilopites. It’s essentially a Greek version of coq au vin, with its secret being the ample use of aromatic spices like nutmeg, bay leaf, cinnamon, cloves, and allspice berries.
Delicious! I’ve heard that historically, this dish was considered quite special, prepared occasionally for Sunday lunch or to mark a celebration. The meat from roosters is tougher than that of chickens and requires more cooking time, and since there weren’t as many roosters as hens available, it became an occasional delicacy! (more…)
Pietro Querini is the Venetian nobleman who in the early summer of 1431 in Chania, Crete embarks on a ship loaded with wine and spices, and a crew of 68. They are off to Flanders. Instead, they end up shipwrecked at Røst in Lofoten, Northern Norway.
“I, Pietro Querini from Venice, have promised myself to write down exactly, for the memory of posterity, the adversities that have befallen me and the places where they have happened to me according to the dispositions of the wheel of fate. You must know that driven by the desire to acquire honor and riches, I invested my belongings to set up a ship for a trip to Flanders. On April 25, 1431, I left Crete for this journey, which turned out to be very bitter and full of misfortunes.
My state of mind was sad for the loss of my son, and full of pain, as if it were already a premonition of the many and unbearable misfortunes that would come. Pietro Querini was a Venetian Patrician in the 15th century, a member of the powerful Querini family, and a member by right of Serenissima’s Great Council. He was Lord on the Island of Candia (Crete) and owned the fiefs of Castel di Termini and Dfnes, famous for the production of Malvasia Wine, which he traded especially with Fiandre. Bound for Bruges in Flanders in 1431, his merchant ship encountered a terrible storm off the western coast of France. The storm ravaged the ship, and the sailors had to take to lifeboats. (more…)
In the annals of humanity, numerous societies have been built upon the cultivation and production of wine. Even today, many individuals naturally associate wine with culture. In ancient times, in regions conducive to wine production, the emergence of a civilization and its culture closely followed, and vice versa: Once a culture had developed, its prosperity and well-being became closely intertwined with the vine and wine. This correlation is not coincidental: Wine cultivation requires settling in one location and giving up nomadic lifestyles. It can thrive in poor soil, leaving fertile ground for other types of cultivation. Winemaking necessitates specialized knowledge and techniques, while its commercial aspect depends on the presence of transportation and expertise in trade, economics, and shipping, among other things. The most illustrious and enduring culture in history, the Greek wine culture is one such example. The ancient Greeks recognized wine as a natural gift and transformed it into an art form. (more…)
Greek cooking is rooted in seasonality, simplicity, continuity, regionality, and healthfulness. The country’s exceptional raw ingredients, grown in a perfect Mediterranean climate, have led to a deep respect for pure flavors, especially in traditional Greek cuisine, which remains closely tied to the seasons.
Greek cuisine has ancient origins. Greek olive oil, olives processed and flavored in much the same way over centuries, Greek honey, wild foods (especially game birds and hares, now replaced by rabbits), herbs, shoots, buds, a multitude of wild greens, ancient legumes such as fava beans, split peas, chickpeas, and lentils, fish and seafood, snails, nuts, sesame seeds, whole grains, and a few simple goat’s and sheep’s milk cheeses are the timeless components of Greek meals. Overall, Greek cuisine maintains its core values while being adaptable enough to evolve with the times without losing its timeless essence. (more…)
Wine in Ancient Greece was an integral part of daily life. It was consumed during meals, religious ceremonies, and social gatherings. The Greeks also believed that wine had medicinal properties and was often used as a form of medicine. Additionally, wine played a significant role in Greek mythology and was associated with the worship of the god Dionysus. Overall, wine held great cultural and symbolic importance in Ancient Greek society.
Wine in Ancient Greece and its presence during ancient meals and banquets were essential, where it was plentiful. However, the ancients did not consume wine in the same way we do today. They diluted it not only with sweeteners but also with seawater, avoiding untempered wine. They considered the water-to-wine ratio important, typically diluting it with half or three parts water to two parts wine. Depending on the season, the water used was either lukewarm or cold, and sometimes ice cubes were added, obtained from mountains and preserved in straw, as chilled wine was considered a luxury. They also utilized cool wells as refrigerators and stored snow in special bins to chill the wine and water. (more…)
