Souvlaki

 

Souvlaki (Greek: Σουβλάκι, [suˈvlaci]) or souvlakia is a popular Greek fast food consisting of small pieces of meat and sometimes vegetables grilled on a skewer. It may be served on the skewer for eating out of hand, in a pita sandwich with garnishes and sauces, or on a dinner plate, often with fried potatoes. The meat is traditionally lamb in Greece and Cyprus, or in modern times increasingly pork due to the lower cost. In other countries and for tourists, souvlaki may be made with other meats such as beef, chicken and sometimes fish (especially swordfish).
The terminology of souvlaki and its variants is confusing and inconsistent. Depending on the context, the term 'souvlaki' by itself may refer to any of the variants. In some regions and some restaurants, the name shish kebab is used to denote a particular variant of souvlaki (e.g. with vegetables on the skewer), but it is essentially a synonym.
The word souvlaki is a diminutive of σούβλα souvla 'skewer', itself borrowed from Latin subula.

A serving of pork souvlakia with fried garlic bread and lemons Souvlaki grilling at the 2011 Greek Festival in Piscataway, New Jersey

HISTORY

Souvlaki is attested in Greece since antiquity and it was known with the name ὀβελίσκος (obeliskos), dim. of ὀβελός (obelos), "spit", mentioned amongst others in the works of Aristophanes, Xenophon, Aristotle, etc. A meat and bread recipe which resembles the way pita souvlaki is served today, with pita bread was also attested by Athenaeus in Deipnosophistae and called the plate kandaulos. The skewed meat, kebab-like recipe, existed as a favourite in ancient Greece at Archaic times, as the earliest references are attested in Homer. However, excavations held in Akrotiri on the Greek island of Santorini by professor Christos G. Doumas, unearthed stone sets of barbecue for skewers (Greek: κρατευταί - krateutai) used before the 17th century BCE. In each pair of the supports, the receptions for the spits are found in absolute equivalence, while the line of small openings in the base constitutes mechanism of supplying the coals with oxygen so that they are maintained light up during its use. Kalamaki (little reed) is a synonym for souvlaki proper in Athens, in order to differientate it from other forms of souvlaki.
For kalamaki, the meat is cubed into 1-inch chunks, marinated overnight in lemon juice and olive oil along with Greek herbs and spices such as oregano and on occasion thyme, etc., in a pinch. Then it is skewered on wooden skewers (the "little reeds"), broiled over charcoal, and generously salted and peppered.
The terminology used in Thessaloniki and most parts of northern Greece is different, the word kalamaki is derided since the item is called consistently a souvlaki; a joke suggests that any Athenian or other southerner visiting Thessaloniki asks for a kalamaki will be mockingly given a drinking straw (also called "kalamaki").

Souvlaki-merida

Merida means portion. While souvlaki/kalamaki is eaten plain on hand as a fast food, it is also served as a full plate, served with fried potatoes, vegetables, sauce, and quartered pita bread. Usually it consists of the ingredients of a souvlaki-pita (see below), but laid out on a plate, instead of wrapped together for take-out.

Souvlaki Platters for take-out

Pita

Pita is a form of unleavened flat round bread with a diameter of approximately 15 cm, used to wrap souvlaki or gyros. It comes pre-baked and will additionally be grilled on the meat drippings just before serving, unless the customer requests it not to be.

Souvlaki-pita

This course consists of souvlaki meat garnished with sliced tomatoes and onions, sauced with tzatziki, and wrapped in a lightly grilled pita. When chicken is used instead of pork meat, tzatziki and onions are replaced with a special sauce and lettuce to be compatible with its taste; Various other garnishes and sauces are possible, including shredded lettuce, paprika, fried potatoes, ketchup, and mustard, though these are considered heretical by purists. It is also called pita-kalamaki. Any of these components may not be included, at the request of the customer. Hungry customers may occasionally request a two-pita wrapping (diplopito) and/or a double meat serving (dikalamo).
In Thessaloniki any pita-wrapped souvlaki is referred to as a "sandwich", with its desired ingredients (meat and its method of preparation, plus each and every condiment) meticulously listed by the customer each time.
Another difference between southern and northern Greece is that "souvlaki ap'ola" (souvlaki "with everything") typically includes tzatziki sauce in Athens, unlike Thessaloniki.
In Thessaloniki any pita-wrapped souvlaki is referred to as a "sandwich", with its desired ingredients (meat and its method of preparation, plus each and every condiment) meticulously listed by the customer each time.
Another difference between southern and northern Greece is that "souvlaki ap'ola" (souvlaki "with everything") typically includes tzatziki sauce in Athens, unlike Thessaloniki.

Gyros-pita

Similar to souvlaki pita. The souvlaki is replaced by gyros (kebab usually made of pork or chicken). This is also nicknamed souvlaki in common speech due to its resemblance to the above, and because gyros meat is rotated on a mechanical skewer.

Gyros-merida

Like souvlaki merida, gyros merida is the ingredients of a gyros-pita, served on a plate. Replace kalamaki with gyros. Gyros merida is the only related plate that is never called souvlaki.

Cypriot souvlaki

In Cyprus, souvlaki refers to the small chunks of meat on a skewer, as well as the whole package of it being wrapped up in bread and salad, etc. A large pita is used, and it has a pocket in the middle so it is not wrapped around the meat and salad. This contains lamb, pork or more recently chicken souvlaki and/or sheftalia, with tomatoes and cucumbers and white cabbage mixed within. Lettuce is rarely added, only for tourists. Raw onion and parsley are very popular with souvlakia in Cyprus, as are pickled green chili peppers. Like all grilled meat dishes in Cyprus, souvlakia are always accompanied by fresh lemon halves or quarters, and plain thick yogurt or tzatziki are also popular accompaniments. The meat is cut into slightly larger chunks in Cyprus, and more ingredients are stuffed into the pita. The portion sizes are normal and "reinforced"-ineschimeni. The pita in which souvlakia are served is a little thicker than the flat pita available in other countries.

Ouzo

Ouzo is a globally famous Greek drink-aperitif. It is an anise-flavored liqueur that is widely consumed throughout the country. Ouzo is exported throughout the world and Ouzo is one of Greece's most sought after products.

The name dates back to the late 19th century, but is of uncertain originMany claim the history of ouzo - in one form or another - may date back to ancient times. Its precursor is raki, a drink distilled throughout the Byzantine and later Ottoman Empires.

 

The production of ouzo began at Greece in the mid 1850’s and flourished at the end of the 19th century the Plomari in LesvosModern ouzo distillation largely took off in the 19th century following Greek independence, with much production centered on the island of Lesboswhich claims to be the originator of the drink and remains a major producer. In 1932, ouzo producers developed the method of distillation using copper stills, which is now considered the canonically proper method of production.

 

Ouzo starts as a strong spirit made from pressed grapes or raisins. Other herbs and berries may also be added at the fermentation stage. The distinctive smell of ouzo comes from the addition of anise (or star anise) as a flavouring, but other ingredients, varying according to the producer, are also used; common ingredients include coriander, cloves, angelica root, liquorice, mint, wintergreen, fennel, hazelnut, cinnamon and lime blossom. The alcohol and flavourings are placed in warmed copper stills and distilled; higher-quality ouzos may be distilled several times. The resulting spirit is stored for a few months, and then diluted, usually to around 40% ABV.

 

When water or ice is added to ouzo, which is clear in color, it turns milky white; this is because the etheric oils are soluble in alcohol but not water. Diluting the spirit to less than around 40% ABV causes it to separate into an aqueous and an organic phase, whose fine droplets scatter the light.

 

The crystals sometimes seen in ouzo served cold are crystalline anethole, the constituent of anise aroma.

All the visitors of Greece have tasted ouzo and have transferred to their countries their best impressions it.

Ouzo drinking for Greeks is an art, and also a way of life. In modern Greeceouzeri can be found in nearly all cities, towns, and villages. Every cafe in Greecefrom the most modern to the most traditional, serves ouzo. The key to drinking ouzo is to eat mezedes-- appetizers such as octopus, salad, sardines, calamari, fried zucchini, and clams, among others. It is traditionally slowly sipped (usually mixed with water or ice) together with mezedes shared with others. These keep the effects of the alcohol from overwhelming the person who can sit and drink slowly for hours in a profoundly calm state of mind.

 

This well known aperitif, according to the European Union Law (1576/1989) has been accepted and established as a Greek product, and so Greece is the only country that has the right to produce it. Nowadays in Greece, there are almost 300 different ouzo producers, with exports of € 2,4 millions of value.

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 largest saffron importers are Germany, Italy, U.S.A., Switzerland, U.K., and France.

It was not defined well when saffron cultivation began, but it is believed that this might have happened during Prehistoric Greek times. The excavations in Knossos, Crete, and Akrotiri in the island of Santorini brought to light some frescoes where saffron is depicted.
The most famous of these frescoes is the 'saffron gatherer', where it was depicted that there was a monkey amongst the yellow saffron flowers. Etymologically, the word crocus has its origin from the Greek word "croci" which means the weft, thread used for weaving on a loom. Mythologically, according to Ovidius, the plant took its name from the youth Crocus, who after witnessing in despair the death of fair Smilax was transformed into this flower.

Known since antiquity, saffron it was one of the most desired and expensive spices of ancient Greeks, Egyptians and Romans for its aroma, color and aphrodisiac properties. It was quite popular among the Phoenician traders, who carried it wherever they traveled. The ancient Assyrians used saffron for medical purposes.

Hippocrates and other Greek doctors of his time, like Dioskourides and Galinos mention crocus as a drug or a therapeutic herb. It is referred throughout ancient history and in the course of many medical writings of the classical Greek and Roman times all the way to the Middle Ages. Another saffron use in ancient Greece was that of perfumery.

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.

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.

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. The quality production and packing methods of the Kozani Saffron has a major contribution to the international promotion of the Greek products.

Dairy Products

Greece, since the days of Homer produces quality dairy products. The first ever reference to cheese making comes in the Odyssey. Perhaps surprisingly, the first recorded cheese maker ever is not any idyllic shepherd but none other than the one – eyed giant Cyclops. As Homer explains it, Cyclops was quite the avid milk fan. After he drank swaths of it, he would leave what was left in his cold, dark cave only to become cheese shortly thereafter.

Aristotle – when resting from the complicated moral issues he dealt with in his main lime of work-made cheese in his free time; and wrote a couple of recipes to remind himself. Thankfully, both his work and his cheese recipes are saved to this day.
Cheese making flourished during the Byzantine times as well. Among the very few records from that day, there are mentions of the “vlahiko” and “mytzithra” cheese. The Glory and the Flavor of Byzantium indeed.

The Greek dairy products have great nutritional value and they are rich in elements that are essential for the development of the human organism. However, the most dynamic Greek dairy products are: the famous feta and the also famous Greek yogurt.

Feta
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.
Feta is mostly made in small dairies that buy the milk directly from surrounding farmers, but whether the dairy is large or small, the production process is similar.
The milk is either collected by or delivered to the cheese dairies on a daily basis. Sheep’s milk, compared to cow’s milk, is low in yield but high in protein and fat solids.
Greeks (together with the cheese-obsessed French) have the highest per capita cheese consumption in Europe. They are very particular about their Feta. Some like it soft and moist and rather mild, others prefer it as hard and crumbly as you can make it. Others want the distinct flavor of the goat-hide. Still others like their Feta to be lemony-sour.
Although the differences are subtle, 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.
Feta is the quintessential Greek table cheese, but it is also excellent in all sorts of other dishes. As a main ingredient, it finds its way into savory pies, made with Feta and eggs, or combinations of cheeses, or mixtures of greens and cheese. It is also a staple on the meze table, and can be grilled or baked in paper and even sautéed, sometimes with a crust of nuts or sesame seeds or a simple egg and flour wash. In the summer, it is hard to avoid thinking of ripe, juicy tomatoes, crunchy cucumbers, and sharp, fleshy Greek olives. Add a few morsels of Feta and you’ve created the framework for a classic Greek salad. A diversity of ingredients makes it all the more opulent.Typical additions to this Greek classic are capers, dried Greek oregano, sliced peppers, fresh summer herbs such as mint, chopped scallions, thinly cut onions and a generous splash of extra virgin olive oil.
In Crete, the same basic ingredients comprise a local bread salad, made with the island’s whole wheat and barley rusks, which are moistened and used as a base for coarsely chopped the tomatoes, olives and onions. Local cooks drizzle some extra virgin olive oil and crumble some Feta on top of the whole salad; the rusk soaks up all the juices and softens. It’s a meal in itself.
Feta is almost always served with a whole family of foods in Greece known as lathera (vegetable stews gently simmered in olive oil until soft). In some parts of the country the cheese is mixed into the stewpot until it melts and melds with the vegetables, forming a creamy, luscious sauce.

Other Greek Cheeses

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.

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.

Kasseri. (Ka-SE-ree). Kasseri is the most popular table cheese after feta. It is a mild, yellow, spun-curd cheese made from either ewe's or cow's milk.

Kefalograviera (ke-fa-lo-gra-vee-AIR-a). Another pale-yellow cheese with a hard rind and an abundance of small air holes. As its name indicates, in both flavor and texture it falls somewhere between graviera and Kefalotyri. It can range from sweet and mild to quite piquant. Kefalograviera is the cheese of choice for grilling and frying, but it can also be eaten as a table cheese.

Kefalotyri (ke-fa-lo-TEE-ree).  A very hard, light-yellow sheep's or goat's milk cheese with a sharp tangy flavor. The cheese is made mainly in Crete, as well as in Naxos, Cephalonia, Thessaly, and Epirus. It is a popular grating cheese.

Ladotyri (la-tho-TEE-ree). Another unusual product, the name of which means "oil cheese."  The cheese, which is shaped like miniature barrels, is steeped in olive oil and aged for several months. Lesvos is the most famous place in Greece for ladotyri and most of what is in the U.S. is produced there. The cheeses is sharp, nutty and with a distinct, almost crunchy, texture. It’s excellent as a table cheese.

Manouri (ma-NOO-ree) This is a creamy, buttery mild white cheese that is sold in log-shaped loaves. It is excellent as a dessert cheese, topped with honey, or with poached fruits, and complements the sweet wines of Greece exceptionally well.

Metsovone (me-tsoe-VOE-ne). This is a rich, hard, smoked yellow cheese made in Metsovo, Epirus. It resembles smoked Provolone. Metsovone is made in large sausage like loaves, usually from raw cow's milk. It is delicious as a table cheese, but also is delicious fried (saganaki), as the local tavernas serve it--with a sprinkling of paprika--and melted into cheese sauce. 

Myzithra (mee-ZEE-thra). The word dates to the 16th century, when it referred to a kneaded cheese. Myzithra is a feta byproduct. Traditionally the whey from feta is combined with some whole milk, and curdled for several days. The curds are collected, drained, lightly salted and pressed. Myzithra is sold either as a soft table cheese, or aged into rock-hard balls and used as a grating cheese.

History

Avlaki (Greek: Αυλάκι) beach

Avlaki Beach is located about 36 kilometres to the north-east of Corfu town, between the villages of Agios Stephanos and Kassiopi. Avlaki beach is a quiet natural setting surrounded by olive groves, close to the Eremites natural reserve and not particularly known among tourists. It is also awarded with the Blue Flag, a certificate given by the European Union to recognize the clean beaches in Europe.

Avlaki beach


Eremites natural reserve

 
Agios Stefanos (Greek: Άγιος Στέφανος) village 
Agios Stefanos is a naturally beautiful gulf with almost a circular shape.
The traditional village of St. Stefano is built now there and belongs to the old community of Sinies.
St. Stefano it is a natural fishing shelter and also can accommodate boats and sail boats.
Since it is just two kilometres from the opposite coast of Northern Epirus (modern south Albania), the surrounding hills between Avlaki  and St. Stefano are of strategic importance.

 Agios Stefanos panorama 

Kassiopi (Greek: Κασσιώπη, Κασσιόπη) village  

Kassiopi is said to have been founded during the reign of Pyrrhus of Epirus, King of Epirus in the 3rd Century BC, as a supply post during his war with Rome. After the Roman conquest of the island in 230 BC, many Emperors visited, most prominently Emperor Nero, who came to a Temple to Zeus here.Much of a small headland to the north of the resort is taken up by a Byzantine castle. The castle was subsequently fortified further by the Venetians, and survived sieges from the Ottoman Turks in the 16th century. Today the castle is mainly a ruin, but parts of the walls can be seen from the coastal road around the headland.

Many of the houses were stone-built until the 1960s, the decade that mains electricity first became available. Vehicles were introduced on the island in the 1970s, television arrived in the 1980s and the internet not until the 2000's.

Kassiopi panorama

Fishery

Greece is a country with a large tradition in quality fishery. With a 4,000-kilometre coastline around the mainland, plus a further 11,000 kilometres around the Greek islands, Greece offers excellent conditions for fishery operations: the waters around Greece are home to about 250 marine creatures.

In testimonies found in manuscripts dating from the fifth century, it has been proved that the Greeks were enjoying fishery and included them in their quality dishes. In Homer’s texts fishery is mentioned as quality food, while Plutarch cites pieces of advice for the fishermen in his own texts.

Today, the vast variety of Greek fishery and their premium quality reinforces their global recognition. Fishery fans around the globe include Greek Fishery within their choices and honor them with their preference. Although modern technology has changed fishing industry worldwide, the majority of Greek coastal fishermen still fish with the traditional methods, using their five to six metre boats, which constitute 90% of the total fleet.

The Greek sea fishery landsaround 130,000-160,000 tonnes of fish and seafood every year. About 90% of this total are caught in the Aegean Sea. The most important species are sardine, anchovy, seabream, seabass and Mediterranean mussels. The catch taken from the Ionian Sea to the west of Greece mainly consists of European anchovies, pilchards and picarels, whereas in the Mediterranean and Black Sea regions several thousand tonnes of swordfish, long-finned tuna (albacore) and frigate tuna are caught. The Greek inland freshwater fisheries catchabout 20,000-30,000 t. per year. In volume terms, anchovy and Mediterranean mussels, are the main species, followed by sardine. The remainder of the catch consists of a broad spectrum of marine fishes.

In the meantime, aquaculture supplies more than one third of Greek fish production. With an annual growth rate of about 10% aquaculture is one of Greece’s fastest-growing industrial sectors. The industry’s success is partly based on the natural conditions which the country has to offer: a mild climate, clean water, about 3.000 islands, and the long coastline. The most important farmed species are seabream, seabass and – although in smaller quantities – rainbow trout, European eel and carp. In the meantime, Greece produces 60% of the seabass and seabream farmed in the European Union and nearly half of worldwide production. Three quarters of production is exported to EU member states. The most important European markets for seabass and seabream are Spain, France, Greece it self, Turkey and Portugal. Demand is also growing in Central and Northern Europe. The most important country for Greek fish in general is Italy, but demand is also growing in Germany, France, Great Britain and Spain.

Average per capita consumption of fish in Greece is around 27 kg, putting Greece on about the same high level as Italy, Denmark and Canada.

Greece mainly exports live, fresh and chilled fish and seafood, less so processed products. Mussels (Mytilus spp, Perna spp) are at the top of the list of marine export productIn second place is seabream (Dentex dentex, Pagellus spp), fresh or chilled and in third place is seabass (Dicentrarchus labrax), fresh or chilled.
The fish canning sector export more than 1,600 t of produce, mainly mussels and molluscs every yearmost of them to France, Albania, Germany and Italy. In the frozen fish export sector it was sardine (Sardina pilchardus) which dominatesmainly going to Italy, Serbia, Montenegro, Romania and Bosnia-Herzegovina. In the category ‘dried, salted, in brine or smoked seafood’ Greece mainly exports anchovies. With regard to the main export products, seabass and seabream, Greece’s export capacity is still not exhausted.

Greek Yogurt

Yogurt is about as ancient as milk. Its beauty lies in its simplicity; yogurt was the first and most immediate way to preserve milk by extending its life (hence nutritional value) for several weeks. The key is fermentation, which is triggered and controlled by the addition of two bacteria, lactobacillus bulgaricus and streptococcus thermophilus. The ancient tradition of preserving milk began around 5,000 years ago in Central Asia and the Middle East, where the climate is warm and the land lean, making it ideal for grazing ruminants. Harold McGee, author of On Food and Cooking, describes it most lyrically: “When our ancestors took up dairying, they adopted the cow, the ewe, and the goat as surrogate mothers. These creatures accomplish the miracle of turning meadow and straw into buckets of human nourishment. And their milk turned out to be an elemental fluid rich in possibility, just a step or two away from luxurious cream, fragrant golden butter, and a multitude of flavorful foods concocted from friendly microbes.” In adults, yogurt has health benefits that far outweigh those of milk. In the early 20th century the Russian Nobelist Metchnikov proved through science what was common belief for centuries in Greece and the Middle East: that eating yogurt will make you strong and make you live longer. Lactic acid bacteria have been proven to eliminate toxic microbes in the digestive system. There are many varieties of Greek yogurt, each with its own texture and flavor. From left to right: strained Greek yogurt; sheep's milk yogurt made in clay; cow's milk yogurt. SHEPHERDS AND THEIR 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. Up until fairly recently, yogurt production was ruled entirely by farming and seasonal conditions. Greece has always been a land of sheep and goats. Cows were animals of labor, used to till the land and draw heavy loads, and rarely reared for milk. Sheep and goats provided most of the milk Greeks consumed. Yogurt was always made with sheep's milk and was seasonal, produced from late fall to early June. There were two reasons for the seasonal production. Sheep produce milk from the moment they lamb until the summer, when the heat and the shortness of plants to graze on naturally will condition them to dry up. The heat of a Greek summer was never ideal for dairy production. Yogurt needs to be kept cool once it is set, and until the 1950's refrigeration was rare outside cities. The storage cellars, cool enough from fall to spring, lose their chill in the summer. Yogurt was made immediately after the milking, when the temperature of the milk is the same as the animal's and ideal for the addition of the lactic acid bacteria that turn it into yogurt. The shepherd would simply add a little yogurt from the last batch as starter to the fresh milk. He would keep the containers covered and warm, probably in the room where he made his cheese. When people began boiling the milk that was used to make yogurt, they knew they had to wait until it cooled back down to “sheep” temperature before adding the starter. Yogurt, the quintessential shepherd's product, was a specialty of the itinerant shepherds' tribes that roamed much of Greece. In the mountains of Epirus in Northern Greece, the Vlachs, for example, were a pastoral people with a strong tradition of cheese making. They made yogurt in wooden tubs. The wood was permeable enough to store traces of the lactic acid bacteria, which were moistened and revived with the milk of the following season. Today the Vlachs are no longer nomadic, but some continue to make a heavenly yogurt in wooden receptacles, called tsanaka. Although not strained, the yogurt is thick and very flavorful because the milk is boiled long enough to condense it. Another common way to preserve the starter was to dip a cheese cloth in the yogurt, then dry it and carefully preserve it until the next season. In most other parts of Greece the yogurt was set in terracotta bowls glazed on the inside, still a popular way to set yogurt today, and with good reason: The ceramic bowls are porous, thus enabling the whey (water content) to leak out slowly, beading up on the sides of the bowl. By losing water, the yogurt gets thicker, and the natural sweating evaporates and cools the yogurt. In the cellar, the yogurt continues to ferment. As it ages it thickens and sours, which helps extend its preservation. Temperature and timing are the secrets to making great yogurt. The milk has to be inoculated at a precise degree of heat, and then has to sit, unmoved, in a precisely heated room (an incubator) for a specific amount of time. Finally it has to be quickly chilled. The yogurt maker has to be exacting in his technique. Fudge it, and the yogurt will be too runny or too sour. Greek strained yogurt is extremely versatile. Toss it with olive oil (l), mix it with luscious Greek honey, top it on fruit, or savor it in a classic tzatziki. GREAT WITH EVERY MEAL Sheep's milk is far richer in protein and fat than either cows’ or goats’ milk. The yogurt it produces is dense, creamy, flavorful. I asked Sotiris Kitrilakis, a renowned Feta expert and advocate of Greek artisan foods, how we Greeks traditionally eat yogurt, and he gave me a perplexed look. “But with bread, of course!” he answered, and at that moment I remembered my father. Growing up, my family wasn't fully attuned to the pleasures of good food. We did not scour the Greek countryside in search of the best little taverna, the cleanest lamb chops, the most fragrant retsina. We visited old churches and ancient ruins. But there was a small number of food staples—country bread, oranges, pistachios, and yogurt— that ruled our weekend destinations. In my family's mind they did not belong in the category of luxuries, but in the category of essentials, hence it was perfectly acceptable to plan our weekend outings around the visit to the baker (he baked in a wood-fired oven), the orange seller (he sold the juiciest oranges out of his pick-up), and the best yogurt maker in Attica. Every Sunday night my Dad ate bread and yogurt for supper, his eyes beaming as he reveled in the flavors that took him back to his boyhood. This, he never failed to say, was the best of all meals. In Greece, yogurt is an addition to every meal: scooped over rice pilaf, dolloped in tomato sauce; served with stewed and fried vegetables, meatballs, and grilled meats. It is used as a sauce, baked over chicken and certain beef dishes until it sets and thickens like béchamel. It is used as a condiment, stirred with shredded cucumbers and garlic to make the well-known dip tzatziki, or spooned onto savory squash and cornmeal pies, a tradition in Greece's northern mountain regions. In some areas it is even served as a cool summer soup. Swirled with honey or spoon sweets, yogurt is divine. Strained sheep's milk yogurt was rare, and used in lieu of cream in desserts such as roasted caramelized quince, or as a pudding with honey and walnuts. A more regular treat, still a favorite with children today, is “yogurt skin,” scraped off the top of the yogurt and sprinkled with sugar. STRAINING FOR TASTE In Europe, the health benefits of yogurt were acknowledged early last century, and yogurt production in the West catapulted into a huge industry. The large yogurt dairies in Western Europe are defined by two factors: They make yogurt with cows’ milk, and they add fruit and fruit preserves. Cows’ milk yogurt is thin in texture and can be very acidic. Adding sweetened and preserved fruit makes the yogurt richer in texture and erases the sour flavor. Yogurt has become synonymous with a healthy, sweet snack. In Greece, the dairy industry has also adopted the use of cow's milk which is plentiful and produced year round. But instead of sweetening the sour and thin yogurt, we use a time-old technique: We strain it. The result is astounding: a dense, creamy mass which has lost most of its sourness with the whey. Strained yogurt became more and more popular after the Second World War. Large modern dairies devoted entire rooms to yogurt draining; Cheese cloths bulging with yogurt would hang from the ceiling, dripping the green-yellow whey into plastic drums. Today the titans of the dairy industry no longer use cheesecloth. They strain the yogurt centrifugally, a more efficient, automated practice. We Greeks have taken to strained cows’ milk yogurt. Greek-style strained yogurt has recently exploded in the U.S. and European markets. American chefs and cooks don't restrict it to Greek or Mediterranean cuisines. It appears everywhere, a beautiful re-incarnation of a stellar ancient food.