Pasticcio in Italian means “mess” and indeed Pastitsio is a dish that combines pasta, ground meat and bechamel. The name was established during 17th century in Italy. There are several variations of pastitsio that include dough, pasta and meat ragù. Pasticcio alla Ferrarese is a type of calzone which is stuffed with pasta, meat, mushrooms...
Zucchini, like all squash, has its ancestry in the Americas. However, the varieties of green, cylindrical squash harvested immature and typically called “zucchini” were developed in northern Italy, long after the introduction of cucurbits from the Americas. It appears that this occurred in the second half of the 19th century, though the first description of...
Surrounded by sea, Greece is the place to have fresh, straight from water, seafood and fish. The country is full of tavernas serving all kinds of seafood and a vast range of fish that are available in Greek sea. From small to large fish, shrimps, crawfish, mussels and several other edible seafood are the contents...
Garlic and onion have a common history, similar usage and common properties. Botanically speaking they are a short of brothers as they both belong to the allium category. Although garlic comes from central Asia, it was very well known in ancient Greece and Egypt as well. Herodotus mentions in his writings, that the slaves who...
One of the staples of Greek Easter is undoubtedly tsoureki. Tsoureki is a sweet bread that resembles the Jewish challah only with some variations. The word tsoureki comes from the Turkish word “corek” that means any bread that is made with yeast. There are several sweet and savory variations of corek depending on the area...
Once upon a time, there was once in the northeastern part of Greece, Thrace, a beautiful princess called Phyllís. One day, a ship, returning from the Trojan war, dropped anchor where she lived. The ship’s captain and owner was Dimophóntas the son of Theseus. The two youngsters fell in love and eventually got married. For...
Santorini is one of the most famous Greek islands around the world. Santorini island is basically what has remained after a massive volcanic eruption that destroyed all previous settlements and created the current geological caldera. This enormous volcanic eruption has become the most famous single event in the Aegean before the fall of Troy. It...
Euboea or Evia is the second-largest Greek island in area and population, after Crete. The narrow Euripus Strait separates it from Boeotia in mainland Greece. The narrow Euripus Strait separates it from Boeotia in mainland Greece. In general outline it is a long and narrow island; it is about 180 kilometers long and varies in...
As 2017 is about to expire, I went back to all the months that preceded and tried to pick one recipe that was a hit or special from each one of them. It was hard because every time I make something I put all my energy, love and affection to it and thus everything you...
Carob tree is an evergreen tree that grows in Mediterranean countries and the Middle East. Its crop looks like a hard, flat bean and has dark brown color. For many years carobs were used to feed animals, but during and after World War II and while Germans occupied Greece, carob was an essential food for...
