Archives: Stories

During the winter months, Greece reveals one of its most welcoming and authentic sides. Picturesque villages, softly lit cities, and the warmth of a crackling fireplace create the perfect setting for a winter getaway. At the heart of this experience lies the Greek Breakfast, offered by hotels participating in the program across the country, welcoming travelers with care and authentic local flavors inspired by tradition and the winter season. From the traditional villages of Pelion and Trikala to the mountainous landscapes of Epirus and Ioannina, mornings begin with the aromas of freshly baked pies, local cheeses, cured meats, golden honey, … Read more

Saint Fanourios pie is a fasting pie made in memory of August 27th. According to tradition, fanouropita is made with seven or nine ingredients. These numbers symbolize the mysteries of the church, the days of creation, and the angels’ battalions. Seven or nine ingredients seem to further enhance the strength of the pie. According to popular tradition, Agios Fanourios is a great finder of lost objects. It is precisely this attribute that has created the peculiar worship practice during the day of celebration. Fanouroptia, after it is being blessed by the priest, it is shared to those who are present … Read more

Rusks are ideal for breakfast, consumed with cheese, butter and honey, sausages or tomato and feta cheese. Traditional rusks are made from various cereal flours: corn, barley, wheat, rye or even carrot flour. They are made from bread baked twice to eliminate all its liquids in order to be preserved longer. This is because at the past, families were not financially able to have fresh bread daily. Rusks were in other words the bread of the poor, those who spent their day in the field or in the farms. Rusks are also found in ancient times. Their name was “Dipyrite … Read more

It is nothing more than a thick paste of roasted, grated, peeled sesame, used in North African and Middle Eastern cuisines. In these countries tahini is a common ingredient in sauces and soups, and in particular in the preparation of hummus, tahini salad and tahini soup. The name “tahini” is of Arabic origin and probably comes from the word “tahana” which means “grind”. Sesame cultivation dates back to 1500 BC, when, according to Herodotus, it was cultivated in Mesopotamia, on fertile soil along the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, and it was mainly used for oil production. Tahini is of exceptional … Read more

The nutritional habits in ancient Greece are saved either in ancient Greek and Roman literature or in artistic depictions of the time. Cereals and vegetables ranked first in their preferences. Wheat, barley and oats, but also lettuce, radishes, cucumbers, greens, onions, garlic, mushrooms, pumpkins, legumes such as beans, lentils and the chickpeas were served on a daily basis. Fruits made up the next largest food group within ancient Greek nutrition, such as grapes, apples, pears, pomegranates and figs. Nuts, olives, but also dairy products (milk, cheese, yogurt), eggs, honey, as well as herbs and spices (oregano, thyme, mint, parsley, silfio, … Read more

This is a traditional Greek treat, associated with summer evenings and visits to friends’ homes. Vanilla is named “submarine” because it is served in an ice-cold glass of water with a spoon of vanilla dived in it. There are many varieties of flavours such as mastic, vanilla, pink rose, pistachio. Tradition says that this aromatic sweet was inspired by a Chios pastry chef in Constantinople. They called it “white sweet” and became the favourite treat in the Constantinople ‘s mansion houses. When the Chios refugees returned to their island, they added a mastic scent. Vanilla is a white and fragrant … Read more

Trahanas or tarhana is one of the oldest foods in the eastern Mediterranean. It looks like a tiny gravel and it has many variations. Trahanas is produced with a variety of ingredients, such as semolina or wheat flour, groats or broken wheat, mixed with milk, sour milk, yogurt or even peppers or vegetable pulp and hot peppers. The story of trahanas goes back to ancient times, as an evolution of the porridge that fed Greeks and Romans. Marcus Gavius Apicius, the Roman author of cookbooks of the 1st AD. century, refers to tractae (a type of viscous slurry used to … Read more

Frappe no matter how one prefers to drink it (sweet, bitter, with or without milk, with ice cream, stirred or shaken, strong or decaffeinated) frappe is always refreshing and stimulating. The ingredients are simple: instant coffee and water, sugar, milk and ice and a straw to enjoy these freshening sips. Our “national coffee”, as often described, is said to have been accidentally invented in 1957 at Thessaloniki International Fair by Dimitris Vakondios, an employee at the booth of the Swiss company Nestle, which was producing instant coffee Nescafe, which was is largely identified with the frappe. It said that Vakondios … Read more