Ok – So I know I have this major wedding coming up that I not only am going to, but standing on the front row in a green bridesmaid gown with all of Texas, Florida, and Alabama as my witness, but I have continued to put off the upcoming diet. My spring break trip to Greece has been one of my main excuses to myself. Greek food as I knew it (gyros mainly) has always been a favorite of mine, and I couldn’t wait to try the real thing. Would it be better than the Galleria’s Gyro Wrap? Or a disappointment like one of Birmingham’s few Greek restaurants, Tazikis?
This morning I had my mama and my treasured Fage yogurt with honey from the Greek forest, sitting on the stone porch outside my room, solely for my use. As I waited on the bus from the town in which I am staying, Parikia to Nauossa on the island of Paros, I made my first visit to a Greek bakery. Now you may think you have had good pastries, heavens, I thought I had tasted quite the assortment of good pastries; but never have I placed in my mouth a concoction like I devoured today. Flaky, sticky, and sweeter than a honeybun, this cherry tart decorated with shaved almonds was a testament to the history and future of baking itself. Unlike American, French, or even Italian pastries, these (much like the spice cake I ate last night) are soaked in a light honey-based syrup. The syrup is not a thick maple like one might think, but thin – almost like honey-flavored water. Something brought me back to that same bakery late afternoon to try traditional Greek baklava, the pastry that would set the test for all sweets Greek. At home in Alabama, my vampire-sized sweet tooth does not crave baklava, but this, now this was different. Drizzled with chocolate and soaked in that sweet honey syrup was the triangle of baklava that would have been the first thing to catch the eye of my brother Luke (lover of all things chocolate and sweet). Expecting the traditional saucy chocolate of which I am not a huge fan, I took my first bite as I sat reading The Divine Secrets of the Ya Ya Sisterhood as the sun set over the Mediterranean – it was filled with semi-melted chocolate chips! Divine! The Orthodox feel that they are the original religion that everyone else split off of – if anything could convince me of their superiority it would be the pastries!
And not only are the pastries amazing, but so is everything else in their culinary realm. Everyday I have tried a different restaurant’s version of Greek fast food – the Gyro and Kalamaki. Although Americans have a quite tasty version of the Gyro, I had never tasted a Gyro quite like those in Greece – they put the fries in the wrap!! And might I add that it is delish! For dinner last night, I treated myself to a restaurant that the locals recommended – Aroma. Aroma’s was filled with a tasteful arrangement of Greek items (for example, on one wall was a basket with lace draped off the edges and a bouquet of lavender tied with string). After a look at the menu where everything looked delectable, I decided on baked vegetables topped with feta and herbs for the appetizer and pork with potato strips as my main entrée. Everything had a little twist to make it something new and original to me. The potatoes had a hint of acid – perhaps they had been soaked in choice vinegar before being baked. The vegetable appetizer had this sauce that made the dish – and so simple! Made only of red and green bell peppers, red onions, tomatoes (Roma, I think), and feta with herbs. Add a touch of olive oil, tinsy bit of water, and bake – the feta will melt a little with the other liquids to make a soup-like sauce that coats the vegetables and throws the tastebuds into a sublime heaven. I can’t wait to taste the seafood and perhaps tonight, for a light dinner, a plate of hummus and taziki sauce with herby pita bread hot from the oven.
This morning I had my mama and my treasured Fage yogurt with honey from the Greek forest, sitting on the stone porch outside my room, solely for my use. As I waited on the bus from the town in which I am staying, Parikia to Nauossa on the island of Paros, I made my first visit to a Greek bakery. Now you may think you have had good pastries, heavens, I thought I had tasted quite the assortment of good pastries; but never have I placed in my mouth a concoction like I devoured today. Flaky, sticky, and sweeter than a honeybun, this cherry tart decorated with shaved almonds was a testament to the history and future of baking itself. Unlike American, French, or even Italian pastries, these (much like the spice cake I ate last night) are soaked in a light honey-based syrup. The syrup is not a thick maple like one might think, but thin – almost like honey-flavored water. Something brought me back to that same bakery late afternoon to try traditional Greek baklava, the pastry that would set the test for all sweets Greek. At home in Alabama, my vampire-sized sweet tooth does not crave baklava, but this, now this was different. Drizzled with chocolate and soaked in that sweet honey syrup was the triangle of baklava that would have been the first thing to catch the eye of my brother Luke (lover of all things chocolate and sweet). Expecting the traditional saucy chocolate of which I am not a huge fan, I took my first bite as I sat reading The Divine Secrets of the Ya Ya Sisterhood as the sun set over the Mediterranean – it was filled with semi-melted chocolate chips! Divine! The Orthodox feel that they are the original religion that everyone else split off of – if anything could convince me of their superiority it would be the pastries!
And not only are the pastries amazing, but so is everything else in their culinary realm. Everyday I have tried a different restaurant’s version of Greek fast food – the Gyro and Kalamaki. Although Americans have a quite tasty version of the Gyro, I had never tasted a Gyro quite like those in Greece – they put the fries in the wrap!! And might I add that it is delish! For dinner last night, I treated myself to a restaurant that the locals recommended – Aroma. Aroma’s was filled with a tasteful arrangement of Greek items (for example, on one wall was a basket with lace draped off the edges and a bouquet of lavender tied with string). After a look at the menu where everything looked delectable, I decided on baked vegetables topped with feta and herbs for the appetizer and pork with potato strips as my main entrée. Everything had a little twist to make it something new and original to me. The potatoes had a hint of acid – perhaps they had been soaked in choice vinegar before being baked. The vegetable appetizer had this sauce that made the dish – and so simple! Made only of red and green bell peppers, red onions, tomatoes (Roma, I think), and feta with herbs. Add a touch of olive oil, tinsy bit of water, and bake – the feta will melt a little with the other liquids to make a soup-like sauce that coats the vegetables and throws the tastebuds into a sublime heaven. I can’t wait to taste the seafood and perhaps tonight, for a light dinner, a plate of hummus and taziki sauce with herby pita bread hot from the oven.
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