My World

Fava is a Greek appetizer, which must not be confused with fava beans because it's nor made from fava beans. It is a  yellow split pea purée and a delicious Greek veggie dish whose origins lie on the islands of Santorini and Skiros. Here's a recipe of the authentic Greek fava by one of Greece's greatest chefs - Akis Petretzikis.  INGREDIENTS 200g split peas 4 tbsp olive oil 50g onion 50g carrots 1 clove garlic 2 bay leaves 4 tbsp olive oil juice of 1 lemon salt and pepper spring onions for serving DIRECTIONS Cover the peas with water and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and strain. Chop the onion, garlic and carrot Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a pot over medium heat. Sautée the onion, garlic , carrot and bay leaves. Add the split peas, sautée and add some hot water to cover the split peas in the pot. Leave until the split peas are softened and water adsorbed, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon. Strain the remaining water and remove the bay le...

A lot has been said about the heart-healthy Mediterranean diet - a healthy eating plan based on delicious foods and flavours of the Mediterranean. The traditional Mediterranean diet has been part of my eating habits for years. Lately, I've come up with some healthy ouzomezedes provided that you have only one glass of ouzo and only 2 small pieces of grilled haloumi cheese.  This is Fava - split pea purée.  Fava is Greek and has nothing to do with our louvana here in Cyprus. If you like real fava, use fava not louvana! I used Agrino Fava. Here's my recipe . Cucumber and Kalamata Olives with a pinch of salt.  Tomato salad with a splash of olive oil and salad herbs. No salt! I find that herbs and spices are much tastier than salt! Grilled Haloumi Cheese Feta Cheese light (12% fat) drizzled with olive oil and oregano. Frozen chicken nuggets cooked in the oven and my chicken fillet meatballs also cooked in the oven. Don't forget to add some ...

No doubt the Greeks had wanted their freedom from the very beginning of the Ottoman rule, but in the 18th century the idea of a free Greece grew into an organised plan. With Russian help, a revolt started in 1770, which failed. Inspired by the French Revolution and the heroic poems (thourios) of Rigas Feraios , the Greeks did not give up, and the secret society Filiki Eteria ("Friendly Union") was founded in 1814 in Odessa of Russia by Nikolaos Skoufas, Emmanuel Xanthos and Antonios Tsakalof. Weapons and funds were collected, and help was sent from Greeks in exile as well as other countries on the Balkan and the Mediterranean sea.The revolution started when Alexander Ypsilantis invaded Jassy and declared Greece a free country. In the Peloponnese, the Archbishop of Patras Paleon Patron Germanos led the uprising on 23 March 1821. The Greek army of the Peloponesse was led by Theodoros Kolokotronis. Other famous Greek leaders of the revolution were Georgios Karaiskakis, Athanass...

Carnival in Greece and Cyprus rimes with  celebration - a chance to escape everyday routine and enter a world of party, fantasy, high jinks and 'kefi' - high spirits - a feast of dance, wine and meat before the fasting of Lent  Karnavali or Apokries ( the carnival) started in ancient Greece and was believed to be an act of worship for Dionysos, the God of Wine and Feast.  In the Greek Orthodox tradition, Apokries is the preparation period before Lent. Apokries means literally saying goodbye to meat ... Apohi apo kreas -  apo-kreas.  The English word Carnival derived from Latin and has the same meaning : " carne'' =meat and  "vale"  - goodbye. Apokries runs for 3 weeks preceding the First Day of Lent, which is today. The Greek Orthodox observe 40 days to Easter Day - called "sarakosti". Hence the wish all the Greeks exchange this festive weekend : "Kali Saracosti" (Happy Lent) Today  is   'Kathara Deftera' (Green or Clean ...

Tsiknopempti (Burnt Thursday)  is the Greek equivalent of Fat Tuesday (Mardi Gras). It is  celebrated eleven days before the start of Lent. The "Burnt" part refers to the grilling of meats (barbrcue), a big part of the celebration of this day. Photo Credit The weekend following "Burnt Thursday" will also have parties and other events such as  the Carnival. Technically, that Sunday is the last allowable day for eating meat and is sometimes called "Meat-eating Sunday" .  In Cyprus it's called "sikoses" from the greek verb "sikono" literally meaning "to rise" , but , as a metaphor it means to be up and dance and be merry and eat to your heart's content ! Right now, all the Greek restaurants and tavernas are literally packed and the Greeks party, eating grilled meats, drinking wine, ouzo or retsina and dancing. Many Greeks also paint their faces black ...to match them with the spirit of tsiknopempti (Burnt Thursda...

When I first visited Chios in August 2013, I fell in love with its intoxicating fragrances. It is the island of orchards and orange groves, of mastic and jasmine. Mastic and jasmine are in the air as you walk along the pebbled courtyards of this noble island with its gorgeous stone mansions. The tree that makes the flora of Chios unique is the mastic tree and its sap. The tree is very much like a shrub, with spreading branches and an ashy trunk. It's either light or dark green depending on how old it is. The natural resin, the mastic, oozes from these trees. The cultivation and processing of mastic is still done today in the old, traditional way. This requires many working hands, time and effort, something which makes the genuine Chios mastic unique. The jobs involve the tapping of the trunk and then the collection of the mastic. This takes all summer and has many stages. First, the ground is cleared and smoothed under each tree. The trunks are cleaned, scraped and...

When in Athens, one of my most favourite places to visit is the area of Plaka. Only a short walk away from the buzzing city centre, Plaka is a haven of peace amid the usual hustle and bustle of the city. Winding roads, neoclassical mansions, houses with red-tile roofs, balconies with bougainvilleas, jasmine or geraniums compose "the neighbourhood of the gods" dominated by the Acropolis - the sacred rock that makes us Greeks so very proud of our illustrious ancestors and our Greek heritage - the most advanced civilization the world has ever known. It's no wonder Plaka takes pride of place in the Greeks' hearts, especially in the hearts of the older Athenians who would have a glass of Retsina in one of the typical Plaka tavernas. In those days, every taverna had a guitarist playing old Greek songs such as the old Plaka "Kanta des". Later in the 60s, Plaka became the birthplace of the Greek "new wave" music inspired by the mainstream of the 6...