Ayios Vassileios

The karavaki

The Greek twelve days of Christmas begins at Christmas and continues until January 6th, which is known as the Feast of Epiphany. During these twelve days of Christmas, people keep their fires in their houses burning throughout this period. This is to keep evil spirits away from their homes through their chimneys.

A traditional Christmas food in Greece is Christ’s Bread, or else “christopsomo”. It is prepared on Christmas Eve and it is eaten at the lunch of Christmas day. This is a round bread made with more special ingredients, such as raisins, aniseed, walnuts or almonds, etc.

Decorated ships are an old tradition in Greece where small ships were put up in homes when sailors had returned from sea voyages. Christmas Trees are popular in Greece. Over time, especially in the late 20th century, decorated Christmas trees became more popular than decorating a boat.

The most common meats in Greece are pork, lamb, beef, goat, chicken, veal and rabbit not necessarily in that order. Because it was expensive in the past, before the Greeks became affluent enough to eat it every day, meat was eaten perhaps twice a week and usually with vegetables, pasta or grains.

Moussaka – Greece’s National Dish.

*Avoid fried things such as meatballs, small fish, fries-not because they are fried but because many of these restaurants pre-fry these foods and then just warm them up, as a result you will be eating mushy and not crispy food. Also do not order moussaka.

So don’t be shy to add a Greek salad as a side to whatever you’re eating! Ultimately, traditional Greek food nearby is both healthy and flavorful, What’s more, it’s rich in antioxidants, fiber, healthy fats, minerals, and vitamins with links to favorable health outcomes.

Some essential ingredients of the Greek breakfast are: bread and pastries, cheese, traditional yogurt, butter, milk, cold cuts and meat, honey, tahini, local marmalades, olive oil and olives, eggs, traditional pies, local sweets, fresh fruits, cereals, herbal drinks, and coffee.

Tzatziki is made simply with yogurt, drained cucumber, olive oil, fresh herbs (usually mint or dill), garlic, lemon juice and salt. It’s a refreshing chilled sauce, dip or spread.

The healthy hot sauces you should put on everything

1. McIlhenny Co. Tabasco Pepper Sauce, $4.
2. True Made Foods Veracha, $10. Angela Lemond RDN, loves this vegetable sriracha.
3. Trader Joe’s Jalapeno Sauce, $4.
4. Secret Aardvark Habanero Sauce, $9.
5. Cholula Hot Sauce, $3. How a dietitian spends $30 at Whole Foods:

Tzatziki sauce is often served as a dip with pita bread. It can also be added to grilled meats for a high-protein dish. Summary: Tzatziki is a popular dip made from cucumbers and Greek yogurt. It’s high in protein and low in calories.

Tzatziki sauce goes great with all kinds of meat – chicken, beef, pork and lamb. It’s especially good with grilled meat! The most popular way to eat tzatziki sauce is with gyros! I also often serve the tzatziki sauce with my homemade ground beef kefta kabob.

The word tzatziki appeared in English around the mid-20th century as a loanword from Modern Greek (τζατζίκι), which in turn comes from the Turkish word cacık. The root is likely related to several words in Western Asian languages.

“Greek yogurt” is actually Turkish. Greeks are Turkish and Jewish combined.

The truth is, hummus has been made all over these areas for hundreds of years, a dish likely imported west from the chickpea-growing Arab countries to Greece. The only major difference between hummuses lies in how much cumin and tahini, or sesame paste, is used. Turkish hummus substitutes butter for olive oil.