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Even food in Greece has its history. Events have marked Greek
gastronomy throughout the ages, leading to a rich and varied
selection of dishes. There are many traditional foods and
highlights include:
Patsas
A soup not included in the daily diet but traditionally referred
to as the Greek hangover cure, patsas is always eaten in the
early morning. Made of lamb hocks and stomach, patsas was
traditionally the first dish to serve after the 40 days Easter
fast in order to prepare the stomach for the heavy eating
about to follow. They say it is good for you because the ingredients
consist of a kind of gel, which eventually protects and lines
the stomach. Today, except for during the Easter period, the
soup is also consumed, usually after a seriously busy night's
drinking, to ease the stomach of the alcohol. The most commonly
visited place to have patsa is the Athenian meat market.
A good patsas requires mastery in cooking but you can give
it a try:
Method:
1. Wash thoroughly both the stomach and feet of the lamb,
place them in water and boil for up to two hours.
2. Remove them from the pot, cut them into cubes and place
them back to the pot, adding salt.
3. In the meantime prepare separately the avgolemono
(eggs&lemon) by beating 3 eggs and slowly adding the lemon
juice of 2 lemons.
4. After adding all the lemon juice, slowly add two spoons
of the soup from the pot.
5. Pour the mixture in the pot over a low heat for 2-3 minutes.
6. Add pepper according to preference and the patsas is ready
for serving.
Masticha
Masticha is an agricultural product removed by chipping mastic
bushes. It looks like rock candy and has a distinctive
taste and chewiness. Mastica is a 100% Greek product, and
as such is protected by the European Union. It is only produced
on the island of Chios, in the Aegean Sea, and especially
in the Southern part of Mastichohoria in the Mastic
villages. Even though people tried to take mastic to different
countries in the past, amazingly enough mastic is impossible
to grow in any other part of the world except Chios.
Chios Mastic, popular since ancient times, was and still
is a highly commercialized product due to its cosmetic, pharmaceutical
and industrial applications. During the Ottoman Empire the
Sultan used to give the mastic to his harems for fresh breath
and white teeth. During the 1960's it was exported to Germany
to be used in the shoeshine industry.
Today it is believed that mastic has therapeutic uses to
lower cholesterol, prevent ulcers and ease blood pressure.
Mastic is mainly used for Greek delicacies (ipovrixio),
ice cream (kaimaki), drinks, baked goods, chewing gum,
cosmetics such as toothpaste, lotions for the hair and skin
and perfumes.
The best period for harvesting is July and August. After
the mastic is collected it is spread out to dry while it is
washed manually. Unfortunately today the traditional craft
of collecting mastic is slightly lost, but it is still important
to the locals both culturally and economically. You can buy
many mastic products in Greece. Mastic will cost you around
35 - 44EUR per kilo. |
