Not to brag about it as a country, but the Greek cuisine - in addition to what is rich in choices - has unrivaled flavors that excite the palate. And it is not only the classic food (moussaka, stuffed, souvlaki that tourists ask for like crazy), but also many, many other options that you will be eager to discover and cook.
There are or rather there were recipes that were passed down from generation to generation even in the difficult years of the Occupation, but also in times of poverty they kept families full and stole the men who went to the fields. We are talking about food Old Greek, mainly of the province that is known to the younger generations (in today's words are unknown) and as the "grandmother's food".
If you grew up in the countryside or your grandmother lived in the countryside, she would still cook some of the food she gave to her own children and they would stuff it. So, these foods today either do not exist at all, since they were lost in time, or they make them in some areas, but the dust of oblivion is ready to cover them as well.
Of course, as we speak, some of them were just "bombshells" for health and teeth, such as sugar bread. And so now that eating habits have changed, they have taken their place in the timeline of history.
But let's look at some of these forgotten "grandma's foods" below.
You've probably heard it, you may use it in various expressions, but you may never have tried it. It is the famous bobota or otherwise the "pie of the poor". It has been associated with the difficult years of the Occupation, while it continued to exist on the Greek tables for the following years, but little by little it began to be forgotten. To return, however, last with new versions.
However, the old classic bobota was a type of bread that existed in many poor houses that did not have wheat flour. It was actually cornmeal porridge with salted water and oil, and if they wanted (and there was) they added an egg to it. They baked it in the corner (as the ancients used to say) in the fireplace or in the oven, after first wrapping it with logs or walnut leaves and covering it with hot ashes and embers.
In the villages, when they slaughtered the pork, they took small pieces of fat, boiled them in cauldrons with water and salt and then stored them and could consume them for up to a year.
Cigarettes can be said to have been the… bacon of the time, as they looked quite visual, but were mainly used as a meze at parties, parties or Christmas in many areas.
Famous breakfast or afternoon snack of our childhood. A wet slice of sourdough bread sprinkled with plenty of sugar for full energy. And full damage to the teeth. It also had variations and along with the sugar they sprinkled cocoa. Another option was a slice of bread (not wet) in which sweetened condensed milk was spread.
As my grandmother used to say, "we used to cook chickpea bread in the Occupation". Which means it's about to be the most delusional time of the year, as well. Chickpea bread was made with chickpeas, flour and a little oil.
Today, you find it mainly in areas of Epirus. It is made from sheep's or goat's milk mixed with zucchini and corn flour.
In the past, however, it was especially popular as a pie, with which the whole family was full. In fact, they even took them to the fields to "keep" them in the hard work.
As a child, it is impossible not to have experienced a hit (or hit) egg. We ate it in a rage, mainly in the afternoons. How was it made? They took the yolk of a raw egg and beat it well with a tablespoon. If you wanted, add a little cocoa.
In fact it is custom, which until a few years ago was quite widespread in many parts of the country. Today, wedding buns are made, especially by older women, who want to follow the custom taught to them by their grandparents.
What is the bride's roll? It is a bun-shaped bread, which is decorated with various designs that have their own special symbolism: the grapes for example symbolize productivity, the flowers the couple's life and so on.
They call it the "bride's bun", because it is made by the bride and offers it on the wedding day, when the two soybeans are joined.
The beans are not endangered, of course. Equally, equally nutritionally they have quite valuable elements. However, as a food they are associated with various allergies, and can cause problems in people who have been diagnosed with G6PD deficiency.
In general, the beans were "demonized" by the elders to a large extent and did not allow children to eat. I remember my people eating beans or beans from beans and they would not even let us try because we would get it allergy. And because I was so "washed", I have never eaten beans in my life, since in the back of my mind there is this fear.
And as it seems, in the same place are many others, who either have never tasted beans or avoid them in general. Thus, as food it is not one of the most well known or of those who cook often.
However, the phrase Τι "What are you doing, Giannis?" Remains popular and unsurpassed. I sow broad beans ".
Although this has been associated with childhood in the village, in the summer, since it was breakfast for many children. But also for the adults, before they leave for the fields. Breast milk is boiled goat's milk (or sheep's milk) with salt, which you put in a bowl and rub in it plenty of sourdough bread.
Cooking requires imagination. And even in times when there was no money for a lot of materials, even with the little they had in their kitchen, housewives were creating. And one of these creations was the bread meatballs, which today are made by those who have the recipe of the grandmother.
What is it; For stale bread meatballs with cheeses at their disposal. They were baked and then fried and they were delicious.
In the past, when they made the discs with the huts for the dead in the houses, the starozoum made a break. The wheat that was always left over, they took it and boiled it again until it became a thick soup. Then they put it in bowls and added sugar, a little cinnamon (if they wanted) and 2 to 3 tablespoons of red wine. This version was very popular in the Peloponnese, while today many people make it on Good Friday. It's just not as popular as it used to be.