Greek cuisine is seen as a healthy Mediterranean diet because of its wide range of vegetables and herbs used in every dish. Greek cuisine is seen as healthy because it follows a basic style when it comes to cooking. One of the main ingredients in Greek food is olive oil which is produced from olive trees in the region. Greek cuisine uses fresh ingredients, olive oil, and carefully uses herbs and spices. Greek food is recognized for its spit-roasted meats, dishes containing olive oil, olives, chick peas, garlic, oregano, basil, nuts, and tomatoes.
It is also famous throughout the world for their wine. They believe they have the greatest wine because Greece is the birth place of Dionysus. Dionysus is the ancient Greek God of grape harvest, winemaking, wine, ritual madness and ecstasy. The terrain and climate in Greece are the factors that make the cuisine unique. Due to the mild weather the vegetables are able to grow naturally, and have a distinct scent and taste. The herbs grown and harvested wild in the mountainside are significant to the people because they are known for their scent and healing power.
The animals that eat the land such as lambs and goats produce food of a unique taste such as feta cheese. Once food is made out of these ingredients it is meal time which is an important social event to Greek people. Food is a way to come together as one and bond, the atmosphere is relaxed and happy. Meal times can last for hours in Greece, the enjoyment of food and company extends the meal and time spent together. Cooks can spend days making meals for family and friends. When it comes to Greek Cuisine some people do not realize that eating out and sharing the food at dinner is just as important as the food itself.
The word for this is paraia, which is “a transcendence of the dinner table to include conversation, the view, ambiance and overall spirit of place. ” In ancient Greece all of the food served revolved around religion and philosophical theories. Greeks could not eat the meat of a domesticated animal because it was considered barbaric. They could only eat the meat of an animal that was sacrificed to a god or hunted in the wild. Also Greeks did not consume food in its raw form, it has to first be processed into normal cheese or cottage cheese and then it can be eaten.
Ancient Greek foods were based on vegetables that were grown on the rocky and mountainous terrain of the Greek islands and the peninsula. They had a specific eating pattern that began with an early breakfast consisting of bread, soups, and vegetables. Then there is an early lunch with bread, vegetables, and meat or fish along with cheese and olives. Dinner was the main meal of the day in which fruits, wines, and vegetables were served. In Greek mythology the goddess Demeter was the goddess of harvest, she controlled the fertility of the earth, harvest, seasons, grains, and the cycle of life and death.
Her daughter Persephone was the Queen of the Underworld. Greeks pray to them before eating bread and the God Dionysus before they drink wine. Greeks avoid some food, for example, they avoid beans because they believe they are unclean. There are many things that are unique when it comes to Greek cuisine. It is through their beliefs and history that Greeks are able to maintain their culture and keep their food alive. In this culture food brings people together and allows them to continue a tradition, that has been practiced for thousands years alive and progressive. Food is a way of life it is only through that, that we can honestly
