The Food of Greece

From back cover (from Kirkus Reviews): "'this is not just a collection of recipes, but an ode to the Greek concept of food as an expression of the 'good' and a veritable treatise on its uses in Hellenic culture. The essential character and national variety of the most central foods -- the olive, the fig, goat cheeses, the egg -- are lavishly celebrated, and Chantiles' appreciation encompasses both contemporary folk wisdom and the advice of such classical cooks and nutritionists as Antiphanes and Hippocrates. The recipes reflect a similar breadth of taste and respect for the food's integrity; they range from the predictably encyclopedic treatment of lamb and eggplant to the more adventurous seafood specialities (octopus and fennel in wine, braised snails..., a wide selection of 'filo' pastries and pies, festive breads, and several varieties of 'koulourakia,' the hand-rolled biscuits of the Greek provinces. ...definitely an essential cookbook for the gourmet who feasts on social ambiance and cultural history as much as on the final dish. The directions are authentic enough to call for an occasional zucchini blossom and enough fresh herbs to make one consider planting a private garden, but the emphasis on healthful ingredients and quality spices, and the relative lack of complicated sauces makes 'The Food of Greece' less formidable than many comparable ethnic cuisines." ******** From Front Jacket" "The nearly 350 recipes--ancient and modern, tried and true--are embellished with fascinating notes on the history and culture of Greece as it relates to food, and with the author's own firsthand observations on the way the Greek national character contributes to its gustatory life, and vice versa. Prefacing the book is a travelogue that begins in the aircraft that brings you into the Athens air terminal, then takes you by land and sea across every plain, up many a mountainside, into myriad cities and villages, and loses you, finally, to one of the romantic islands of this most exciting country."

Excellent recipes and a travelogue of Greece and the Greek Isles. I foolishly gave away my first copy so I had to order another.

This book gave a touch of Greek history with easy-to-follow recipes. I highly recommend it.

I stumbled across this book in a bookstore down in Texas about four years ago and it's become my favorite Greek cookbook. The author collected these recipes back in the 70's when she went on a trip and traveled all over Greece. She would go to someone's house or out to a restaurant, and if the author liked the dish, she would ask the cook for the recipe. She took these recipes from all the different regions of Greece, put them together, and compiled this cookbook. I love this book because the dishes are very traditional like - the ones my yaya (grandmother) use to make. This book isn't about Greek food trying to be French, or anything else...but Greek. I also like the fact that the author gives the reader some background on the historical origins of the recipes. The one drawback of the book is that it doesn't have any pictures, so it might be difficult for a beginner or someone who is not familiar with Greek food. My suggestion them is to get a book with pictures so you can see what the dish is suppose to look like...but definitely use this book for the recipes. "Kali Orexi"!!!

I think this book is very helpful for people that want to know more about food and cooking in Greece. I read this book or looked through it for my greek project in school and found it very helpful to find recipies and info.