Apples have been growing in this corner of the world since ancient years. Greek mythology is full of tales that, at some point, involve an apple somewhere by someone. I have already mentioned the myth of Atalante and Hippomenes and there is also the famous story of Eris who threw an apple saying “To the...
The name basil is derived from Greek basileus “king”, because of the royal fragrance of this herb. Basileus “king” means essentially “people’s leader. Basil belongs to the family of Lamiaceae. Its leaves show an intense green color on the upper side and a green-gray color in the bottom side. Today, basil is cultivated in many...
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...
Happy New Year my friends! May 2018 be the year of accomplishment of all our unfulfilled dreams and goals! On Christmas Eve we went out with my mother in law for dinner and we had an amazing sweet potato soup. Apart from that, we did nothing else as my son got a terrible cold which...
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...
Back in the late 80’s when I was a university student, life was full of knowing new people and strolls. We used to go out almost every day hanging out with friends for coffee or eat out. I think those were my most carefree years and I believe the same stands for most people. It...
One of the five basic elements of ancient Greek diet was wine. Although the origin of vineyards and viticulture comes from Asia, ancient Greeks because of trade started cultivating vineyards since Neolithic Age. Homer, Plato and Xenophon in their written documents make an extensive mention to all their contemporary wines from several parts of Greece....
The fourth out of the twelve labors, that Eurystheus of Mycenae obliged Hercules to perform, was the catching of the Boar of Erimanthus. Erimanthus was a place in Peloponnese peninsula and goddess Artemis has offered that huge animal to the area. Nevertheless, the boar raided a vast area killing other animals and causing damages to...
Queen Elisabeth of Austria, very well known as Sissi, felt in love and got married at the age of 16 the Emperor of Austria Franz Joseph. Although one may think that the life of young Sissi would be like a fairytale, the reality was far from that. The young girl was very much stressed by...
Andros is a beautiful island of the Cyclades complex very close to Athens. Its name, as mythology says, comes from general Andros descendant of gods Apollo and Dionysus. That is the reason why Dionysus was worshipped in the island and the two gods appear in their coins. Because of its proximity to main land, its...
