GREEK CUISINE
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.
Greek cooking emphasizes simplicity and health! While there are time-consuming dishes like moussaka and pastitsio, Greek cuisine generally doesn’t involve complex sauces and preparations. The Greek flavor profile, which often includes a combination of garlic, oregano, and lemon juice, tomato sauces with hints of cinnamon and allspice, Greek honey in various sweet and savory dishes, and the fusion of orange and fennel, contributes antioxidants, minerals, and other nutritional elements to every meal. In the traditional Greek Diet, which is essentially a traditional Mediterranean Diet, vegetables and legumes feature numerous main course dishes, providing the recommended daily allowance of vegetables. Paired with whole grain bread and a small amount of cheese for protein, these meals offer complete nutrition. The wealth of vegetable-based main courses has its roots in fasting traditions, which call for abstaining from all animal products for approximately half the year.
Although Greeks nowadays consume a lot of meat, traditionally meat was limited, enjoyed as a special treat or combined with plant-based foods in stews and baked dishes. Extra virgin Greek olive oil contributes to the healthiness of Greek cuisine, as Greeks consume an average of 22 liters per person annually. Extra virgin Greek olive oil is the primary cooking fat and the staple dressing, drizzled over various salads and cooked dishes at the end.
WINE AS A FORM OF NOURISHMENT
For millennia, wine has catalyzed Greece, playing a foundational role in nutrition. Vine cultivation was widespread across Greece as early as prehistoric times, and wine was not only considered a beverage but also a form of sustenance consumed regularly. It wasn’t just an accompaniment to meals; it was a form of sustenance in itself. This perception of wine persisted through Classical times when wine was a key agricultural product and a staple food, highly valued for its abundance of nourishing and nutritional elements. The sweet “melanas oenos” or near-black wine from antiquity served as an excellent daily source of calories, available throughout the year.
Greece’s native grape varieties, terroirs, and the Aegean sun have always given Greek wines the resilience needed to withstand transportation and aging. Thus, under challenging living conditions, during strenuous agricultural work, on long journeys and voyages, and in times of war, the wine proved to be more than beneficial as a form of sustenance. A cup of wine helped to fortify and uplift both the body and morale. Later, during periods when the rest of Europe experienced its renaissance, while Greece was under oppressive regimes like Ottoman rule, the nutritional value of wine was crucial in overcoming the daily challenges of life. Even in more recent times, wine continued to provide nourishment: a common staple among the inhabitants of rural Greece was a piece of bread soaked in wine. This practice had its origins in antiquity and was a wine variation of the Homeric kykeon, a drink comprising water, barley, and herbs.
However, it wasn’t just wine as a form of nourishment that aided the Greek people from ancient times to the present; wine in its medicinal capacity also came to their aid. Since ancient times, wine has been regarded as therapeutic when consumed on its own or with added herbs. Due to its tonic, warming, sterilizing, and refreshing properties, wine has always been seen as having medicinal qualities. However, the principle of moderation has always accompanied its consumption, and in ancient Greece, wine was almost always diluted with water. The average Athenian citizen would start the day with a cup of diluted wine. Athenian citizens would also frequently partake in symposia where wine was consumed in moderation (excessive drinking was frowned upon) alongside philosophical discussions. In other instances, diluting wine with water was a preventative measure for purifying potable water.