Lexicon

Antikristo

The name antikristo means across the fire, describing this unique technique. The meat is slowly cooked, sometimes up to 6 hours. A young lamb (or a goat, on rare occasions) is cut into four pieces (called goulidia), salted, then placed on big  skewers that are arranged around the fire in a circular formation, taking into consideration the direction of the wind, the intensity of the fire, and the distance between the fire and the meat. This process lets the meat cook in its own fat and salt with the heat coming from the flames instead of coals, developing  smoky umami flavors in the process.

Antikristo

Anevata

Risen dough filled with sweet cheese.

Anthotyro

Cheese made with milk and whey from sheep or goats, sometimes in combination. Sold as fresh cheese and as salt-dried grating cheese.

Apaki

Cretan specialty of cured pork loin marinated in vinegar and fresh herbs and then smoked with different tree branches and herbs until it gets an aromatic and characteristic flavor.

Bougatsa

Greek semolina custard pie with phyllo pastry.

Boureki 

A zucchini and potato gratin with a mix of local cheese .Traditional recipe from the city of Chania

Clay pot

Clay pot cooking is a process of cooking food in a pot made of unglazed or glazed clay and as a technique has been used in Greece  from ancient times . The food inside the pot loses little to no moisture because it is surrounded by steam, creating a tender, flavorful dish. The evaporation of the water prevents burning. Because no oil needs to be added with this cooking technique, food is usually lower in fat compared with food prepared in other utensils. Pots also seal all the nutrients inside the pot by locking steam in.

Dolmadakia

A grape leaf or cabbage leaf, cooked with a filling of ground meat, herb,or rice. In either case, the filling includes onion, herbs like dill, mint, parsley and spices. Meatless fillings are cooked with olive oil and may include raisins or currants, onion, nuts or pulses

Fava beans

is a species of flowering plant in the vetch and pea family fabaceae. In Greece the word does not refer to broad beans, but to the yellow split pea and also to the legume Lathyrus sativus. It ‘s boiled, pureed and eaten with olive oil and lemon

Galaktoboureko

Traditional Greek dessert made with layers of golden brown crispy phyllo, sprinkled with melted butter, filled with a milky creamy custard and bathed in scented syrup

Gemista

vegetables stuffed with rice, onion and herbs ( optionally also raisins and pine), cooked in a light tomato sauce

Giagia

Grandmother, undisputed leader in the family’s kitchen keeping an important and high status role in typical Cretan matriarchal families since the Minoan era.

Glistrida 

(Portulaca oleracea) known as purslane .Is mainly used in salads raw but also pickled , sautéed and even as a herb brew for its medical properties

Graviera

is a cheese mainly produced in Crete. It is not to be confused with the Swiss cheese gruyère, which is a related cheese but quite different. It’s the second most popular cheese  after feta. There are various types of graviera, in Crete it is made from sheep’s milk and matured for at least three months. It is slightly sweet, with a pleasant burnt caramel flavor, whereas the graviera of Naxos is mostly made of cow’s milk (80-100%).

Kagianas

Scrambled eggs with fresh, juicy tomato. It is tasty and wholesome and can be eaten any time of the day

Kalamari

Squid

Koulouri

Sesame bread rings, an iconic Greek snack, buy it from bakeries or street vendors but also incredibly easy to make it yourself. They are delicious by themselves or served with a topping.

Loukoumades

bite-sized fluffy Greek version of donuts

Lyhnarakia

Star shaped sweet cheese pastries

Manouri

A semi-soft, fresh white mixed milk–whey cheese made from goat or sheep milkas a by-product following the production of feta

Marathon

wild dill, very aromatic and widely used in Greek and Cretan cuisine

Melitzanosalata

A spread with flame grilled,  peeled and finely chopped eggplant, olive oil ,garlic, lemon juice, parsley

Mousaka 

the first well-known dish of the Greek cuisine consisting of layers of vegetables (usually eggplant, zucchini, potatoes ) and a middle layer of ground meat with tomato sauce, onion, garlic

Myzithra 

Greek whey cheese or mixed milk–whey cheese from sheep or goats, or both.

Ntakos

cretan rusk with fresh grated tomato and topped with cheese (feta, myzithra)

Okras

also known as ladies’ fingers, ochra or gumbo, is a flowering plant in the mallow family. It is valued for its edible green pods. Pods are cooked, pickled, eaten raw, or included in salads

Paximadi

The term covers various forms of Greek rusk, made commonly from barley flour, and softened with wine, water or oil before eating.

Phyllo

or filo is a very thin unleavened dough used for making pastries such as baklava . Phyllo-based pastries are made by layering many sheets of filo brushed with olive oil or butter, the pastry is then baked. Phyllo dough is made with flour, water, and a small amount of oil or white vinegar, though some dessert recipes also call for egg yolks. Homemade phyllo takes time and skill, requiring progressive rolling and stretching to a single thin and very large sheet. A very big table and a long roller are used, with continual flouring between layers to prevent tearing.

Petimezi

grapemust or grape molasses, is grape must reduced until it becomes dark and syrupy . Its flavor is sweet with slight bitter undertones

Plaki

a food genre that describes Greek dishes baked or roasted with a good amount of quality olive oil, tomatoes, and vegetables.

Psarokolyva

mixture of pulses eaten with barley. It’s an ancient Cretan recipe consumed usually after days of fast.

Rizogalo

very popular rice and milk sweet pudding, usually sprinkled with cinnamon.

Saganaki

a dish that its name derives from the cooking vessel that it is prepared in, “sagani” i.e. small frying pan. A saganaki dish can be made with shrimps, cheese or other main ingredients and the only thing that this dishes have in common is the cooking vessel they are prepared in.

Sfakia 

A small but well known Cretan village, famous among others for ‘sfakianopites’, a traditional Cretan treat that couples layers of thin, unleavened dough and soft white whey cheese or wild greens.

Shakshuka 

Shakshouka is a Maghrebi dish of eggs poached in a sauce of tomatoes, olive oil, peppers, onion, and garlic.

Skioufihta

Cretan traditional, handmade pasta. Their name comes from the verb “skioufizo“, which means “to turn” in Cretan dialect.

Skordalia

is a thick puree (or sauce, dip, spread ) made by combining crushed garlic with a bulky base ,which may be a purée of potatoes, walnuts, almonds, or liquid-soaked stale bread and then beating in olive oil to make a smooth emulsion. Vinegar is often added.

Spanakoryzo

traditional vegan dish, made with spinach and rice.

Souvlaki

is a popular Greek food consisting of small pieces of meat or fish and/or vegetables grilled on a skewer.

Staka

Cretan dairy product made by salting and boiling the creamy, fat layer of fresh or boiled sheep’s or goat’s milk.

Stifado

the word refers to a way of cooking the main ingredient (meat, mollusk or vegetable) as a stew accompanied with onions, vinegar, wine, bay leaf, tomato paste.

Syglina

tender and aromatic chunks of pork, preserved in their own fat.

Tahini

a paste made from toasted ground hulled sesame seeds. In Greece, tahini is used as a spread on bread either alone or topped with honey, jam, chocolate or carob syrup.

Talagani

handmade cheese from sheep’s and goat’s milk often compared to Cypriot halloumi.

Taramosalata

is a meze made from tarama, the salted and cured roe of cod, carp, or grey mullet mixed with olive oil, lemon juice, and a starchy base of bread or potatoes, or sometimes almonds. Variants may include garlic, spring onions, or peppers, or vinegar instead of lemon juice.

Thyme honey

It is a strong honey with herbal, savory and aromatic flavors and is ideal to accompany desserts or to sweeten tea/infusions. Thyme honey derives from the flower nectar of the Thymus genus of plants (Wild Thyme etc) and apart from its culinary aspects, this valuable and fairly expensive honey also provides many health benefits such as  antioxidant, anti-cancer, and anti-allergenic properties.

Trahanoto

a type of pasta that is made of flour and milk or yogurt and cooked with the risotto technique.

Tsoureki

A sweet holiday bread made with flour, milk, butter, eggs, and sugar and commonly seasoned with orange zest, mastic resin.

Tyrozouli

cheese produced in the mountains of western Crete. It is made from sheep’s or goat’s milk which is traditionally curdled with fig sap.

Tzatziki

A sauce/spread served with grilled meats or as a dip. It is made of Greek strained yogurt mixed with cucumber, garlic, salt, olive oil, sometimes with vinegar or lemon juice, and some herbs like dill, mint, parsley. It’s served cold.

Wagyu beef

a Japanese beef cattle breed – derived from native Asian cattle. ‘Wa’ means Japanese and ‘gyu’ means cow.

Xinohondros

The boiled mixture of fermented goat’s or /and sheep’s milk and hondros. Hondros is the coarsely ground wheat.