Written by: SeanL
Greek Culture and Cuisine
In the following pages, I will discuss the beginning of civilization in Greece, the major events in Greek history, the cuisine, everyday lives of Greek cuisine and their food culture. I will also discuss in detail one the major industries in Greek and American cooking, the use of the olive.
The country of Greece has had a varied history. At about 2600 BC, Greek civilization was founded (Barrett, 2007, Bronze Age). This is an educated guess because most records were not documented in that time. Greek civilization started with a group of people called the Minoans. Minoan civilization reached a peak during 1400s-1300s BC. Homer wrote his famous books, “The Oddesy” and “The Iliad” during the ninth century BC. During the eighth century BC, Athens, Sparta and other cities and states developed. During 800 BC, Alexander the Great conquered the Grecian Empire of city-states and Greece became part of the Macedonian Empire. After the downfall of the Macedonian Empire, Greece entered a lull which lasted for almost a thousand years. During that time, numerous empires conquered Greece. The Greeks fought a war of independence against the Ottoman Empire and won. The first president of Greece was Ioannis Kapodistrias elected in May 1827 (Barrett, 2007, Greek Revolution). The Greeks have had many great leaders and visionaries in their history including: Plato, founder of the “Academy of Athens” in 380BC and Alexander the Great in 336BC, the great ruler who defeated the Persians. I will fast forward to the modern day events in Greek history to allow you to understand how today’s culture was created.
In 1829, the Treaty of Adrianople placed Greek under British, French, and Russian protection. In 1832, the Treaty of Constantinople placed Greece under British, French and Russian protection, defined its boundaries, and names Otto of Wittgenstein ruler. In 1843, the Greeks rebelled against Otto and created the first constitution in 1844 that established a democratic parliamentary government system and reduced his overall power of the country. In 1862, after series of coups, Otto was forced to resign. After this, Greece was an independent country. Greece played a small part in World War I. It was on the side of the Allied forces. This brings the history of Greece to the present.
An estimated 97 percent of the country’s population identifies itself as belonging to the Greek branch of the Eastern Orthodox Church of Christ, commonly known as the Orthodox Church of Greece (De Villers, 2004). Though Greeks became independent of the church in Constantinople (Con-stan-ti-nople), a close relationship remains among most branches of Orthodoxy. In many respects, church and state are not separate in the Western sense in Greece. In spite of reforms in the 1980’s and a loss of some influence since World War II, the Orthodox Church remains the officially established religious institution of the country and from that position it exerts considerable influence in secular matters. The largest non-Orthodox religious groups in Greece are Roman Catholic, Protestant and Muslim.
The Mediterranean Sea moderates Greece’s climate, cooling the air in summer and providing warmth in the winter months. Summers are generally hot and dry. Winters are moderate and rainy in coastal regions and cold and snowy in mountainous areas. Greece is the southeastern most regions on the European continent (Civitello, 2008). It is defined by a series of mountains, surrounded on all sides except the north by water, and endowed with countless large and small islands. The Ionian and Aegean seas and the many deep bays and natural harbors along the coastlines allowed the Greeks to prosper in maritime commerce and to develop a culture which drew inspiration from many sources, both foreign and indigenous. The Greek world eventually spread far beyond Greece itself, encompassing many settlements around the Mediterranean and Black seas and during the Hellenistic period, reaching as far east as India. The mountains, which served as natural barriers and boundaries, dictated the political character of Greece. From early times the Greeks lived in independent communities isolated from one another by the landscape. Later these communities were organized into “Polis (po-lis)” or city-states. The mountains prevented large-scale farming and impelled the Greeks to look beyond their borders to new lands where fertile soil was more abundant. Natural resources of gold and silver were available in the mountains of Thrace in northern Greece and on the island of Siphnos (Sif-nos, naws), while silver was mined from Laurion in Attica. Supplies of iron ores were also available on the mainland and in the Aegean islands.
No part of Greece is more than 85 miles away from the coast. This is one of the good reasons that Greeks eat so much seafood. Another reason that the Greeks eat so much seafood is, that the land in Greece is very poor for farming most crops. There is also a lack of land in Greece. Greece occupies a very small area, only 50,962 square miles (Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs, 2007, http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/3395.htm). This is about the same land size of Illinois, that is at 55,645 or a little under half the size of Arizona. Since the Greeks cannot farm a lot of their own food, they have adapted a culture that doesn’t depend upon farmed food. That is why Greek recipes don’t have a lot of flour or wheat in them. The Greeks have a love for simple well seasoned food. In almost any tavern, restaurant or bar you can find a tasteful array of seafood and other Greek delicacies prepared before your eyes. It is not uncommon for the patrons of a restaurant to go back to the kitchen to look at their meal being prepared.
The Greeks usually eat 3 meals a day (Sterling, 2002). The first meal of the day is breakfast. A typical Greek breakfast consists of a piece of bread, some goat milk and strong Turkish coffee. The Greeks do not eat a large breakfast typically. Their next meal of the day is lunch it is usually eaten between 12-2 pm. It is also a light meal like breakfast. Dinner is usually eaten later at night than most people are accustomed to. It is eaten between 8-9 pm. This is the largest meal of the day. The most common meats are lamb and chicken. Fish and seafood are found mostly on the coast and in cities and are inexpensive. Salads are usually eaten with the main meal. Main courses include souvlaki (süv-'lä-kE), a shish kebab with cubes of meat-often pork or lamb-and vegetables, and stuffed eggplant or tomatoes. Pasta is also popular. Fruit is often served for dessert. Cheese is another mainstay of the Greek diet. The average Grecian eats 50 lbs. of cheese a year. This ranks second in world cheese consumption behind France. The most popular Greek cheese is Feta, which is a smooth cottage type of cheese. Olives are grown in Greece, and olive oil is used a lot in cooking. Although Greek food is not “low fat”, because of the predominate use of olive oil in Greece, it is proven to be better for you than oil rendered animal fat and makes Greek food a little more healthy.
The olive oil tree has been grown in Greece for thousands of years and its oil has been used as a food as well as for medicinal, cosmetic, lighting and sacred purposes. You would think that the olive was specially made for Greece’s harsh climate because it thrives in most regions of the country. It loves the sea and the sun. The coastal regions have the perfect conditions it needs and a suitable ecosystem for the tree to grow and bear fruit. Taste, aroma and color are all indications of the quality of olive oil. Here is a listing of the qualities in olive oil and what differentiates them (Hoffman, 2004):
EXTRA VIRGIN OLIVE OIL: Virgin olive oil with an extremely fine taste and an acidity of not more than 1%.
VIRGIN OLIVE OIL: Also described as “select”. This oil has an exceptionally fine taste and its acidity level does not exceed 2%.
OLIVE OIL: obtained by mixing refined and virgin olive oil. It has an acidity of up to 1.5. In the Greek orthodox religion, olive oil is a symbol of love and peace. Many Greeks have an oil lamp burning olive oil on their homemade altars. Olive oil somehow seems to bring out the true taste of the ingredients while adding its own personal touch.
When a recipe calls for olive oil, how do you know what kind to use? Let your own taste preferences be your guide. As a general rule, cook with normal olive oil and season or drizzle with “extra virgin”. Light and delicate dishes like poached or sautéed fish, chicken or veal, go well with a milder, less fruity olive oil. Dishes such as hearty stews, soups or tomato-based sauces welcome a fruitier, flavorful olive oil, as do steamed vegetables and salads. For roasted, barbecued and braised dishes, which require high or prolonged heat, “olive oil” is the best because it is less expensive yet has the same health benefits as virgin olive oils. In frying, a crisp caramelized crust is formed that will allow but a small amount of oil to soak into the food. In vegetable dishes, its herbal tint blends excellently with the greens. Pies are best made with sweet olive oil.
Greeks consume a lot of wine (Sterling, 2002). If you are a first-time visitor, you probably better order your wine without resin, or your mouth will pucker. Retsina (ret-si-na) or resinated wine has a distinctive flavor and tastes better when chilled. Greeks were the first to turn the juices of grapes into wine and they were also the first to create the art of distilling liquid into an alcoholic beverage. Tsikoudia (Si-ko-u-di-a) is the primary beverage of Greece. It is generally made from both red and green grapes, figs and berries. Instead of using the juice it is made of the pulp, skins and seeds left after grape production. After distilling (bringing to a heat to boil and vaporize) it creates a strong alcohol that is strong to smell and taste.
Undoubtedly baklava (ba-kla-va) is the most famous pastry, a multi-layered ribboned pastry with nuts and oozing with honey syrup. A visit to a Greek pastry shop reveals the how many different ways Greeks use fila dough and many of them have a Turkish origin. The honeyed fila (fi-la) pastries and buttery nut cookies compose a separate late afternoon meal accompanied by thick Greek coffee. Fresh fruit — generally figs, orange, apples and melon — usually conclude the late evening dinner.
In the previous pages, I discussed how Greek food is heavily influenced by the climate of the Mediterranean and the other countries surrounding it. Greeks also eat a very healthy diet rich in seafood and lean meats. Olive oil is a major part of the Greeks daily diet also. Olive oil is also much healthier than animal fats and oils. With their long history with other countries and long coast lines, the Greek civilization will continue to grow, flourish and develop.