Feb 8, 2018 | Culture, food, Gastronomy, Greece
Salted Fish is an ancient food. Salt has been sprinkled over food throughout the centuries and Greece is no exception. There are places in the world that derived their wealth from salt mining, and its use in Greece can be traced back to ancient times. It is unclear why and how the ancient peoples throughout the world started mining and using salt.
Back in Ancient Greece, however, salt wasn’t looked at as a common season. It was used sparingly, but over the centuries, its importance grew. By the 5th Century B.C., salt was regularly being used to preserve whole fish, and this is a practice that’s still done
. Here’s some more information as to how the Greeks used salt
Salt Was Considered a 
luxury
Back in Ancient Greece, salt was considered a luxury it
em, which is why it wasn’t used as the main seasoning in cooking back then. It was relatively difficult to obtain it, as most of the salt found in Ancient Greece was mined on the island of Salamis. Although it doesn’t seem like a great distance now, it was considerable during ancient times since it was shipped using boats before being it to the rest of Greece.
Salting Whole Fish
One of the earliest uses of salt was to use it to preserve fish. As mentioned above, by the 5th Century B.C., salted fish was becoming a staple food in Greece. The salted anchovies that were are so familiar with today were served even then! Whether Greeks salt the fish themselves or use canned and salted anchovies that they purchased in the store, these fish aren’t normally eaten as is. They’re usually rinsed with water and then marinated with olive oil, lemon juice, herbs such as parsley, and maybe a sprinkling of red wine vinegar. (more…)
Oct 31, 2017 | Culture, food, Greece
History
Ouzo has a special place in Greek cuisine and culture and it is an original Greek aperitif. In Greece especially, it is the perfect choice to accompany seafood delicacies in a seaside setting, with good friends. Tradition traces it back to 14th century Athonian monasteries, when by chance some monks mixed alcohol with anise.
Ouzo is a product with a protected designation of origin (PDO) within the European Union (EU). Initially, it was manufactured in the regions of Tyrnavos, and Kalamata, while at the end of the 19th century, Lesvos Island was the most famous nationally and internationally ouzo producer being the company of Plomari. There is a production of 7 million liters each year, of which 80% is consumed within Greek borders.
(more…)
Oct 1, 2017 | Culture, food, Greece |
Heraklion is a multifaceted seaside city and a major urban center. Come and discover the Heraklion of yesterday – the Venetian harbor and walls, ideal for a nostalgic walk through history. And the vibrant city of today – city squares and pedestrian walkways filled with energy, raki (the local drink), ouzo, gourmet restaurants, and luxury hotels.
Historical Museum of Heraklion in Crete
Along with these, several excellent museums and one of the largest aquariums in Europe. Just beyond the city limits, explore the much-vaunted Knossos, one of the most significant sights on the island and in Greece. It is the most important center of the Minoan civilization, the palace of King Minos, and the home of the myth of the Minotaur. (more…)
Aug 30, 2017 | Culinary Tour, Culture, food, Gastronomy, Greece
Discovering Greece’s Vegetarian Vegan Tastes
Greek vegetarian vegan tastes are simple, and when someone wants to sense their identity, then they need to visit Greece. If you’ve never walked under the warm and bright sun of Greece, sat under an olive tree, smelled fresh thyme, oregano, or sage, or experienced simplicity over complexity, then it would be difficult for you to sense and comprehend the superiority and uniqueness of Greek vegetarian vegan food, diet and lifestyle.
Greece’s bright blue sky, the serenity of its sea, and the fact that is at the crossroads of three continents have always attracted people from around the world, and even in ancient times great Mediterranean civilizations endeavored to establish political and economic dominance (or relations) with the Greek world. (more…)
Aug 30, 2017 | food
Orthodox Christianity Religion and fasting
Fasting in the Orthodox Christian world is a way to clean souls by willingly avoiding temptations of gluttony taste related to meat and other animal products as well as daily food quantities, throughout the fasting period. At the same time, people must keep away from “spiritual temptations” (passions) too.
During the first millennia A.D. the Greek Orthodox Church defined the small and great fasting periods that Orthodox Christians should observe, by the fasting that our Lord Jesus Christ did for 40 days in the desert. Nonetheless, the fasting period “habits” of the Orthodox Church found fertile “ground” within Greeks since the ancient Greek dietary habits (eg Eleusinian mysteries – a ritual initiation) were very similar to the newly introduced rules. The catharsis of the body and mind is the target of any religion (Vedas, Bible, Koran) imposing fasting periods.
Also other mystic characters, like Moses and Pythagoras among others, followed the 40 days of fasting on their “journeys to self-knowledge”, during which it is known they drank water only to purify their body and mind. (more…)
Aug 30, 2017 | Culture, food, Gastronomy, Greece
Crete and Cretan vegetarian diet
Mediterranean diet or Cretan diet is a diet steeped in time. Historical evidence and mythology have extensively proved Cretans’ nutritional preferences throughout the centuries as well as their fondness for basic products.
I would like to introduce you to one of the most tasty and healthy cuisines in the world but also to a magnificent ancient civilization. Learn about the art of Cretan vegetarian nutrition and cooking.
Their diet is typically based on products that originate from the island’s farmlands and mainly include plates of raw or home-cooked greens, grains, pulses, vegetables, olive oil, and fruits. The Cretan diet is based on fresh and natural produce that is cooked in its original form without any addition in the preparation of the recipes of processed or complicated sauces and only enriched with fresh spices and aromatic herbs that grow on the island of Crete. (more…)
