Why does ouzo turn white?

The ouzo effect Ouzo is well known as a Greek specialty, a strong apertif enjoyed throughout the country. Famously, it is known to change color from clear to milky white when water or ice is added to it. But why? This is a question that had bothered me for many years. Until recently, it was […]

Tsiknopempti – Feast of the Carnivores!

Tsiknopempti in Athens

Tsiknopempti, literally meaning smokey Thursday, or BBQ Thursday, has a special place in the heart of every self respecting Greek, as it is the tradition where they eat as much meat as they possibly can. It signals the start of the last weekend that observant Greek Orthodox church members are permitted to eat meat before fasting for Lent. And of course, if you’re not going to eat meat for forty days, you have to make the last day count, right?

Dine like a Greek

You’ve found a Greek taverna that looks good to you. There are lots of people eating there, so you know the food is fresh. Let’s look at the 5 simple rules you’ll need to master to best enjoy dining in a restaurant in Greece. Getting a table You survey the restaurant and locate an empty […]

Melomakarona – Greek honey cookies

It’s this time of the year when the classic battle begins for all Greeks! Are you a melomakarona fan or kourabiedes lover? All the bakeries, pastry shops, zacharoplasteia start the production of the two most favorite festive Greek sweets. Now you can turn your kitchen into a Greek patisserie. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. […]

This sweet aroma announces the holidays are here!

It’s this time of the year when the classic battle begins for all Greeks! Are you a melomakarona fan or kourabiedes lover? All the bakeries, pastry shops, zacharoplasteia start the production of the two most favorite festive Greek sweets. Since a young age, I knew the festive season would start as the butter aroma would […]

Chicago’s Big Apple

A pancake with history As an American based travel advisor and tour operator specializing in Greece we spend alot of our time cooking, eating and sharing Greek recipes.  We have alot of passion for Greek food, and we believe that one of the greatest gifts travel brings is a taste of another culture.  So at […]

Gemista & Melitzanosalata (eggplant salad)

1 carrot  2 medium sized tomatoes (not very ripe) 2 bell peppers (any color you like) 1 zucchini  1 eggplant 3 potatoes 1/2 bunch of parsley 1/3 bunch of mint 3 onions, chopped 1-2 cloves of garlic 8 tbsp wholegrain (brown rice) or white rice Salt, pepper, oregano Olive oil Black raisins and pine nuts […]

Semolina Halva & Rag Pie

This is the famous 1,2,3,4 recipe which goes back in time and usually the recipe is passed from our grandmothers to the next generations. In the classical recipe you will need 1 unit of oil, 2 units of semolina, 3 units of sugar and 4 units of water. In our case, we will make our […]

Alevropita & Fasolakia Ladera

Ingredients needed for the alevropita:  Tip: It is served as breakfast, snack or even regular meal, ideally accompanied by good tsipouro and a warm glowing fireplace 🙂  Method: Ingredients needed for the fasolakia ladera: This is a recipe that will give you 5-6 servings (you can just use half the amount of the ingredients if […]

Some people are pure gold

Mrs. Toula, We live our lives, we meet people, we make acquaintances and then we find some special people. It’s like panning for gold. You get a pan full of sand and rocks, you dip it i the water, swish it around, get rid of the sand and the rocks, and, there, in the bottom […]