Learn How to Cook Like a Traditional Greek

Written by Greek Boston in Greek Cooking Comments Off on Learn How to Cook Like a Traditional Greek

There is an art to learning how to cook like a traditional Greek. Sure, it is easy enough to follow a recipe. However, Greek cooks are able to create traditional dishes no matter what ingredients they may have on hand. This is something that you can’t earn from a recipe.

So, how do they do it? How does a traditional Greek cook pull this off? Here are some of the things that they do, and you can start doing them, as well, in order to capture some of the magic that these traditional cooks are able to do:

Choose the Freshest Ingredients

For most Greeks, a great meal begins with the freshest ingredients. They get their fish daily, directly from the fishermen. Many tend their own gardens, or know someone who does, which means the produce is extra fresh. Greek markets are filled with only the best produce and other ingredients. These are all a consideration when shopping for ingredients for their meals. Cooking out of season is out of the question here, as food sonly available when it is fresh. For example, you will not find apples unless they were perfectly ripened from the tree.

Know that Recipes Are Just Suggestions

So, you have a recipe for fasolakia that calls for fresh green beans and fresh tomatoes, yet you can only find French green beans at the market, and the tomatoes don’t look great. Well, if you understand that recipes are only suggestions this wouldn’t even be a problem for you. You know that you can use tomato paste or tomato sauce instead, or canned tomatoes from last season’s harvest. You just have to understand how all the ingredients work together, and make the best choices.

Understand How to Season Food

Another thing that sets traditional Greek cooks apart is that most of them know exactly how to season their food to maximize flavors. Having an advanced understanding of the herbs and spices that are used in the cuisine helps considerable. However, you also need to know how to put the optimum amount of salt and pepper in the food is also key. You can always use recipes to help inspire you, but honestly, this is something that you can only really learn with experience.

Learn Traditional Cooking Methods

With traditional Greek cooking, less importance is placed on the actual recipes, although recipes are great tools to use. It is important to understand that for Greeks, it is less about the recipes and more about the method. The same technique that is used to braise green beans in tomato sauce is used to braise green beans in tomato sauce, for example. Once you identify the methods that are part of Greek cooking, you can mix and match based on the ingredients you can find. Baked vegetables, grilling souvlaki, making soups, making salads, et cetera are all key methods to learn for Greek cooking.

As you can see, there is an art to learning about traditional Greek cooking. If you keep these tips in mind, then you can

Categorized in: Greek Cooking

This post was written by Greek Boston