Greek Culinary Dictionary A - H

Greek Culinary Dictionary

wild boar A						Agriogourouno = wild boar. Not so wild nowadays since there are farms where it is bred in small quantities.
Aliada						Aliada = sauce or dip, made of potato puree and garlic. It accompanies fish (usually cod) or beetroot salad.
Anevato Cheese						Anevato = soft, naturally fermented, fine grained, and spreadable, very pungent Greek cheese. It is produced in the towns of Grevena and Kozani in western Macedonia. Anevato usually has a pinkish hue due to the bacteria that enable its fermentation. It is exceedingly sharp, in both flavor and aroma.
Anthotyros						Anthotyro = (an-THOE-tee-roe) The word literally means "blossom" cheese, after the way the curds "blossom"-- as they are stirred, the curds rise to the tops of the vats and open in a shape resembling blooms. The cheese is similar to ricotta, but lightly salted. It is eaten fresh with jam or honey, and often baked into sweet pastries, especially around Easter time.
apaki						Apaki = a famous Cretan specialty; lean pork marinated in vinegar, then smoked with aromatic herbs and shrubs, and packed in salt.
						Arseniko =  A hard, yellow table and grating cheese from Naxos, arseniko is one of the many delicious, combination aged sheep's -and - goat's - milk cheeses in the Greek pantheon.
avgotaraho						Avgotaraho = A Taste with… History. Avgotaraho has been considered a delicacy since the era of the Pharaohs and it was an important element in the Ancient Greek diet. Its value was also known in Byzantine times, while nowadays it occupies a prominent place among gourmet products. A delicacy of cured Grey Mullet Roe. Natural without preservatives, with high nutritional value and a pleasant long-lasting aftertaste. Produced exclusively from Grey Mullet Roe, recognized as the best roe for Avgotaraho production. Standardized production techniques properly balance the salting and drying processes to deliver higher moisture and lower sodium in the final product. It is coated by natural bee’s wax, which sufficiently preserves the product and its delicate taste during its shelf life, despite the low sodium content. It constitutes a rich source of omega-3 fatty acids, which reinforce body health by acting positively on the cardiovascular system and by strengthening the immune system.
B bougatsa						Bougatsa = In Greek: μπουγάτσα με κρέμα, pronounced boo-GHAHT-sah meh KREH-mah  A favorite Greek street food and snack, bougatsa is traditionally made with very large handmade phyllo sheets that are folded over multiple times before being folded over the filling. This version of bougatsa calls for commercial phyllo dough. It has a creamy custard filling and is sliced and served warm, sprinkled with confectioner's sugar and cinnamon. However in Northern Greece there is also bougatsa me tyri, where the filling is with cheese.
bourdetto						Bourdetto = a fish casserole dish, with plenty of garlic and lemon juice. A local dish of the Ionian islands.
cappari/capers C						Cappari =  Capers. In various parts of the Cyclades, but mainly in Santorini and Sifnos, capers are picked wild and used in all sorts of dishes. The berries, buds, and leaves are all put to good culinary use in salads, stews, and more.
chohlioi						Chohlioi = snails, in the cretan dialect. The Cretans probably eat more snails than the French (to whom they export them). Plucked from a bush or bought from the market, they need to be purged before cooking with flour, dried pasta, or fresh herbs. They are rich in beneficial omega 3 fatty acids and appear in dozens of recipes. Among the most common are boubouristous fried and seasoned with rosemary and vinegar, or stewed with cracked wheat (hondros) or trahana (xinohondros).
Crocus/Saffron						Crocus Kozani = saffron. Saffron is the most precious and expensive spice in the world. The Saffron filaments, or threads, are actually the dried stigmas of the saffron flower, "Crocus Sativus Linneaus". Each flower contains only three stigmas. These threads must be picked from each flower by hand, and more than 75,000 of these flowers are needed to produce just one pound of Saffron filaments. "Crocus Sativus Linneaus" contains crocin, the source of its strong coloring property, bitter-crocin, which offers the distinctive aroma and taste and essential oils, which are responsible for its therapeutic properties. Saffron is well known since the beginning of its production for its healing attributes and its use in gastronomy. Today, the greatest saffron producing countries are Greece, Spain, Turkey, Iran, India, and Morocco. The history of red saffron in modern Greece starts in the 17th century when red saffron was cultivated in the area of Kozani in Macedonia. For more than 300 years, Greek red saffron is systematically cultivated under the warmth of the Greek sun, in the rich soil of a unique area including many small towns of Kozani in West Macedonia. The Kozani Saffron is globally accepted as one of the highest quality. According to the European Union Law (378/1999), the Kozani Saffron has been accepted and established as a Greek product, and so Greece is the only country that has the right to produce it. As a therapeutical plant, saffron it is considered an excellent stomach ailment and an antispasmodic, helps digestion and increases appetite. It is also relieves renal colic, reduces stomachaches and relieves tension. It is also a fact that even since antiquity, crocus was attributed to have aphrodisiac properties. Many writers along with Greek mythology sources associate crocus with fertility. Crocus in general is an excellent stimulant. As a spice it is used for colouring and flavor improving while giving a distinct aroma and a beautiful golden color. There is a great list of foods where saffron is added including cheese products such as cottage cheese and parmesan, soups, chicken and meat, various spirits, pasta and rice. To use saffron, either infuse a few threads in a cup of hot water and add the colored liquid towards the end of cooking, or crumble the threads and add directly to the pot. Alternatively, dry roast, crumble and then steep the crumbled threads. Unlike other spices, a good pinch will suffice to add flavor and color most dishes. Cook with red Greek saffron and indulge in its excellent flavor.
D dakos						Dakos = a Cretan salad consisting of a slice of soaked dried bread or barley rusk (paximadi) topped with chopped tomatoes and crumbled feta or mizithra cheese.
diktamo						Diktamo = dittany. This herbal tea is extremely appreciated in Crete.
diples						Diples / Kserotigana = a Christmas and wedding delicacy, made of paper-thin, sheet-like dough which is cut in large squares and dipped in a swirling fashion in a pot of hot olive oil for a few seconds. As the dough fries, it stiffens into a helical tube; it is then removed immediately and sprinkled with honey and crushed walnuts.
dolmadakia						Dolmadakia = grapevine leaves stuffed with rice and vegetables; meat is also often included.
E elaiolado/ladi						Elaiolado = olive oil. Olive oil in Greece dates back 4000 years, but also has a significant present and promising future. It is globally acknowledged for its purity and exceptional taste and it is globally proposed as one of the features quality Greek products. It is the basis of all the Greek traditional recipes, thus proving its unique position within the Greek diet. 80% of the Greek olive oil is extra virgin, which is the top-ranked classification category in the world. This constitutes Greece as the world’s largest producer of extra virgin olive oil. At an international level, Greece enjoys the largest per capita consumption of olive oil, with the average Greek consuming more than 15 kilos annually. Spanish come in second place, with 11 kilos per capita consumption per year.
elies						Elies = olives. Nowadays, Greece produces about 120.000 tons of table olives per year. The table olive oil is one of the country’s most important agricultural exports. The harvest begins in October for table olives and continues for about two months, depending on the type of olive and the place it is cultivated. Green olives-essentially less ripe than their darker counterparts-are harvested first; next come all the plump black olives that are among the country’s best-known snacks: tight-skinned Kalamata olives with their pointy, nipple-like tip; juicy Amfissas in an array of browns, blacks and purples. Last to be plucked from the tree is the wrinkled black variety, which matures on the branch, can be harvested as late as March, and is cured in coarse salt not brine.
F fava santorinis						Fava = purée of yellow split peas or beans; sometimes made of fava beans (called κουκιές in Greek). In Santorini made from yellow lentils.
feta cheese						Feta cheese = Feta is arguably the best - known Greek food abroad. The European Union granted Greek Feta a PDO (Protected Designation of Origin) status and issued a decree prohibiting European countries other than Greece from using the name Feta. In Europe, similar cheeses now must be called “brined white cheese.” Within Greece, Feta can be made only in specific regions: Macedonia, Thrace, Thessaly, Central Mainland Greece, the Peloponnese, and Lesvos. Feta is a simple cheese to make. It has a mild, milky flavor that remains fresh and accessible, one that can easily be enjoyed on a daily basis. Greek Feta production abides by very specific rules that control the manufacture and the allowed percentage of goat’s milk in the cheese. Feta is made predominantly with sheep’s milk, although a small percentage of goat’s milk (up to 30%) can be added. Cow’s milk is never used in the production of true Feta. cheese shops and markets throughout Greece carry at least a dozen types from different parts of the country. The most striking display is barrel-aged Feta, glistening with whey in the barrel, and cut in neat triangular wedges.
piperia Florinis						Florina red peppers = Grilled or roasted, the famed red peppers of Florina, in Northern Greece, impart a wonderful, sweet fragrance, one of the telltale signs of the rustic cooking of Macedonia. Their robust flavor, ruby-red color, and glossy sheen make them one of the most renowned local products. Whole and grilled, the Piperia Florinis is preserved in Greece's excellent extra-virgin olive oil, flavored with whole peppercorns, bay leaf, basil, and other fresh and dried herbs.
Formaella Arachovas						Formaella Arachovas = is a hard rind cheese that originated with the shepherds on Mt. Parnassus, where it is made. The curd is heated to the point of forming dense compact cheese mass shaped into small cylinders in basket molds. It is a chewy cheese of relatively mild flavor and is best for grilling or frying. The high heat releases wonderful flavors and complex aromas that are hidden in the relatively bland cheese.
Frapee Coffee						Frapeé Coffee = Ice coffee. Made from instant coffee and ice water in a shaker. Add lots of ice cubes. Sugar and milk can be added on request. More greek than any other coffee. It is also a symbol of summer and rest.
Froutalia						Froutalia = Traditional omelette with potatoes and sausage. Typical local dish of Andros island.
fricassee						Fricassee = In Greek: φρικασέ, pronounced free-kah-SEH . The Greek definition of "fricassee" may differ from what you know in your kitchen, and this is a Greek classic. Lamb fricassee with lettuce and avgolemono (a traditional egg-lemon sauce) is a favorite in Greek homes. It's an easy recipe to make and a celebration of taste. It is equally delicious made with pork meat and celery.
Fyllo Pastry						Filo pastry= Where once upon a time one needed a Greek grandmother to roll out the thin dough, the advent of commercial phyllo has brought pie making to everyone's vantage. The dough is remarkably fast, facile, and forgiving. A crust is ready in moments. Smoothed within the crust, any and all the traditional ingredients Greeks employ—and more--can become a cook's inspiration for the filling. It can follow custom, or can be the carte blanche for creative cooks and chefs who fill their pita with almost anything.
G Galaktomboureko						Galaktomboureko = custard baked between layers of phyllo, and then soaked with lemon-scented honey syrup. The name derives from the Greek "gala"(γάλα), meaning milk, and from the Turkish börek, meaning filled, thus meaning "filled with milk."
Galotyri						Galotyri = similar in flavor and texture to Anevato, is made in the traditional enclaves of the once itinerant shepherds who roamed mainland Greece: Epirus, in the northwestern part of the country, and Thessaly in the center.
Gardoumba						Gardoumba = traditional for Easter; washed small intestines wound around in a tube-like fashion, then roasted over a coal fire.
Gigantes beans						Gigantes = giant white kidney beans. Some of Greece's best beans are found in the northern central regions of the Prespes Lakes, Nevrokopi, Florina, and Kastoria. The famed Greek gigantes and elephantes, which are varieties of the giant white kidney bean, have been cultivated up here since the 1980s and are renowned for their excellent quality, thanks to the region's moderate temperatures and rainfall, calcium-rich soil, and good drainage of the terrain. In 1996, the European Union acknowledged the giant and elephant beans of the Prespes Lakes as products of Protected Geographic Indication (PGI). Gigandes plaki baked beans with tomato sauce and various herbs. Often made spicy with various peppers.
spoon sweets						glyka koutaliou = (γλυκά του κουταλιού) of various fruits, ripe or unripe, or green unripe nuts. Spoon sweets are essentially marmalade except that the fruit are boiled whole or in large chunks covered in the fruit's made syrup.
Graviera						Graviera = Gra-vee-AIR-a) One of the best table cheeses in Greece produced in several areas. Graviera is generally a nutty, pale yellow cheese with a hard rind made either from sheep's milk or from cow's milk, depending on the region. Graviera, sweet, mellow, and nutty, is one of the most delicious Greek cheeses. The sheep's milk gravieras come from Crete, Mytilene, Dodoni, Arta and Kalpaki. (Crete is actually the most famous graviera-producing region, and here one of the unusual ways to serve the cheese is with honey and walnuts.) Cow's milk graviera, which is yellower and a little creamier, is made mostly in Tinos, Syros, Naxos, Corfu, Larissa, and Serres.
pita bread with gyros						Gyros = meat (usually pork) roasted on a vertically turning spit and served with sauce (often tzatziki) and garnishes (tomato, onions) on pita bread, or served as a sandwich wrapped in pita bread together with tomatoes, onions, tzatziki and tomato sauce; a popular fast food.
H Hahles						Hahles = A different version of trahanas, in the shape of a small cup. Traditional recipe of Lesvos island, they can be toasted as they are or they can be made into a soup.
Halloumi						Halloumi = (Greek χαλούμι or χαλλούμι) is a Cypriot semi-hard, unripened brined cheese made from a mixture of goats' and sheep milk, and sometimes also cows' milk. It has a high melting point and so can easily be fried or grilled. The cheese is white, with a distinctive layered texture, similar to mozzarella and has a salty flavour. It is stored in its natural juices with salt-water and can keep for up to a year if frozen below −18 °C (0 °F) and defrosted to +4 °C (39 °F) for sale. It is often garnished with mint to add to the taste. Traditionally, the mint leaves were used as a preservative, this practice arising from the serendipitous discovery that Halloumi kept better and was fresher and more flavoursome when wrapped with mint leaves. In accordance with this tradition, many packages of halloumi contain fragments of mint leaves on the surface of the cheese. Traditional halloumi is made from unpasteurised sheep and goats milk. Many people also like halloumi that has been aged; kept in its own brine, it is much drier, much stronger and much saltier. This cheese is very different from the milder halloumi that Western chefs use as an ingredient.
Semolina Halvas						Halvas (homemade) = semolina pudding. This variety of halva, is usually made with wheat semolina, sugar or honey, and butter or vegetable oil. Raisins and other dried fruits, or nuts such as almonds or walnuts, are often added to semolina halva. The halva is very sweet with a gelatinous texture similar to polenta; the added butter gives it a rich mouth-feel. The standard proportions of semolina halva are one part fat (a vegetable oil or butter), two parts semolina, three parts sweetening agent (e.g. sugar or honey) and four parts water (1-2-3-4, easy to remember). The semolina is sautéed in the fat while a syrup is being made of the sweetener and water. Then the two are mixed carefully while hot, and any extra ingredients are added. At this point, the halva is off-white to light beige, and rather soft. Depending on recipe and taste, it can be cooked a bit further, which makes it darker and firmer, or left to settle as is.
Sesame Halvas						Sesame Halvas (industrial) = a nougat of sesame with almonds or cacao. The primary ingredients in this confection are sesame butter or paste (tahini), and sugar, glucose or honey. Soapwort, egg white, or marshmallow root are added in some recipes, to stabilize the oils in the mixture or create a distinctive texture for the resulting confection. Other ingredients and flavourings such as pistachio nuts, cocoa powder, orange juice, vanilla, or chocolate are often added to the basic tahini and sugar base.
						Hilopittes = dried noodles found universally in Greece, made with eggs and fresh milk (often from sheep or goat milk) in late summer. Varieties include: long and thin, short and broad, and tiny squares.
Horiatiki						Horiatiki salata = the so-called Greek salad is known in Greece as village/country salad (horiatiki) and is essentially a tomato salad with cucumber, red onion, feta cheese, and kalamata olives, dressed with olive oil.
Horta						Horta = wild or cultivated greens, steamed or blanched and made into salad, simply dressed with lemon juice and olive oil. They can be eaten as a light meal with potatoes (especially during Lent, in lieu of fish or meat).