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Sometimes Greek Nature truly surprises with its gifts. A small evergreen tree growing in a specific area in the southern part of Chios, an Eastern Aegean island, seems to have just appeared thousands of years ago. Although found in countries around the Mediterranean Sea, only this variety produces the unique mastic sap.   Somehow the ancients knew the tree was born for greatness. The mastic tree, Pistacia lentiscus, yields sap by making incisions in the bark forming translucent, teardrop shape chunks of resin, which is known internationally as Chios mastic. Hippocrates suggested its health benefits, the Genovese (14th century) built medieval … Read more

The taste of pure Greek honey is unforgettable. Who could resist a refreshing bowl of creamy yoghurt with a drizzle of honey or a generous spread of the ‘nectar of the gods’ on more than one slice of freshly-bake, breakfast bread. In antiquity, this Greek superfood was cherished not only as a traditional sweetener for food and drink but for its health benefits. Melikrato was a mixture of honey and milk given to growing children and, if ancient storytelling holds true, the Thrace born philosopher, Democritus, lived to 90 (some writers suggest 104) because he enjoyed an habitual diet of … Read more

Everybody has a favorite Greek pita pie, or two or three, because the choice of fillings, both savory and sweet, is almost endless creating a tasty treat wrapped in layers of buttered, filo dough. The traditional pita pie has a special place on the daily Greek table. It is sometimes savory, sometimes sweet, with sheet dough or not, almost always baked in the oven and, less frequently, fried. The word appears in Greece in the Middle Ages. Pita also refers to a type of round, unleavened flatbread (pita with slouvaki, pita with gyro). All varieties of pita pies are made … Read more

A day in the life of the ancient Greeks started at early rise with barley bread dipped in wine and, perhaps, a few figs or olives. This may sound ‘spartan’ compared to today’s full breakfast but Athenaeus, 2nd-3rd Century AD grammatist, names a long list of different breads in The Deipnosophistae  (dinner table philosophers), sometimes called the oldest surviving cookbook, that underlines the importance of bread in ancient Greek life. Bread played a vital role at the table for nourishment and health (there were three daily meals). There were special breads and cakes for all occasions, such as celebrations, entertainment and … Read more