Greek Culinary Dictionary R - Z

R

            Radikia = dandelions. Usually eaten blanched with some olive oil and lemon.

            Raki/tsikoudia = See ‘tsipouro”

            Retsina = Retsina (Greek: Ρετσίνα) is a Greek white (or rosé) resinated wine, which has been made for at least 2000 years. Its unique flavor is said to have originated from the practice of sealing wine vessels, particularly amphorae, with Aleppo Pine resin in ancient times.In Greece, local Retsina is produced throughout the country. Major production centers around Attica, Boeotia and Euboea. The European Union treats the name "Retsina" as a protected designation of origin and traditional appellation for Greece and parts of the southern regions of Cyprus.Nowadays, protecting the new wine from oxidation is easy to do with far simpler means and much less resin is used for retsina than traditionally called for. Such wines lack the pungent "whiff of turpentine" streak of old, and are considered ideal accompaniments to such strong-tasting local cuisine as pastourma or garlic dips.

Revani = Sponge cake flavoured with orange syrup. You can find the recipe here.

             

Rigani = oregano. the most commonly used aromatic plant in greek cuisine. During the past few years there is a continuous increasing global interest for the Greek aromatic plants and their multiple uses. Nowadays, the Greek and international industry are using the aromatic plants for the production of cosmetics, medicines and foods. Greeks, throughout the country enjoy the therapeutic benefits of a variety of herbs: Chamomile, lime, sage, mountain tea, mint, spearmint, thyme, fennel, aniseed, St John’s wort, lavender and oregano existed- and still exist in the modern home.
  

            Rizogalo = ("rice-milk") is rice pudding.

S

            San Michali comes from the Cycladic island of Syros. It embodies the heritage of Venetian monks who came to the island when it was ruled by Venice in the 1500s and brought along milk cows. The monks are now gone but the breed of cows is thriving as efforts are made to preserve this tradition. Aegean islands hardly resemble the Veneto, yet these animals have adapted well, producing excellent milk. The cheese has a natural rind, is well aged, firm, with tiny holes and pronounced buttery taste, yet there is a subtle aroma reminiscent of parmesan.

            Savoro = Sauce made with olive oil, vinegar, garlic and rosemary. It is served with small fish, usually red mullet.

            Sfella = is a white cheese that looks like feta but is denser and saltier and acquires a special flavor when the curd is reheated after fine cutting. Aged in brine, either in wood or tin, it develops a characteristic piquant taste and mozzarella-like texture prized in its home territory around the town of Kalamata, where it is sometimes grilled.

            Skordalia = thick garlic and potato puree, usually accompanies deep fried fish/cod (bakaliaros skordalia, i.e. fried battered cod with garlic dip, a very popular dish).

            Sofritto = Sofrito, from the Italian soffriggere—to fry gently— is a delectable braisé of sliced veal, slivered garlic, vinegar and a copious amount of parsley. A local dish of Corfu.

            Soutzoukakia = long shaped meatballs with cumin, cinnamon and garlic and boiled in tomato sauce with whole olives. Often served with rice or mashed potatoes.

            Soutzouki = Spicy hot sausage in the shape of a horseshoe, with pungent flavour. Mainly made of beef minced meet.

            Souvlaki = (lit: "skewer") grilled small pieces of meat (usually pork but also chicken or lamb) served on the skewer for eating out of hand, or served as a sandwich wrapped in pita bread together with tomatoes, onions, tzatziki and tomato sauce; a popular fast food, also called kalamaki (small reed) mainly in Athens.

            Spetzofai = a stew of country sausage, green mild peppers, onions and wine. Originates from Pelion.

            Splinantero = A variation of kokoretsi, using mainly the spleens of lamb.

            Spoon sweets = Glyka koutaliou (see above)

            Stafides = raisins. Raisins are produced in many areas of Greece, especially in Peloponnese, Crete and smaller islands. The main variety used in the Greek raisin is the sultana. The grapes are mostly sun-dried thus producing seedless raisins of average size and golden color. A notable exception to this rule is the grape variety cultivated especially for the purpose of raisin production in Corinthia that give darker and smaller type of raisin named Corinthian. Corinthian raisins are not seedless. Raisins can be eaten raw or used in cooking and baking. Research has shown that raisins make an important nutritional contribution to a healthy diet. From having a positive impact on heart disease by stimulating the body to use its own cholesterol, to contributing to a lower risk of colorectal cancer, to ranking among the top antioxidant foods, raisins make good nutrition sense.

T

            Taramosalata = (from Turkish tarama, roe): fish roe mixed with boiled potatoes or moistened breadcrumbs, olive oil and lemon juice.

   

         Tirokafteri = hot cheese dip.

            Tourta = Cake.

            Tourta Chanion = A savoury pie from the area of Chania, in Crete. It contains mainly lamb and cheese.

            Trahanas = It is a granular grain product made with either semolina or wheat flour, or bulgur or cracked wheat, mixed with either milk (sweet trahana), or yogurt or buttermilk (sour trahana).The mass is broken up into smaller pieces which are dried outdoors at the end of summer in the scorching, arid Greek heat. Sour trahana is cooked up on its own as a soup, either in water, sometimes with a little tomato, or sometimes in milk. It is also used in stuffed and rolled vegetable dishes, and in hearty stews and other soups. Sweet trahana is cooked into hearty stews with chicken or other meat, and sometimes used as a filling for stuffed vegetables, especially tomatoes and peppers. It is also used to make some sweets, combined with grape must to make a kind of pudding, or with milk and sugar as filler in sweet pies.

            Tsipouro / Tsikoudia / Raki = The undisputed king of Greek spirits is no doubt the crystal clear fiery drink made of distilled grape pomace, produced mainly in Macedonia, Thrace, Epirus, Thessaly, and Crete and called either tsipouro, tsikoudia, or raki.
There are slight differences between the three. Tsipouro, is distilled twice and as a result is a bit more elegant in flavor than the single-distilled tsikoudia, which is a specialty of Crete. However, many tsikoudia producers also double distill.
There are three styles of Tsipouro: full-bodied but low in aromas; lean but expressive; and, finally, those that are flavored with anise. The last type, mainly produced in Thessaly and Macedonia, is very close to Ouzo in character but is less sweet.

            Tsoureki = a traditional Christmas and Easter sweet bread usually in the form of a braid. Similar to the British Hot Cross buns, also known as 'Lambropsomo' (Easter bread), flavored with mastic and "mahlepi", the intensely aromatic extract of the stone of the St. Lucie Cherry.

            Tzatziki = yogurt with cucumber and garlic puree, used as a dip. Served with warm pita bread. It’s one of the basic ingredients in souvlaki.

U        

V

            Vassilopitta = Saint Basil's cake or King's cake, traditional only for New Year's Day. Vasilopites are baked with a coin inside, and whoever gets the coin in their slice are considered blessed with good luck for the whole year.

            Volvoi = Pickled wild bulbs, a cretan delicacy.

W

Manitaria/mushrooms

            Wild mushrooms = Plenty on the mount of Pindos, where the art of mushroom cooking extends to passion.

X

            (x=ks) Xinohondros Trahanas = Though trahana exists throughout the Balkans and Middle East, only in Crete is it made with cracked wheat (in lieu of flour or bulgur). The slightly sour (xino), pungent flavor comes from the addition of buttermilk or intentionally soured milk. Possibly the oldest form of pasta, it was an ingenious way of combining wheat and dairy into an easily transportable food that never spoils. Just boil it with a little water and you have a nourishing, tasty soup.

Xinomavro = Xinomavro is the major red grape variety of Northern Greece and, together with the Agiorgitiko of Peloponnese, the undisputed large-acreage quality leader in Greek red wines. Greek wine   legislation acknowledges the variety's supremacy. Xinomavro is included in four appellations; only the sweet wine appellations dedicated to the Muscat varieties exceed that number. The four Xinomavro O.P.A.P.s (Onomasia Proelefseos Anoteras Piotitas, or Appellation of Origin of Superior Quality, which is the equivalent of the V.D.Q.S. in France) are, from north to south: Goumenissa, Amyntaion, Naoussa and Rapsani.

            Xinomizithra = A cheese unique to Crete, this “sour” whey cheese is salted, grainy rather than creamy, and is aged for two months before eating. With its dry, tangy taste, it is a favorite meze with ouzo or raki, while baked into a pie, it becomes sweeter.

Y

            Yiachni = slow cooked potatoes in tomato sauce.

            Yiaourti = yogurt , Greek yogurt renowned the world over for its quality, density, and unabashed, delicious sour taste is a product of the country’s pastoral traditions.

            Yiaprakia / Lachanodolmades: cabbage rolls, stuffed with rice and sometimes meat, spiced with various herbs and served with avgolemono sauce or simmered in a light tomato broth.

                            Yiufkades = Hilopites

            Yiouvarlakia = Meat and rice croquetes in egg-lemon sauce.

Z

           Zarkadi = deer meat.

            Zitsa = A white PDO wine from Epirus which places emphasis on the fruit. They are noted for their refreshing acidity and for the aroma’s finesse, which is reminiscent of green apple and pear. The Debina grape variety offers a high potential for the production of effervescent wines.

            Zochoi = sowthistle. Usually blanched and served as a salad with olive oil and lemon juice.

Zimarika = Greek Pasta. There are, indeed, dozens, if not more, different traditional Greek pastas, and certainly dozens of ways to cook them. Some contain eggs and milk, but most are a simple mixture of durum wheat or semolina, water and salt.
From cups to twists, to strands to squares, Greeks eat pasta in countless shapes and sizes.
Most Greek pasta was made and dried at the end of the summer.
Women are still the keepers of Greek pasta traditions, but mainly they gather together in regional cooperatives to make and then sell an array of artisan pasta. Such co-ops now exist all over Greece, on mainland and island alike. They tend to produce a conservative array of the most traditional shapes, especially hilopites (noodles that come in two basic shapes: small squares or thin, fettuccine-like strands), rice-shaped pasta (kritharaki), and a few other traditional, popular types.
There are other trends on the artisan pasta front as well. In the last decade or so, small-scale commercial pasta makers have emerged throughout Greece. Many of these small companies also make an array of condiments and sauces. Many of these artisan producers have seen commercial success and their products are now available not only throughout Greece but internationally.