I'm back! Sorry it's been awhile since my last post. I've been trying to make sure I had some really good stuff for everyone to see/read. I know many of you have been waiting to hear all about Greece and Aegina, so here it is!
I took a glorious trip to Athens, Greece to visit my lovely friend Noelle who is studying there while I am here in La Rochelle. Noelle shares a passion for food with me, which added an amazing dimension to my stay in that she made sure I tried everything she could possible think of that is known for being Greek as well as making me some of the delicious specialties on her own! So of course I'm going to share them all with you because, how could I not?
Just to briefly introduce you to Athens, here is the beautiful view of Plaka from my walk up to the Acropolis. Athens is full of so much history and life and color, it's truly amazing. Even on a rainy day I loved it.
I took a glorious trip to Athens, Greece to visit my lovely friend Noelle who is studying there while I am here in La Rochelle. Noelle shares a passion for food with me, which added an amazing dimension to my stay in that she made sure I tried everything she could possible think of that is known for being Greek as well as making me some of the delicious specialties on her own! So of course I'm going to share them all with you because, how could I not?
Just to briefly introduce you to Athens, here is the beautiful view of Plaka from my walk up to the Acropolis. Athens is full of so much history and life and color, it's truly amazing. Even on a rainy day I loved it.
Part I: Athens
On one of my first days in the city Noelle took me all around Plaka, to see the changing of the guard in front of the Parliament Building in Syntagma Square, through the gardens and to see the Olympic Stadium and Temple of Zeus, and finally up to the Acropolis! It was super rainy, but even though I was soaked and a little bit cold it was a day I will never forget.
So I think I plan to do this post a little differently, because I have so much to tell you about all of the Greek food I had I'm not going to follow my days chronologically as I have in the past. Instead, I will fill this page with lots of pictures and explanations of all the food I fell in love with in Greece!
So I think I plan to do this post a little differently, because I have so much to tell you about all of the Greek food I had I'm not going to follow my days chronologically as I have in the past. Instead, I will fill this page with lots of pictures and explanations of all the food I fell in love with in Greece!
This here is the creation of a beautiful snack that is essentially a Cretean spin on a bruschetta, called Dakos. The base is a little bread piece like a crouton, that's lightly soaked in water to soften the outside but maintain a crisp bite in the middle. It is then topped with a tomato slice, crumbled feta (demonstrated beautifully by Noelle in the upper left-hand photo), and a mix of rosemary, greek oregano and basil. The finishing touch is a generous drizzle of olive oil over the top! I really enjoyed the flavors of the rosemary with the slight crunch provided by the bread, but I am a sucker for bruschetta of any type so I could be biased...
Noelle also made me a homemade tzatziki to try, a Greek specialty that is used in all types of gyros, as a dip or supplement to pita or vegetables, and really tastes great with almost everything! It's simply greek yogurt, shredded cucumber, and garlic! You can add some other spices like dill or even a little lemon zest, but this is tzatziki in it's most basic form.
Noelle also made me a homemade tzatziki to try, a Greek specialty that is used in all types of gyros, as a dip or supplement to pita or vegetables, and really tastes great with almost everything! It's simply greek yogurt, shredded cucumber, and garlic! You can add some other spices like dill or even a little lemon zest, but this is tzatziki in it's most basic form.
This will be an easy one to make at home so I was grateful that I got to learn and of course eat with Noelle!
Next stop is Souvlaki, the generic name for Greek street food. This is most commonly gyros, and was one of the things I was most excited to eat in Greece. What I was surprised to discover was that the methods used by Souvlaki vendors were extremely similar to that used by those places where I have eaten many kebabs in France. It seems that the street food in both places carry similarities. The best example I have of this is the traditional rotisserie meat that you see all over France that is used in kebabs and apparently also very commonly in gyros:
Next stop is Souvlaki, the generic name for Greek street food. This is most commonly gyros, and was one of the things I was most excited to eat in Greece. What I was surprised to discover was that the methods used by Souvlaki vendors were extremely similar to that used by those places where I have eaten many kebabs in France. It seems that the street food in both places carry similarities. The best example I have of this is the traditional rotisserie meat that you see all over France that is used in kebabs and apparently also very commonly in gyros:
Aegina is a pretty small island, we were able to rent ATVs and pretty much see all around the island thanks to Lysi, who served as our tour guide and showed us her favorite parts of Aegina. First things first after ferry docked in Aegina, we did a little exploring and then of course
This guy doesn't look thrilled about the picture I snuck as I was walking by...sorry man! Gotta inform the people. But anyways, I found the similarity very interesting. It seems this sort of thing is more widely spread than I had thought, and is a typical type of fast-food here in Europe. Or at least, in France and Greece!
I had a few different gyros during my time in Greek--they're convenient and only cost 2 euros--but my favorite was the traditional lamb gyro! It was lamb wrapped in a pita, with french fries and tzatziki and tomatoes, lettuce, etc.
I had a few different gyros during my time in Greek--they're convenient and only cost 2 euros--but my favorite was the traditional lamb gyro! It was lamb wrapped in a pita, with french fries and tzatziki and tomatoes, lettuce, etc.
It's a wonderful meal or a late night snack and even though it's probably not wildly healthier than American fast-food, it tastes so much more fresh that you can't help but believe it's a semi-healthy option. Delicious!
The next day in Greece was a bit rainy again, so Noelle and I went shopping and when we got hungry, she decided to treat me to a sampling of Greek pastries!
The next day in Greece was a bit rainy again, so Noelle and I went shopping and when we got hungry, she decided to treat me to a sampling of Greek pastries!
Top Left: Greek Baklava is phyllo dough layered with honey and syrup, then topped with pistachios and walnuts, different than Turkish Baklava but this dessert has many variations served throughout this region, there's a good deal of history behind it and it's regarded by some as a special occasion dish. For example, it is sometimes served by Christians on Easter and made with 40 sheets of Phyllo to represent the 40 days of lent. If you'd like to know more you can check out this page.
Bottom Left: Galaktobureko is phyllo dough layered with custard and soaked in orange syrup. I liked it a lot, however, it's very very sweet so if you're not a total sweet tooth you may not drool over this one.
Right: Bougasta (my personal favorite) is custard cream in pastry dough dusted with powdered-sugar and cinnamon! It's a little reminiscent of a churro flavor, only much lighter in my opinion. There's also another variation in Greece in which the pastry is drizzled with chocolate instead of the powdered-sugar/cinnamon mix. I'm glad that Noelle picked this one for me to try, it was amazing.
Here's a close up of all three, just because I can:
Bottom Left: Galaktobureko is phyllo dough layered with custard and soaked in orange syrup. I liked it a lot, however, it's very very sweet so if you're not a total sweet tooth you may not drool over this one.
Right: Bougasta (my personal favorite) is custard cream in pastry dough dusted with powdered-sugar and cinnamon! It's a little reminiscent of a churro flavor, only much lighter in my opinion. There's also another variation in Greece in which the pastry is drizzled with chocolate instead of the powdered-sugar/cinnamon mix. I'm glad that Noelle picked this one for me to try, it was amazing.
Here's a close up of all three, just because I can:
Part II: Aegina Island
For two days during my stay I got the opportunity to have my very own island experience by visiting Aegina, a small island just a one-hour ferry ride outside of Athens. I was lucky enough to stay at a small hotel owned by the grandmother of one of Noelle's Greek-American friends, Lysi. The experience was breath-taking. There is so much beauty and peace on the little island, and of course I had some amazing food while I was there!
Aegina is a fairly small island, but we were able to see a good chunk of it thanks to Lysi, who served as our tour guide and took us around to her favorite spots and views. We rented ATV's which made travel around the island so easy and fun too.
After the ferry docked, our first priority was to explore a little bit as we waited for the ATV's (Lysi's grandmother lived on the other side of the island, so we had to ride there rather than walk). I learned that Aegina is specially known for it's pistachios, so those I had to try. But first: ice cream! This particular kind is made with a cream filled style pastry; it tasted just like a cream puff! Delicious, but I was a little bit overloaded with sweetness by the end.
After the ferry docked, our first priority was to explore a little bit as we waited for the ATV's (Lysi's grandmother lived on the other side of the island, so we had to ride there rather than walk). I learned that Aegina is specially known for it's pistachios, so those I had to try. But first: ice cream! This particular kind is made with a cream filled style pastry; it tasted just like a cream puff! Delicious, but I was a little bit overloaded with sweetness by the end.
The pistachios that come from Aegina are often regarded as some of the finest in the world, and have been cultivated there since 1860! I am serious when I say these are some of the best pistachios I have ever eaten (if you can imagine the nut melting in your mouth, you're already halfway there). I would HIGHLY recommend them but with caution, you may never enjoy another pistachio in the same way.
After a full evening of walking and riding on ATV's, we were starved and ready for dinner. Knowing that I wanted to try everything I could, the girls that were with me decided that when we sat down for dinner, we would just order quite a few different dishes to split. One of my favorite things about all of the food I ate in Greece was that everything was so incredibly fresh, from the tomato-cucumber salads to the calamari (another speciality). Here is a collection of pictures from my dinner:
After a full evening of walking and riding on ATV's, we were starved and ready for dinner. Knowing that I wanted to try everything I could, the girls that were with me decided that when we sat down for dinner, we would just order quite a few different dishes to split. One of my favorite things about all of the food I ate in Greece was that everything was so incredibly fresh, from the tomato-cucumber salads to the calamari (another speciality). Here is a collection of pictures from my dinner:
Just looking it at all makes me want to go back and eat! Of course we had plenty of bread and tzatziki, and wine all around the table. I love the types of dinners where all the plates get shared, it's nice to be able to try everything and it's very common to do this in Greece.
It was late and so we went off to bed, and were greeted in the morning by Lysi's grandmother who speaks mostly only Greek but offered us this platter with a beaming smile, saying that she hoped we had slept well and that she made it herself:
It was late and so we went off to bed, and were greeted in the morning by Lysi's grandmother who speaks mostly only Greek but offered us this platter with a beaming smile, saying that she hoped we had slept well and that she made it herself:
I'm still kind of in awe over it, I think it's beautiful. This here is Spanikopita, and is a traditional Greek breakfast dish. It's phyllo with feta cheese, spinach, and garlic rolled into a large coil and then baked until crispy. It's easy this way because the pieces just pull apart. It's so simple and so delicious, and it was even better because it was homemade!
And I have one more slideshow of food for you, because I had lunch in the Aegina sun on my last full day in Greece, sharing with the girls just like we did at dinner the night before:
And I have one more slideshow of food for you, because I had lunch in the Aegina sun on my last full day in Greece, sharing with the girls just like we did at dinner the night before:
My time in both Athens and Aegina was filled with many new things to try and some amazing new flavors discovered. I wouldn't trade it for the world and I'm sure that I'll be back some day.
Special thanks to Noelle, Lysi, and all of the amazing friends I made in Greece! You all made my experience memorable and certainly delicious.
Special thanks to Noelle, Lysi, and all of the amazing friends I made in Greece! You all made my experience memorable and certainly delicious.
Part III: The Unexpected
In a final blurb, I'll tell you about how sometimes when you're traveling you have to learn to take things as they come, and sometimes that's very difficult.
My return flight from Athens to Paris arrived over an hour late, putting me in a dilemma because the train I had booked (and already paid for by the way) had already left for La Rochelle and I was not on it, of course. I made my way to the train station hoping that there would be another train I could take only to find out that the one I was supposed to be on was the last of that night. Reluctantly, I bought another ticket for a train that was scheduled to leave at 7:12am, exactly 12 hours after I had intended. The sweet security guards at the train station took pity on me, and allowed me to "sleep" in the waiting room of the station even though it was technically closed from 1am to 5am.
Why do I include this on my food blog you ask? Well I thought you would want to know about my lovely dinner and snack boxes that I was given by the generous night guards who just wanted me to smile and relax a little. Me and a new friend (a girl about my age who had accidentally scheduled a plane from Munich to Paris that arrived after 11pm and then was shocked to find out she could not get back to Pau, France until morning) wore 6 layers of clothing from our suitcases and laughed at ourselves late into the night while trying to keep warm and calm.
My return flight from Athens to Paris arrived over an hour late, putting me in a dilemma because the train I had booked (and already paid for by the way) had already left for La Rochelle and I was not on it, of course. I made my way to the train station hoping that there would be another train I could take only to find out that the one I was supposed to be on was the last of that night. Reluctantly, I bought another ticket for a train that was scheduled to leave at 7:12am, exactly 12 hours after I had intended. The sweet security guards at the train station took pity on me, and allowed me to "sleep" in the waiting room of the station even though it was technically closed from 1am to 5am.
Why do I include this on my food blog you ask? Well I thought you would want to know about my lovely dinner and snack boxes that I was given by the generous night guards who just wanted me to smile and relax a little. Me and a new friend (a girl about my age who had accidentally scheduled a plane from Munich to Paris that arrived after 11pm and then was shocked to find out she could not get back to Pau, France until morning) wore 6 layers of clothing from our suitcases and laughed at ourselves late into the night while trying to keep warm and calm.
A gourmet meal of applesauce, crackers, and canned pasta salad was my dinner late at night in a Parisian train station after a beautiful trip to Greece. I was so blessed to have been taken care of and I am forever grateful to my new friends from that night who I very well may never see again. But that's life, isn't it?
I'm sure now that all of you are dying to go to Greece and eat everything! I know I am. That's all for now but I'll have some more stories for you soon.
I'm sure now that all of you are dying to go to Greece and eat everything! I know I am. That's all for now but I'll have some more stories for you soon.