 |
| Top row, left to right: soy nuts, macadamia nuts, roasted pumpkin seeds, corn nuts. Bottom row, left to right: mixed nuts, peanuts, cashews, whole almonds, pecans, walnuts. |
When one thinks about the Mediterranean diet, and the Greek one in particular, usually the following components come to mind: lots of fresh fruit and vegetables, cheese, fish, wild greens, oregano, olive oil and wine. What often gets overlooked by those not familiar with the Greek table is the essential inclusion of ξυρούς καρπούς (xirous karpous) - or dried fruit and nuts.
Traditionally, these dried fruit and nuts suited the agrarian nature of the Greek farming family well as they are very energy dense and nutrient rich. In fact, my husband's grandparents would always bring with them dried figs and raisins to their daily farm work as they were easy to transport and very high in sugar and fibre.
Dried nuts have been documented in ancient Greek recipes since time immemorial. The world's oldest intact cookbook, "
The Deipnosophists" by Athenaeus has several references and recipes to dried fruit and nuts. A Romanian Greek classics student, Anda Pleniceanu, has an interesting blog entry on Athenaeus' Gastris "cake" made with nuts, poppy and sesame seeds. Click here to read this very interesting modern interpretation of Atheanaeus' ancient Greek recipe.
So, if dried nuts and fruits are so important to the modern Greek diet, how are they suitable for Great Lent? Well, for one, most of these foods are high in protein and fibre, making them ideal snacks to satiate one's appetite using small portions, while providing a nutritious boost when one is not eating animal-based proteins. And, with the variety of nuts and fruits available in the markets, there is likely something for everyone's taste! Here are a few of the more common nuts that are seen throughout Greek cuisine. When you mix them all together, you get a nice snack mix that is possibly healthier than some pre-fabricated trail mixes available in the stores.
But these nuts are not just for snacking. They are used in a variety of foods -- both sweet and savoury. Yes, we all immediately think of walnuts and baklava with Greek sweets. But, there are many other nuts used for sweets. You can find almonds as a typical spoon sweet (γλυκό του κουταλιόυ) that are made when the almond is still very immature and, thus, very soft, and pine nuts in a wide variety of dishes - both sweet (e.g. mixed with honey) and savoury (pine nut and rice stuffing for poultry).
With so many people today being allergic to peanuts, modern Greek folks are finding substitutes that include dried soy nuts; although not really a nut (it is a bean), dried soy nuts are slowly being assimilated into common Lenten fare in some households which are fasting.
Over the next week we will dedicate a few blog entries about this very versatile category of Greek Lenten food; we have will highlight some nuts and dried fruit for you to consider when making your next Greek delight - whether that is a dessert, side dish, or even an entree. We are nuts about Greek food, and Greek food is often about nuts!
 |
| Pecans |
 |
| Roasted Pumpkin |
 |
| Walnuts. Used commonly in Greek desserts |
 |
| Macadamia Nuts |
 |
| Roasted Soy Nuts |
 |
| Almonds |
 |
| Roasted Peanuts |
 |
| Cashews |
 |
| Corn Nuts. Not typical in the Greek diet, but a tasty snack. |
 |
Mixed Nuts, including cashews, almonds, walnuts, peanuts, and Brazil Nuts.
|
"Not the power to remember, but its very opposite, the power to forget, is a necessary condition for our existence."
St. Basil the Great
No comments:
Post a Comment