The AVITAE RecipebookAncient cooking with an

innovative twist

PREFACE

In 2014 seven European schools were brought together on the occasion of participating in an Erasmus + project. So for the following three years students and teachers from a) Istituto di Istruzione Superiore N. Machiavelli, in Lucca, Italy (the coordinating school), b) Laniteio Lykeio, in Lemessos, Cyprus, c) the 2nd General Lykeio of Arta, Greece, d) the IES Canarias Cabrera Pinto, in Tenerife, Spain, d) Hotelová Akadémia, in Bratislava, Slovakia, e) Ørestad Gymnasium, in Copenhagen, Denmark and f) Pyhäjoen Lukio, in Pyhäjoki, Finland teamed up to work on AVITAE, “ A Virtual Intertextual Tour Across Ancient Entrepreneurship”.

During this time we tried to get to know each other, to explore things about each country’s culture, civilization, educational system and of course study the subject of entrepreneurship. Researching on the subject, we tried to collect all possible information concerning our ancestors’ businesses, view some other dominant peoples’ entrepreneurial activities and venture some comparisons.

Looking at the findings of some famous shipwrecks (the Antikythera or the Kyrenia shipwrecks), or reading about ancient markets and trading relations between areas

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AVITAE MAGIRA - The AVITAE Recipebook

of the same country or between the countries of the time, we realized that the trading related to food was predominant and covered the greatest part of commercial interactions.

What is more, in the oldest times recorded food products may have been the only kind of trading commodity.

Given also the fact that the Slovakian school is one training chefs, sommeliers and waiters, we felt that we had to dedicate some of our activities to food culture, diet and nutrition. Thus, every country searched for some of our oldest recipes (all the better if those could be found in the original language) and decided that we all present : 1) a starter, 2) a soup, 3) a main dish without meat, 4) one with meat and 5) a dessert.

Preparing for our third meeting (hosted in Bratislava), students had to create international menus consisting of the various dishes coming from their countries. They also had to decide about the kind of people (“clients”) they would have to cater for and alter, if necessary, those dishes to suit the needs, tastes or demands of their target groups.

Finally, students had to choose some of their menus’ dishes, cook them and find an enticing way to serve them.

Everybody that participated in the activity, either as cooks or tasters, loved the experience. We hope that people who will be interested in our cooking book will also enjoy reading it, merit from its information and try some of the recipes or menus suggested.

While every attempt has been made to verify the information provided in this recipe-book, neither the authors, the AVITAE-communitor nor the distributor assume any responsibility for errors.

We do not give any kind of guarantee about the accuracy of information provided. In no event will the authors and/or marketer be liable for any direct, indirect, incidental, consequential or other loss or damage arising out of the use of this book by any person, regardless of whether or not informed of the possibility of damages in advance.

All pictures and videos and other materials are made by the AVITEA-community.

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AVITAE Cookbook Legal

Welcome to the Danish menus!

Danish food

Danish food culture

Before the Medieval period, 1050 - 1536 in Denmark, our knowledge about Danish food culture is only based on various archeological material, e.g. the contents of stomachs from bogmen, recent methods of DNA-analysis of hair and C14 methods. We do not have any written sources and therefore we do not have any recipes. What we know is that our ancestors had a diet consisting mainly of grain, meat, herbs, fish, shell-fish and birds.

In Medieval times, however, we start to get various written sources. Lists of what kind of food was bought from outside the households of the bigger castles, the daily ration for monks in the cloisters, menus for bigger feasts at the courts.

Around 1300 AD the first Danish recipe book “Libellus De Arte Coquinaria” was written by Knud Jul, a monk from Soroe Cloister. The book has been handed down to us in a collection of three books written in Latin by the doctor, Henrik Harpestreng, who died in 1244 AD. One of these books is about herbs, and you can read the advice of eating raw garlic in the morning to get rid of bad breath.

The everyday food was heavy and very energy-rich since the peasants worked hard all day long in the fields. Porridge, bread, stews, salted meat and fish were the normal content of meals. Instead of water both children and adults drank thin beer. It was a method to have “fresh water”. Some say that an adult man drank between 4 - 6 litres of thin beer a day.

At the courts and among wealthy people the diet was different in that expensive spices such cinnamon, pepper, carnation, cardamom and ginger were used a lot. These spices are still used in the Danish kitchen around Christmas and at other occasions when the food has to be extra delicious. In the circles of the courts, it was prestigious to serve long cooked food and food which was difficult to prepare, e.g. meat formed as a fish covered with golden leaves or tarte with small birds inside. The menus had a lot of meat, plenty spices and it had to satisfy the eye as much as the stomach. Normally ten different courses were served and the King or the count had all courses while the guests had less according to their status in the community. Often the food was served on a plate of bread. This so called bread plate was given to the poorest people afterwards, so they could taste the food from the juices that the bread had soaked from the various courses. So everybody had his share.

Only once a year fresh meat was available. In November/December the cattle was slaughtered and thereafter the meat was put into salt. Chicken and other birds were fresh all year around and many of the recipes we have are with chicken.

From 1050 AD most Danes were Christians and therefore held many days of fast, about 180 days a year. During lent the Danes ate salted fish, bread and porridge. Because of the strict rules that meat was forbidden to eat during lent, duck was defined as a fish since it very often was swimming in the water, and therefore it was allowed to eat duck as a variation to salted fish.

In this recipe book we have innovated on some of the oldest Danish recipes, mainly from “Libellus De Arte Coquinaria”. We have focused a lot on fresh vegetables and greens, which is available all year around in Denmark now. We have also lowered the amount of animal fat since most modern Danes do not need a very energy-rich diet, on the contrary.

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The bog-man, Grauballe-manden, Moesgaard pre-historic museum, Denmartk 2015

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RECIPES IN ORIGINAL DANISH LANGUAGE

A medieval Danish recipie: Soup with chickens

De cibo dicitur kloten enhonrerMan skal siuthre et gamrelt h0nsalt helt oc takre et annret raathens. oc splittre thret wrel smat oclatre threr til sprek skorren wrelsma swa swn rertrer oc malretkumiren, oc gerre threr sma lootaf. oc la tre thret i th ren sothrenh0nsre soth. oc latre threr tilcumin]. safran. oc win. swinresmolt oc salt til matre. oc blomreaf reg. swa at thret cer icefn thiukcebathce. Thre ltre hetrer klotren enhoncer.

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RECIPES FROM DENMARK

Winesoup with chickenballs

1 chicken or hen (2,5 kg)1 bouquet garni1 tsp cumin (powdered)2 egg yolks11/2 dl white wine½ g of Saffron (grounded and soaked in some of the soup)

Meatballs

1 chicken (1,5 kg) (the meat must be minced – about 600-700 pure meat)200g minced fat pork1 big tsp cumin (powdered)

Cut the chicken into pieces and cover it with water. Bring it to boil (let it take an hour). Let it simmer for three hours. Throw out the chicken. Filter the soup and boil it down with cumin, saffron and white wine until it tastes strong and well. You need at least 6 dl.

Debone the raw chicken. Mince meat and hide, and mix it with pork meat. Add the two eggs, cumin and salt. Let the stuffing rest for a while in a cold place. Make small meatballs and put them into the soup a few at the time until they float. Mix a cup of the soup with two egg yolks and pour it into the soup which has been taken off the heat. From now on it must not boil. Add more salt if necessary and serve with bread.

This is one of the oldest recipes from Denmark and it can be dated back to the 12th century AD.

http://madhistorie.dk/opskrifter/middelalderopskrifter03.html

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RECIPES FROM DENMARK

Main dish: Chicken dumpling with yolks

800g of pure chicken meat (debone a chicken or buy filet of chicken breast)200g of thin sliced bacona big bunch of sage (with big leaves)egg (for brushing)

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RECIPES FROM DENMARK

A medieval Danish recipie: Soup with chickens Debone the chicken and cut the meat into cubes of 3-4cm, salt lightly. Cover it and put it in the fridge. Warm the water, butter and salt in a pot. When the water boils and the butter is melted take it off the heat. Mix most of the flour and the warm butter mixture. Soon you can knead it with your hands. Finish kneading it on the table. If necessary, use the rest of the flour to make an elastic and manageable dough.

Beat an egg with some water in a bowl and use it for brushing later.

Make balls of the dough (the size of a walnut), Roll out the balls to thin circles of 12-13 cm.

Place a slice of bacon on the table, put one or two leaves of sage and a cube of chicken on it and wrap the bacon around it. Place the meat on a circle of dough, brush the edges with egg and wrap the meat into the dough (see picture), brush again. Continue until you have used all the dough and meat.

Bake it at 180 degrees until they get light brown. Don’t let them get too long else they’ll turn dry.

This dish is also from the oldest cookbook in Denmark from 13th century AD by Henrik Harpestreng. At that time they didn’t write a recipe for dough, only that you needed one. So the recipe of the dough is from a Danish Cookbook by Anna Wecker from 1648 AD.

http://madhistorie.dk/opskrifter/middelalderopskrifter21.html

Frontpage from Henrik Harpestreng “Book of Herbs” 1244

http://www.roskildehistorie.dk/1200/billeder/domkapitel/laerde/Harpestreng.htm

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ORIGINAL DANISH RECIPES

White mash

● 100g wheat bread without crust

● 1 liter of whole milk

● 5 egg yolks

● 25 g sugar

● ½ tsp saffron (powdered)

● cinnamon

● butter

Cover the bread crumbles with milk and out it into the fridge for 1-2 hours. Whip yolks and sugar well. Take the bread and milk mixture out of the fridge and blend it. Put it into a thick-bottomed pot, add saffron and boil it for 3-4 minutes. Keep stirring. Take the pot off the heat and add the egg mixture – keep stirring. Warm it carefully and keep stirring – be careful that it doesn’t burn. Serve with butter and cinnamon.

This recipe is from the oldest cookbook in Denmark from the 13th century AD, written by the doctor Henrik Harpestreng and it was dish often eaten in the medieval time in Denmark.

http://middelaldertekster.dk/harpestreng-nks70r/14

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ORIGINAL DANISH RECIPES

Main dish

Chicken with herbs

● 1 chicken

● 50 g butter

● small bunch of parsley

● ½ tsp dried mint

● salt

● pepper

● 1tsp vinegarDivide the chicken into two halves and put it into a thick-bottomed pot on low heat. Make sure it doesn’t burn. It is a good idea to make the pot warm before you put the chicken into it. It has to be here 40 – 60 minutes. Turn it a few times.

Chop parsley, and mix with chopped mint.

The chicken is done when the meats starts to fall of the bones. Pick up the meat and bones. Turn up the heat. Add the vinegar to the boiling juice from the chicken. Whip butter into it. At last add the chopped herbs, salt and pepper.

This recipe is also found in the oldest Danish cookbook from the 13th century AD by Henrik Harpestreng.

http://madhistorie.dk/opskrifter/middelalderopskrifter10.html

Paintings from Nr. Alslev church in southern Zeeland, painted by the famous ‘elmelund-master’, about the sam time as Henrik Harpestreng.

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ORIGINAL DANISH RECIPES

Strawberry pie

dough

300g wheat flour 150 soft butter 100g powdered sugar1 egg 500g strawberries 50g butter 200g sugar 1 tsp cinnamon

Mix all the ingredients for the dough. Place the dough in a cold spot (minimum half an hour) before rolling it out.

Place the thin dough into a tart mould. Mix the fresh strawberries with cinnamon and sugar and spread it out on the dough. Add extra sugar on top. Bake it for 20 minutes. Let it cool down before eating it.

If the strawberries are not fresh (but frozen), add some breadcrumps to them.

Strawberries have been eaten in Denmark for thousand of years, and we have sources saying they were grown from before the 14th century AD. We know about this dessert from King Frederik 2nd’s mother queen Sohie from the end of 15th century AD. Though the recipe is in German.

http://madhistorie.dk/opskrifter/renaissanceopskrifter15.html

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RECIPE FROM DENMARK

Apples baked with butter

● Apples● Sugar● butter● egg white● wheat flour

Peel the apples and cut them into two to four pieces. whip some salt into egg white. Toss the apples in the egg whites. Thereafter toss the apples in the flour, so they are completely dry. Thereafter put them into warm butter and bake them until they are tender. Cover with sugar.

This recipe it from 1610 AD, so it’s a bit late. But apples and cinnamon were well-known ingredients in the medieval kitchen in Denmark. We don’t have recipes of dessert in the oldest cookbook.

http://www.historieonline.dk/special/opskrifter/historisk_julemad_eble.htm

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MODERN VERSIONS OF DANISH RECIPES

Modern Kallis bread muffin

4 persons

Introduction

Ingredients

2 dl milk

4 egg yolks

4 thick slices of wheat bread

Butter, for lubricate the muffin forms

Fresh mint

5-6 cherry tomatoes

½ onion

A pinch salt and pepper

A handful spinach

Optional: shredded cheddar cheese

Cooking process Preheat the oven to 175 celsius. Beat egg yolk, milk, salt and pepper together. Cut the crust off the bread. Roll the bread flat. Spread butter onto the muffin forms. Fit the rolled bread into the muffin forms. Wash the spinach. chop the cherry tomatoes and the onion. Put the vegetables in the muffin forms on top of the bread. Pour the egg mixture on top of the vegetables. Optional add shredded cheddar cheese on top.

Bake it in the oven for about 10 minutes until the eggs are firm and the cheese melted. Serve with some chopped fresh mint on top or put them in the fridge for later

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MODERN VERSIONS OF DANISH RECIPES

Wine Soup with chicken balls

4 Persons

Ingredients

Soup

● chicken bouillons

● 1 L water

● 1 tsp cumin (powdered)

● 1 1/2 dl white wine

● ½ g of Saffron (grounded and soaked in some of the soup)

● 1,5 kg potatoes

● 2 kg carrots

● salt

● pepper

Chicken balls

● 500 g minced chicken meat

● 1 onion

● 1 big tsp cumin (powdered)

● 4 teaspoons salt

●4 pinches of pepper

● 2 eggs

● 1,5 dl water or milk

● 1 teaspoon salt

Meatballs

Mix all the ingredients in a food processor or with a handmixer.

Handmixer: Chop the onion finely. Mix the minced chicken meat with cumin, pepper and salt in a bowl. Whisk the two eggs together in a cup. Add the two eggs and water or milk to the minced chicken. Add the chopped onion to the meat and mix it well.

Let the stuffing rest for a while in a cold place. Make small meatballs and place them on a plate. Bring the soup water to boil in a pot and add 1 teaspoon of salt. Cook the meatballs 4-5 minutes in the water. Take them out with a skimmer and place them in a strainer to strain them from water.

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MODERN VERSIONS OF DANISH RECIPES

The soup

Peel the carrots and potatoes and chop them into big chunks. Bring the water to a boil and add the chicken bouillons. When the bouillons are completely dissolved, take a bit of it and soak the saffron in it. boil the bouillon down with salt, pepper, cumin, saffron and white wine until it tastes strong and well. Add the carrots and potatoes and boil the soup at a low temperature until the vegetables are al dente. Make sure to check the vegetables every other minute.

Add the meatballs to the soup, when the vegetables are almost done. Add more salt and pepper if necessary and serve with bread.

This is one of the oldest recipes from Denmark and it can be dated back to the 12th century AD.

http://madhistorie.dk/opskrifter/middelalderopskrifter03.html

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MODERN VERSIONS OF DANISH RECIPES

Chicken dumpling with yolks

Ingredients

●Stuffing:

●800g of minced chicken

●200g of thin sliced bacon

●a big bunch of sage (with big leaves)

●4-5 carrots

●onions

●egg (for brushing)

Dough

●1 cup all purpose flour

●2 teaspoons baking powder

●1 teaspoon white sugar

●½ teaspoon salt

●1 tablespoon margarine

●½ cup milk

Cooking process

Chop onions and carrots finely and mix it all together with the chicken. Mix until everything is nicely mixed together. Leave it in a bowl in the fridge while you make the dough.

Mix flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt in medium size bowl. Crumble the butter into the flour mix and add milk to make a soft dough.

When the dough is done, make balls of the dough (the size of a walnut). Now roll the balls into small circles of about 12-13 cm diameter.

Place a slice of bacon on the table, put one or two leaves of sage and a ball of chicken on it. Then wrap the bacon around it and place the meat on a circle of dough. Brush the edges of the dough with egg all the way around as a glue. Then fold over the dough. Make sure the dough is completely sealed so the meat will not fall out during the process. Continue until you have used all the dough and meat.

When all the dumplings are sealed and done, place them in boiling water with a tablespoon. Let them zimmer for 15 minutes under lid. Take the dumplings out of the water and they are ready to serve.

This dish is also from the oldest cookbook in Denmark from 13th century AD by Henrik Harpestreng. At that time they didn’t write a recipe for dough, only that you needed one. So the recipe of the dough is from a Danish Cookbook by Anna Wecker from 1648 AD.

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MODERN VERSIONS OF DANISH RECIPES

Roasted chicken with butter and herbs

3-4 people

Introduction:

This chicken is best served in true Danish style with some boiled potatoes. And if you want to be bit extra healthy - serve a nice green salad on the side.

Ingredients

●1 whole chicken

●50 g butter

●small bunch of parsley

●½ tsp dried mint

●salt

●pepper

Cooking process

Preheat your oven to 200°C/400ºF/gas 6. Grease an ovenproof dish with oil or butter. Divide the whole chicken into two halves and put it into an ovenproof dish, skin side up. Mix butter with chopped parsley, dried mint, salt and pepper to make a herb butter. Rub the chicken skin with the herb butter. Put the chicken in the oven, and let it roast for 60 minutes, or until the meat starts to fall of the bones.

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MODERN VERSIONS OF DANISH RECIPESStrawberry tart (8-10 slices)

Ingredients

●Shortcrust pastry

●Shortcrust pastry

●150 g wheat flour

●100 g butter at room temperatur

●50 g icing sugar

●1 Egg

Mazarin Paste

●100 g raw marcipan

●100 g sugar

●50 g butter at room temperature

●1 egg

●approx. 25 g flour

●75 g cane sugar

●1 bar of dark chocolate

●1 big punnet of strawberries

Vanilla cream

●2 eggs

●30 g maizena (corn starch)

●1 vanilla pod

●0,5 l full-cream milk

The old original recipe for the strawberry pie is the starting point of the very popular strawberry tart we know today's Denmark. In the old recipe the strawberries are baked, but in the newer version1 the tart itself is baked first and then served with vanilla cream and fresh strawberries.

How to

Short crust pastry

Crumble butter into flour, and until there is no clumps. Add icing sugar and egg. Make the dough into a ball with your hands - DON’T KNEAD THE DOUGH. Put in fridge for 30 minutes.

Mazarin Paste

Cut marcipan in small pieces and mix with sugar (easily done with hands). Add butter, egg and flour and mix it well into a uniform paste.

Vanilla cream

Scrape the vanilla seeds from the pod and mix with sugar. But save the pod itself for later.

Whisk eggs and maizena (corn starch) together in a pot at a low heat.

Add milk, the mixed vanilla sugar and the vanilla pod. Bring it to a boil at low heat - constantly stirring. Take the pot of the heat as soon as the cream is boiling, because if it stays too long the cream will split. Now take out the vanilla pod and let the cream cool. Give the cream a stir frequently.

Now for the tart itself

Spread the shortbread crust dough nicely in a tart tin. Pour the mazarin paste over the shortbread dough and bake at 200 degrees celsius for 15-20 minutes - keep an eye on the tart, and take it out when it is a solid mass, but still a bit soft when you press a spoon down onto it. Let the tart cool of.

Melt the chocolate and spread it out on the pie. Put it in the fridge for 30 minutes to cool.

Now spread out the vanilla cream onto the tart and decorate with fresh strawberries.

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Welcome to the Spanish menus

Canary Islands food

The Canary Islands are located about 60 miles off the coast of Africa and their cuisine is a mixture of some native Guanche elements, as well as European, African and Latin American foods.

The staple food of the first inhabitants of the Islands was very simple. It consisted of parched grain, milk, meat and fish. Grain was eaten in the form of “gofio”, first parched and then ground fine by means of stone hand-mills. Gofio is still popular nowadays. Meat was also an important part of their diet: mainly goat meat, mutton and pork. Nowadays, rabbit meat, introduced by Spanish, is very popular too. Guanches also used milk and lard, dates, and some shellfish as part of their diet. Some varieties of cheese are delicious and worth trying.

Other foods were introduced after different navigators stopped on the islands on their trading routes. For example, the Romans brought olives and figs, and a bit later, the Arabs introduced others, many of them taken from the East, Persia, China or India. They brought rice, sugarcane, fruits (oranges, lemons, bananas), dried fruits, (figs, raisins, almonds) and spices such as saffron, cinnamon, cumin, ginger, coriander, oregano, nutmeg, anis, sesame…

Other products were introduced by Europeans (mainly Portuguese, French Italian or English) for example, grapes and wine production, which is still important nowadays.

However, there is no doubt the main influence on our cuisine has come from Latin America. The islands were conquered by Spanish people by 1500 and became the first stop on Spanish soil as ships returned from America. Migration to and from South America has been constant ever since. Thus, lots of foods from America have been incorporated into the Canarian diet, such as potatoes, beans, tomatoes, avocados, corn, cocoa, tobacco, and later on, tropical fruits such as mango, pawpaw, pineapple, etc.

Many of those products were easy to crop on the islands due to its warm climate, so they have become essential in the Canarian diet, for example potatoes, tomatoes, corn or bananas.

Fish is also an important part of the diet and it is typically prepared in four different ways - covered in salt, fried, baked, or “jareado” – sun-dried and seasoned. Varieties of fish include wreckfish, damselfish, dentex, sea bass, white sea bream, bogue, mackerel, rock cod, moray eel, tuna, and parrot fish.

Thus, we can say that the cuisine of the islands owes its richness and diversity to influences from Europe, Africa and America, as well as echoes from our prehistoric culture, with a huge range of

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CANARY ISLANDS FOOD CULTURE

traditional recipes and many fresh ingredients available all year round: local fish, island cheeses, wrinkly potatoes and spicy mojo sauce, quality meat, gofio and world-renowned wines cultivated in volcanic soils.

On the whole the Canarian cuisine is fresh, varied, simple, healthy and light, but really tasty and succulent.

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CANARY ISLANDS

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TRADITIONAL RECIPES FROM THE CANARIES

Starter

GRILLED CHEESE WITH HONEY OR MOJO

Ingredients

· White fresh cheese

· Honey (If you prefer you can add “mojo” sauce instead of honey)

ELABORATION

1. Cut the cheese in small slices

2. Then grill the pieces in a frying pan, 1 minute each side

3. Put it in a plate and then add the honey or the “mojo”

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TRADITIONAL RECIPES FROM THE CANARIES

HOW TO PREPARE GREEN MOJO ( Our typical Canarian sauce)

Ingredients

• 1 Head of Garlic

• 1 Bunch of Coriander

• 50 Millilitres of Vinegar

• 250 Millilitres of Olive oil

• 1 Teaspoonful of Cumin

• 1 Teaspoonful of salt

ELABORATION

1. Peel the garlic and squash it a little, and wash and mince the leaves of coriander.

2. Mash the garlic with the salt, the cumin and the vinegar to obtain a homogeneous mixture. You can use a mortar or a mixer.

3. To finish, add the coriander and mash it well. Keep add oil little by little without stopping mashing.

4. Add a little amount of salt to the sauce and season to taste.

Innovation

If you are not very fond of coriander, you could try using pepper or parsley. However, if “mojo sauces” and “garlic” are not the best choice for your stomach, you can always use honey! We definitely recommend it for small children.

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RECIPE FROM THE CANARIES

Soup

WATERCRESS SOUP

Ingredients

· 2 watercress bunches

· 200g of beans (in soak during 24h)

· 350g of potatoes

· 300g of pork chop

· 1 onion

· 1 garlic clove

· 2 carrots

· 100g of pumpkin

· Salt

· Cumin

· Saffron

· Coriander

· 2 ears of corn.

ELABORATION1. Leave the beans soaking during a day.2. Cut the onion and fry it with the garlic and the coriander also cut.3. Put them in a pot, add water and stir it with a spoon.4. Add the beans, the pork chop and the ears of corn to cook in salted water over medium heat for 30 minutes. Go

foaming as needed.5. Season and add the carrot cut into slices; add to the pot with the pumpkin cut, along with a teaspoon of ground

cumin.6. Continue cooking another 20 minutes.7. Peel the potatoes and cut them into medium cubes; wash the watercress and selecting, removing thick stems;

chop into strips and add to the pot with the potatoes.8. Add some saffron and coriander and check the salt.9. Simmer gently until the stew begins to thicken and the ingredients are very tender, about another 30 minutes.

InnovationThis is a really healthy dish. However, if you can’t find watercress in your area, you could try using spinach or other vegetables. This is what we did in Bratislava in our cooking day.

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RECIPES FROM THE CANARIES

Main dish

PARTY MEAT “CARNE FIESTA”Ingredients (for 3 or 4 people)· 500 g of pork loin· 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper· 200 ml of olive oil· 1 teaspoon of salt· 50 ml white wine vinegar· 1/2 teaspoon of thyme· 100 ml of white wine· 1/2 teaspoon of oregano· 1/4 red hot pepper· 3 cloves of garlic

ELABORATION1. Prepare the marinade. Put all the ingredients in the mixer, except the meat and half of the olive oil. Grind it for a couple of minutes.2. Cut the pork into cubes of about 2 cm and marinate it in the mixture that we have prepared before. Leave the meat at least 2 hours in the mixture to take flavour.3. Pat the meat with kitchen paper to remove the liquid and fry with oil in a large skillet. Once the meat has browned well on all sides, add the liquid from the mixture and cook until the sauce is thick.4. Serve hot accompanied by potato chips or wrinkled potatoes.

InnovationOther kinds of meat could be used. If you are not very keen on pork. You can try using beef, lamb, or duck! Of course, you could innovate by changing the choice of herbs. We suggest having some side dishes to accompany your meat, such as roasted artichokes, leeks, mushrooms, or some salad.

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RECIPES FROM THE CANARIES

Main dish SANCOCHO

Ingredients

· 1 kilo of salty fish

· 2 kilos of big potatoes

· 2 kilos of yams (sweet potatoes)

· Olive oil

· Parsley

· SaltELABORATION

1. Put the fish in water during a whole day to remove the salt from the fish. Change the water several times. 2. Put the yams and the potatoes (with their peel and in big pieces) in a big pot. Cover them with water and let it cook about 25 minutes.3. When they are almost cooked cut the fish in big pieces and introduce it into the pot. Cook the fish for 10 minutes, no more, otherwise it can break into small pieces.4. Once the ingredients are cooked remove the water from the pot and put the food in a dish. The Sancocho is usually served with “mojo” our typical Canary sauce.

Innovation

In the past salty fish was used to prepare this dish. There were no refrigerators and salt was a way of conserving food. However, nowadays, we suggest choosing fresh fish or frozen one. It is healthier and you don’t need to desalt it for 24 hours.

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RECIPES FROM THE CANARIES

Dessert

BIENMESABE

It is a sort of cinnamon-spiced almond cream. It dates back from the 15th century. It was introduced by Arabs. They brought almonds, and also sugar to Spain. It was believed that sugar had healing properties.

Ingredients

· 500 g of almonds

· 500 g of sugar 1/2 l of water

· 18 yolks

· grated lemon peel

· cinnamon stick

· 12 biscuits 'cat's tongue' or similar.

●

ELABORATION

1. Peel the almonds. You can toast them slightly and then grind them or you can get blanched almonds, if you don’t want to spend a lot of time blanching them. Reserve them.2. Make a syrup by boiling water and adding sugar.3. Add the lemon peel and the cinnamon-stick to the hot syrup.4. Stir it until it is thick enough. Reserve one third of the syrup.5. Add the ground almonds to the syrup.6. Keep stirring and use low heat for about 15-20 minutes (when you see the almonds “jumping”, they are OK)7. Remove the cinnamon stick.8. Use a double boiler: that is, put a boiler with water inside and put the other boiler with the mixture. Add the egg yolks that have previously been beaten.9. Let it cook slowly until it turns a nice colour.10. Place some biscuits dipped in the syrup that had been reserved (you can add a few drops of rum or brandy

for taste) and place the almond cream or “bienmesabe” on top . It is served cold. You can also serve it with vanilla ice cream.

InnovationCanarian people are known for “having a sweet tooth”. That’s true. We love sweet things! As a consequence, there are quite a few people who have some extra weight, and many suffer from diabetes too. Thus, we suggest making some changes in this dessert. On the one hand, we could reduce the amount of sugar in the recipe. Another option could be adding other sweeteners which are not as harmful as sugar. For example, there is a plant called stevia, which could be used as sweetener instead of sugar (dried leaves). It can be grown in our gardens easily, so it wouldn’t be a problem to make this change.

Another option would be serving the dessert together with a fruit salad, instead of with ice cream. Delicious fruits abundant in our islands would make it a tastier dessert, full of vitamins. By serving some pieces of mangoes, grapes, paw paw, oranges, … with our almond cream, it could turn into a healthier more succulent colourful dessert!

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RECIPES FROM THE CANARIES, IN SPANISH

Entrante QUESO ASADO CON MIEL O MOJO

Ingredientes

· Queso blanco fresco

· Miel ( Si prefieres puedes usar “mojo” en vez de miel)

ELABORACION

1. Corta el queso en finas lonchas

2. Luego asa las lonchas en una sartén, 1 minuto por cada lado

3. Ponlas en un plato y añade la miel o el “mojo”

CÓMO PREPARAR MOJO VERDE ( Nuestra típica salsa canaria)

Ingredientes

• 1 Cabeza de ajo

• 1 manojo de cilantro

• 50 Mililitros de vinagre

• 250 Mililitros de aceite de oliva

• 1 cucharadita de comino

• 1 cucharadita de sal

ELABORACION1. Pela el ajo y aplástalo un poquito, y lava y pica las hojas de cilantro.2. Mezcla el ajo con la sal, el comino y el vinagre hasta obtener una mezcla homogénea. Puedes usar un mortero o una batidora.3. Para acabar, añade el cilantro y mézclalo bien. Ve añadiendo aceite poco a poco sin dejar de remover y mezclar .4. Prueba y si es necesario añade un poco más de sal.

InnovationSi no eres muy aficionado al cilantro se puede hacer de perejil o de pimiento.Sin embargo, si el mojo y el ajo no son la mejor opción para tu estómago, siempre puedes usar miel! Lo recomendamos especialmente para niños pequeños.

Welcome to the Greek menus!

Greek food

Food and drink were at the centre of ancient Greek life. In Odyssey (I, 136-143) we are presented with a ritual of generously offering food to strangers even before their names were asked. The Greeks were the first to think seriously about the importance of cookery to human life. Anyway, in a country where the Gods were nurtured by Ambrosia and Nectar food could not just be an everyday task.

For the Greeks food was a kind of therapy. Cooking was related to medicine as we can see in the cases of Hippocrates, Asclepius and Galen. Good cooks had to have knowledge of medicine to avoid bad food combinations and health problems.

The temperate and mild weather, the landscape and the presence of the sea enabled the ancient Greeks to develop very healthy dietary habits. What they produced, the way they cooked and consumed their products, the combination of materials and the blending of tastes are very close to the perfection of the Mediterranean contemporary diet that all experts agree it is the most balanced and healthy way of eating.

Their staple foods were lentils, chickpeas, beans, barley and wheat, fruit and vegetables like figs and grapes. They used a lot of olive oil, herbs, honey and wine. They ate a lot of fish. Meat was mostly consumed by rich people and on special days and festivals. Basically it was used for their sacrifices to the Gods. It’s a good thing that Gods were satisfied just by the smell of roasted meat so the rest would be given out to the poor.

Bread was a very important element of their everyday diet. They produced at least a dozen different kinds of bread.

It is important to mention that through trading they exported their products to the world but also imported new spices like pepper, fruit like citrons or peaches, nuts like pistachios and ofcourse new food ideas which they incorporated in their diet.

How did ancient food taste? We can’t really know. There were ingredients like silphion, a spice, which has disappeared or garos a strange sauce that we don’t produce anymore that changed taste altogether. Neither has ever been found a “recipe” giving the exact measurements or instructions for making a dish. There were schools for cooking where the masters passed on their expertise to their apprentices, but orally. There were some notes on the art and mysteries of cooking but they were very rare and expensive to find. Domestic cooking was based on instinct. If you wished, you could hire a good cook for a symposium in the Market. It appears that professional cooks appeared on the 4th century BC.

There were volumes on the art of food and drink called “Οψαρτυσίαι or Οψαρτυτικά» (opsartysiae / opsartytika). The sad thing is that none of these have been rescued but we simply have references to them by others like Plato, or Athenaeos. The latter in his book Deipnosophistae managed to collect a lot of important information related to gastronomy.

Closing, we should say that we get a lot of information about food and cooking through the comedies of Aristophanes or Menander.

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The flavours of Greece

32

RECIPES FROM GREECE

For the Greek material used in the e book we took information from the following

Bibliography

Αττίτη Φωτεινή-Χλόη , «Αι της γαστρός ηδοναί», Αθήνα, 2006

Dalby Andrew, «Σειρήνια Δείπνα», Ηράκλειο Κρήτης 2001,

Dalby Andrew, «Flavours and delights», Athens 2013

Ηλιόπουλος Γιώργος , «Γαστρονομικόν», Αθήνα 2012

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RECIPES FROM GREECE

Salad, «Κράμβη και θρίδαξ μεθ’ ευζώμου εν οξελαίω»

“Της θρυδακίνης η λευκή γλυκυτέρα και απαλοτέρα», Θεόφραστος

“The whiter a lettuce is, the sweeter and the tenderer”, Theophrastus (371-287 BC)

(1 serving)

●cabbage

●lettuce

●rocket

●½ red apple

●3-4 walnuts

●“oxalmi” vinaigrette (3 table spoons of vinegar made from dry, red wine, 1 table spoon of honey, ½ glass of olive oil)

●1clove of garlic

●1 tea spoon of ground ginger

●1 glass of white wine

We chop the vegetables in a plate and on top of them we cut the apple in cubes. We don’t peel the apples so as to give our salad a nice colour. We add the walnuts after we pestle them in a mortar. We mix the ingredients. Next, we pestle the garlic, we grind the ginger and add to them the wine, the vinegar, the honey and the oil. We pour the mixture on our salad.

Note: To add more flavour to the salad, we can add pomegranate and some walnuts or hazel nuts.

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RECIPES FROM GREECE

Cabbage soup «Μίµαρκυς ατραφιλίδων»

“To λάχανο πρέπει να κοπεί με ένα πολύ κοφτερό  μεταλλικό μαχαίρι και στη συνέχεια να πλυθεί και να στραγγίξει.Κόβουμε μαζί του μια ποσότητα  κόλιανδρου και απήγανου. Μετά περιχύνουμε με οξύμελι και πασπαλίζουμε με μια μικρή ποσότητα ασαφετίδας.”

“Cabbage should be sliced with the sharpest possible iron blade, then washed, drained, and chopped with plenty of coriander and rue. Then sprinkle with oil vinegar and add just a little bit of silphion.” (Oribasios, Medical collections, 4,4.1)

●½ cabbage chopped

●1 big onion finely chopped

●1 bunch of dill (about one tea cup)

●100gr of goat cheese

●1 carrot

●200gr groat (crushed grain)

●salt, pepper

●1 wine glass of olive oil

We peel off the outer leaves of the cabbage. We wash it under running water and chop it. We boil it for 10 min in salty water. We brown the onions in the oil and we add the cabbage and the chopped carrot. We put in the groat and the dill, adding little by little the water where we had boiled the cabbage. When it becomes thick we turn off the stove and we add the cheese which we crumble with our fingers.

Note: Instead of groat, to modernise our recipe, we can use rice.

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RECIPES FROM GREECE

Stuffed leaves with lentil «Επίπλους φακών»

«…Και ήρθε η κορασίς, φέρουσα πιάτα με λάχανα και τυριά, ενώ οι άντρες έφερναν στο στόμα τις ελιές, οι φακές τυλιγμένες σε λάχανα, έστεκαν πιο πέρα…» , Άλεξις

“… and there she came the young woman, bringing a plate with greens and cheeses, while the men were putting in their mouths the olives, the lentils stuffed in cabbage leaves were placed a bit further…” , Alexis (299-199)

(serving 4 people)

500 gr cabbage or vine leaves

1 big onion

1 big leek

1 cup of groat (crushed grain)

1 cup of olive oil

1 cup of mint

some oregano

salt, pepper

500 gr boiled broad lentil

After we dip the cabbage or vine leaves in boiling water, we drain the lentil.

We brown the onion and leek in the oil. We add the groat, some salt and pepper and we mix them. We sprinkle the mint and the oregano and we make sure they spread everywhere in the mixture. We let them wither. We add the lentil and stir for 2 min.

We take the pot away from the stove and we start stuffing the leaves with one table spoon of the mixture. We shape the leaves in small rolls and we put them back in the kettle. We pour on them ½ glass of water. We boil for 15 min in a low temperature.

Note: To modernise our dish and make it more flavourable, we can replace the

groat with rice and we can add some carrots and tomato in the stuffing mixture.

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RECIPES FROM GREECE

Ingrediens, Κid/beef with chick peas

1 kgr of kid/beef

1/2 kgr chick peas

2 medium onions

a little cumin (caraway) or fennel or dill or celery

1 cup of olive oil

salt, pepper Κid/beef with chick peas «Όψον πνικτόν εριφίου ή μόσχου εν ερεβίνθω»

“… το φθινόπωρο το κατσικάκι είναι πιο γλυκό…’’, Ανάνιος στον Αθήναιο 281

“…kid is sweeter in autumn…”, Ananios as quoted by Athenaeus 281

“…Όταν φτιάχνεις φρεσκοσφαγμένο κατσικάκι ή αρνάκι βάλε φρέσκους χοντροκομμένους σπόρους σταριού σε ένα βαρύ βαθύ τηγάνι με αρωματισμένο λάδι. …. Σερβίρισέ το με ψωμί ζεστό, στη σχάρα ψημένο…’’ Νίκανδρος, Γεωργικά , στον Αθήναιο Γ’ 124

“… When you cook a freshly slaughtered lamb or kid, add roughly crushed wheat in a heavy, deep frying pan with flavoured oil. …. Serve it with warm bread grilled on a grate…” Nicander’s Farming as quoted by Athenaeus C’ 124

We put the chick peas in lukewarm water with a spoonful of salt overnight. In the morning, we throw the water away

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RECIPES FROM GREECE

Pancakes «Σταις εν μέλιτι»

Ιεροκλής έφη: «Σταις εστίν υγρόν, επιβαλλομένου μέλιτος και σησάμης και τυρού, εις τήγανον χεόμενον…», Αθήναιος Δειπνοσοφιστές 640

Hierocles said: “The pancakes are made of liquid dough in which we add honey, sesame and cheese and which we pour in a frying pan…”, Athenaeus, Deipnosophistae 640

200 gr flour

100 gr water

1 pinch of salt

honey

sesame (roasted or not)

olive oil for frying

feta cheese or goat cheese

We mix the flour with water until it turns into a smooth dough. We let it sit for half an hour.

We put the oil in a small pot or a frying pan and when it is hot we throw in spoonfuls of the dough. When they become golden brown, we take them off and we let them drain from excessive oil on a piece of kitchen paper.

Welcome to the Finnish menus!

Finnish food

Due to the climate and the small number of nobles in Finland, the traditional food in Finland has not been very complex and the ingredients that have been used have been the kind of things that can be preserved through the winter such as root vegetables and cabbage. The scarcity of food was a constant problem and the last peacetime famine in Western Europe took place in Finland in the years 1866-1868 killing 15% of the population. Thus, it is not strange that the Finnish cuisine was relatively simple in the past. The first Finnish cookbook was published in 1849 by J. F Granlund.

The only widely used seasoning was salt. As Finland was a part of Sweden, many influences came from there but Russia also influenced especially Eastern Finland. Turnip used to be the staple food but it was replaced by the potato in the 1700s. Potatoes are still an integral part of the Finnish diet with 50-60kg eaten per person per year. The most important cereals have been wheat, rye, barley and oats. The Finns started cultivating rye around 500 BC and cultivating wheat only became common in the 19th century, so rye is also important part of the traditional cuisine.

Even though the Finnish culinary tradition is not that rich, Finland still offers excellent ingredients for cooking. The forests are filled with game such as elk and hares, many types of

delicious berries can be collected such as lingonberries, cloudberries, cranberries, blueberries and hawthorn. In addition, the sea, the rivers and the lakes have plenty of freshwater fish such as salmon and perch that can be used for many excellent dishes.

There used to be stronger regional variations in the cuisine, but those have largely disappeared. However, in the recipes here, the Karelian pasties represent the east and the salmon soup represents the west.

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Finnish Food Culture

40

41

Starter: Karjalanpiirakat/Karelian pasties and egg butter

Starter: Karelian pasties and egg butter:3,5 dl rye flour0,5 dl wheat flour2 dl water1 tl salt1 rkl cooking oil

Filling:2 dl porridge rice 1 l milk1 tl salt1 rkl cooking oil

Make a dough of cold ingredients. Mix cold water, flours, salt and oil. Put dough in the fridge and boil the rice in the milk to make porridge . Cool down the porridge and heat the oven to 250-270 degrees. When porridge is cooling down, take the dough and shape desired size of balls, press them tenderly and roll them into circles. When you are rolling the dough, use a lot of rye flour, so that the dough doesn’t stick to the table. When you have made the circles, put the rice porridge on top of them, leaving some space at the edge. Fold the edges on the pasties and make small wrinkles on the edges. Put them the pasties in the oven for 15- 20 minutes. Eat together

RECIPES FROM FINLAND

RECIPE IN FINISH

Ohjeet

Tee taikina kylmistä raaka-aineista.Sekoita kylmään veteen jauhot,suola ja öljy,sekoita.Laita taikina jääkaappiin,ja tee puuro normaaliiin tapaan.Jäähdytä puuro,ja laita uuni lämpenemään 250-270 asteeseen.Kun puuro on jäähtymässä ota taikina ja ala pyörittämään siitä haluamasi kokoisia palloja,painele ne hellästi jauhoissa ja kauli ympyrän muotoisiksi.Käytä kaulimisen aikana ruisjauhoja runsaasti,ettei taikina tartu pöytään.Kun taikina on kaulittu voi ruveta täyttämään niitä puurolla.Lopuksi rypytä reunat ja laita piirakat uuniin n.15-20 minuutiksi.

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Egg butter/Munavoi

3 +kovaksi keitettyä munaa+ 1/4 tl+ suolaa+ 100 g+ voita

Valmistusohje

Hienonna jäähtyneet kananmunat. Ripota päälle suola.

Lisää munat huoneenlämpöiseen voihin. Sekoita tasaiseksi.

Tarjoa riisipiirakoiden tai ruisleivän kanssa.

RECIPES FROM FINLAND

Spread made of butter and hard boiled eggs: 3 hard-boiled eggsa quarter of a teaspoonful of salt100 grams butterBoil the eggs for 12 min. Put the eggs in cold water so that it will be easier to remove the shell. Remove the shell. Mash the eggs.Mix the eggs with lukewarm butter. Mix.Add the salt. Mix.

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Traditional salmon soup IngredientsFor 4 people6 potatoes 2 pcs carrots2 pcs onions8 dl water 1/2 teaspoon pepper (whole)1 bay leaf400 g salmon fillet2 dl cooking cream1 1/2 teaspoon salt6 tablespoons fresh dill25 min

Wash, peel and cut potatoes, carrots and an onion. Boil the vegetables with pepper and bay leaf in the water until they are almost cooked.Take off the skin and make the salmon fillet boneless. Cut the fish into big cubes.Put cream, salt and salmon to soup. Boil with not so hot temperature, until the fish is cooked, it is about 5 minutes. Add dill and serve traditional salmon soup with rye bread.

RECIPES FROM FINLANDLohikeitto/Traditional salmon soup

AINEKSET

4 annosta

6 kpl

perunaa

2 kpl

porkkanaa 2 kpl

sipulia 8 dl

vettä 1/2 tl

maustepippuria (kokonaisia) 1 kpl

laakerinlehteä 400 g

lohifileetä 2 dl

ruokakermaa 1 1/2 tl

suolaa 6 rkl

tuoretta tilliä

TEE NÄIN

25 min

Pese, kuori ja paloittele perunat, porkkanat ja sipuli. Keitä kasvikset maustepippureiden ja laakerinlehden kanssa vedessä lähes kypsiksi.

Poista lohifileestä nahka ja ruodot. Leikkaa kala reiluiksi kuutioiksi.

Lisää kerma, suola ja paloiteltu lohi. Keitä miedolla lämmöllä, kunnes kala on kypsää, noin 5 minuuttia.

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Salmon made in oven with mash

700 g salmonsaltpepper2.5 dl creamfresh dillTake the fishbones out of the salmon. Remove the skin of the fish. Put the fish in an oven casserole. Season the fish with salt and pepper. Pour cream onto the fish.Cook the fish in 175 degrees, on the lowest level of the oven about 30 minutes. If there is fresh dill, garnish the salmon with it.

RECIPES FROM FINLANDMain dish

Uunilohi ja perunamuusi/ Salmon made in oven with mash

700g lohifilettä

suolaa

pippuria

2,5dl kermaa

tuoretta tilliä

Poista kalasta ruodot

Poista kalan nahka

Laita kala uunivuokaan

Mausta kala suolalla ja pippurilla

Kaada kerma kalan päälle

Paista kala 175 asteessa matalimmalla tasolla 30 minuuttia

Mausta tuoreella tillillä

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RECIPES FROM FINLANDPerunamuusi/Potato mash

1 kg perunoita

suolaa

1-2dl maitoa

2 rkl voita

Kuori perunat ja laita ne kiehuvaan veteen, lisää suolaa.

Kun perunat ovat valmiita, soseuta perunat sähkövatkaimella

Lisää voi ja maito samalla kun sekoitat

Potato mash

• 1 kg potatoes

• salt

• 1-2 dl milk

• 2 tbsp butter Peel potatoes and put them in the boiling water, add salt.When the potatoes are ready, mash the potatoes with electric mixer.

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RECIPES FROM FINLAND

Main dish 2 KARJALAN PAISTI -- KARELIAN HOT POT

AINEKSET

5 annosta

600 g karjalanpaistilihaa

2 kpl porkkanaa

2 kpl sipulia

1 1/4 tl

suolaa

1 rkl maustepippuria (kokonaisia)

1 tl mustapippuria (kokonaisia)

2 kpl laakerinlehteä

TEE NÄIN

1 t 40 min

Perinteinen karjalanpaisti valmistuu näin:

Ota karjalanpaistilihat huoneenlämpöön noin puoli tuntia ennen ruoanvalmistusta.

Kuori porkkanat ja sipulit. Lohko sipulit ja leikkaa porkkanat reiluiksi paloiksi.

Lado pataan lihapalat, kasvikset ja mausteet kerroksittain. Kaada vettä sen verran, että lihat juuri peittyvät.

Nosta karjalanpaisti 200-asteiseen uuniin. Kypsennä ensin 1 t ilman kantta, jolloin päällimmäiset lihat ruskistuvat. Laske lämpö 175 asteeseen, ja hauduta karjalanpaistia vielä noin 1 1/2 tuntia, kunnes lihat ovat mureita. Peitä karjalanpaisti kypsennyksen loppuvaiheessa kannella, lisää nestettä tarvittaessa.

Tarjoa karjalanpaisti keitettyjen perunoiden, puolukkasurvoksen ja suolakurkkujen kanssa.

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RECIPES FROM FINLAND

KARJALAN PAISTI -- KARELIAN HOT POTINGREDIENTS for 5600 g meat (300 g pork and 300 g beef) 2 carrots2 onions1 1/4 tsp salt1 tbsp allspice1 tsp black pepper2 bay leaves

Recipe

Take the meat into room temperature half an hour before beginning the preparing. Cut up the meat into cubes. Peel the carrots and onions. Cut the carrots into big pieces and cut up the onions.Put meat, onions, carrots and spices into the pot in layers. Pour water just enough to cover the meat. Cook 1 hour in 200 degrees in oven without a lid. Lower the temperature to 175 degrees and cook in the oven for another 1 and half hours. Toward the end, cook with the lid. Add liquid if needed.

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RECIPES FROM FINLAND

Dessert: Raparperirömpsy/Rhubarb cobbler

Rhubarb cobbler7 dl rhubarb1,5dl apple juice1 dl rye flakes1 dl brown sugar3 ts(tablespoon) butter

Put the thin-sliced rhubarbs and apple juice in an oven tray. Braise in 180 degrees oven for about 10 minutes.Mix rye flakes, brown sugar and melted butterSprinkle mixture over braised rhubarb and put it back to oven for about 5 more minutes.Serve with vanilla sauce. 7dl raparperia

1,5dl omenamehua

1dl ruishiutaleita

1dl fariinisokeria

3rkl voita

Laita uunivuokaan ohueksi viipaloidut raparperit ja omenamehu. Hauduta 180 asteisessa uunissa noin 10 minuuttia. Sekoita ruishiutaleet, fariinisokeri ja sulatettu voi murumaiseksi sekoitukseksi. Ripottele seos tasaisesti haudutetun raparperin pinnalle ja laita vielä uuniin viideksi minuutiksi. Tarjoile vaniljakastikkeen kanssa.

Welcome to the Italian food.

Italian food

Italian cuisine : a virtual journey through the flavours and colours of the Peninsula.

Italian cuisine has traceable roots as far back as Ancient Rome. At that time, the diet was made of local products, such as garum (a fermented fish sauce used as a condiment) olives and spices, but also exotic products, such as flamingo tongues, Syrian plums and pomegranates.

However, through the centuries, the main Italian dishes adapted to the needs of the population and evolved thanks to geographical discoveries. In fact, following the discovery of America many fundamental ingredients of our current cuisine were brought to Europe, such as tomatoes, chillies and beans. Thanks to these factors, our national gastronomy largely expanded, and many new recipes were introduced.

Despite the traditional stereotype which sees Italy as the land of pasta, gelato and pizza, each and every region has developed a high number of typical recipes based on different fundamental ingredients, which have made Italy internationally appreciated for her cuisine. Therefore, we can admit that the cuisine of our homeland is a diversified journey through the traditions, colours and flavours of an eclectic nation.

Starting from the North, the most famous dishes are different types of soups, fish, truffles and cheeses from the mountains. Heading down the peninsula, we can taste many dishes which have beans, meat, ham and oil as their fundamental ingredients. Finally, the Southern regions of Italy are renowned for their anchovies, spices, garlic, mozzarella and tomatoes.

As previously said, through the centuries many factors affected Italian cuisine, but there are two characteristics that have been handed down from father to son since ancient Rome, making our dishes so special and widely appreciated : bread and wine, and the convivial aspect of our meals.

Bread and wine came into being during classical times, and on every occasion they represented the humble life of farmers; thus they reached us especially thanks to the Catholic Church; on the other hand, a sumptuously laid table, for the Italians, has always

symbolised an important moment that in our mind is completely dedicated to the family, creating a convivial gathering which has invariably been a fundamental aspect of our society.

This menu tries to put together some typical recipes that have come down to us from our Latin ancestors and from Italian Medieval cookery. In order to modernize our cooking tradition and make it competitive and innovating today, we have thought about a specific "persona" for this menu: pregnant women. The traditional dishes we have gathered are in fact all particularly suitable for this target: they are healthy and highly nutritious both for the mother and the foetus, as they are rich of omega3 fats, noble proteins, vitamins B and A and fibers. In some cases (the dessert, the fish dish) we have introduced a few changes to implement the nutritional value of the recipe. The change will be marked by the symbol ► and will appear at the bottom of the English version of the recipe

And now, please have a seat, enjoy our menu, each other’s company and...

Buon appetito!

ITALIAN FOOD CULTURE

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51

ITALIAN RECIPES

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ITALIAN RECIPE

STARTER: Toasted bread topped with olives

Let's begin with an olive-based recipe which dates back to about two thousand years ago. It was passed on to us by the eminent Latin writer Marcus Porcius Cato, called “the Censor” (234-149 B.C.). He was also a conservative Roman consul who often spoke out in the public space on behalf of small Roman landowners but who was also a ruthless slave owner.

Cato’s Epytyrum

(Olive paste, Cato’s style). Latin version

[119] “Epityrum album nigrum variumque sic facito. Ex oleis albis nigris variisque nucleos eicito. Sic condito. Concidito ipsas, addito oleum, acetum coriandrum, cuminum, feniculum, rutam, mentam. In orcuam condito, oleum supra siet. Ita utito.”

English literal translation:

“Take the stone out of both the white and black olives and prepare them in the following manner : chop the pitted olives, add oil, vinegar, coriander, cumin, fennel, rue and mint. Put this mix into a jar, cover well with oil and use in this way (De Agricoltura, cap. CXIX).”

STARTER: TOASTED BREAD TOPPED WITH OLIVES

Ingredients (for four people):

- 8 thick slices of bread- 200 grammes of black (or green) stoned olives- 4 fillets of anchovies- 1 spring of parsley- lemon rind- extra virgin olive oil- salt to taste

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ITALIAN RECIPE

Italian modernised version: Bruschetta alle olive

Ingredienti (per 4 persone):

- 8 fette di pane

- 200 gr. di olive nere snocciolate

- 4 filetti d’acciuga

- olio extravergine di oliva

- sale q.b.

- 1 ciuffetto di prezzemolo

- 2 spicchi d’aglio

- scorzetta di limone

- aceto di vino rosso q.b.

Recipe in English (modernised to today’s kitchens)

Carefully chop the olives, anchovies and parsley to obtain a fine mix. Grate the lemon rind into the mixture, season with olive oil and a pinch of salt. Mix all the ingredients and leave the mixture to stand

for at least two hours so as to enhance the flavour. Then spread it on the warm slices of toast and serve.

► This recipe is particularly suitable for pregnant women because the anchovies in the mixture are full of omega3 fats, which help foetuses develop their brain.

Ricetta

Trita con cura le olive, le acciughe, il prezzemolo e l’aglio, che avrai privato dell’ “anima” per garantirti una più intensa vita di relazione. Grattugia sul composto la scorza di limone, condisci con l’olio d’oliva, una presina di sale e un goccio di aceto. Lega tutti gli ingredienti e fai riposare il composto affinchè insaporisca in maniera uniforme. Poi spalmalo sulle fette di pane appena bruscate e servile calde. Prova poi ad abbinare a questo piatto così frugale un vino notoriamente stuzzicante: uno spumante toscano delle colline di San Miniato, per esempio.

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ITALIAN RECIPE

SOUP: Beans and cereal cream

Ingredients (for 4 people):

- gr 250 of hulled wheat (or gr 250 of barley)

- gr 100 of black-eyed-peas

- gr 20 of bacon

- 1 onion

- olive oil

- salt

Italian version: Crema di cereali e fagiuoli

Prepararsi la sera prima facendo rinvenire i fagioli in acqua per tutta la notte. Il giorno seguente in una casseruola rosolare la cipolla e la pancetta in due cucchiai di olio d'oliva e, a parte, lessare i fagioli per 40 minuti. Una volta lessati, passarli nell'acqua di cottura con il passatutto e aggiungere sia il contenuto della casseruola che il farro (o l'orzo). Lasciar cuocere per circa 30 minuti. Nel frattempo salare quanto basta. Dopo 30 minuti assaggiare per regolare il tempo di cottura e aggiungere il sale.

Servire con fette di pane tostato. Alla zuppa possono essere aggiunti in fase di cottura aglio, sedano, carote finemente tritati.

Recipe:

Leave the black-eyed-peas to soak in the water all night long before you start cooking the soup. The day after brown the onion and the bacon with two spoons of olive oil and boil the black-eyed-peas separately for 40 minutes. Once they’re boiled, use a mixer while they’re still in their cooking water to process them, then add bacon, onion and hulled wheat or barley. Let it cook for about 30 minutes. Meanwhile add some salt. After 30 minutes taste the soup in order to set the cooking time and the right quantity of salt. Serve with a slice of toasted bread. You can add garlic, celery and carrots to this soup.

► This recipe is particularly suitable for pregnant women especially because it contains beans, which are full of fibres, minerals and vegetable proteins.

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ITALIAN RECIPE

Modernised version in English

Ingredients (for 4 people):

For the lamb:

- 8 lamb chops

- 1 glass and a quarter of soy sauce

- 1 glass and a quarter of oil

- 15 peppercorns, rosemary

For the sauce:

- 1/2 litre of milk

- 1 glass of water

- 200g of flour

- 1/2 glass of hot water

- 1 teaspoon of salt

- 3 spoons of oil.

MEAT-BASED MAIN COURSE: Lamb with milk sauce

This is a very ancient recipe that has come down to us probably from Marcus Gavius Apicius, a Roman gourmet and lover of refined luxury who lived sometime in the 1st century AD, during the reign of Emperor Tiberius. He is believed to be the author of a famous cooking book, De re coquinaria ("On the Subject of Cooking") that according to many scholars is only pseudepigraphically attributed to him.

Latin version: Pultes tractogalathae [Apicius, De Re Coquinaria, 5, I, 3]

"Lactis sextarium(1) et aquae modicum mittes in caccabo novo et lento igni ferveat. Tres orbiculos tractae(2) siccas et confringis et partibus in lac summittis. Ne uratur, aquam miscendo agitabis. Cum cocta fuerit, ut est, super agninam mittis."

"Pour half a litre of milk and a sip of water into a new pot and leave it to cook on a low heat. Dry three disks of puff pasty, cut them into small pieces and put them into the milk. Stir the water while mixing so as not to burn the mixture. When cooked, add honey while it is still on the flame."

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ITALIAN RECIPE

Modernised version in English

Ingredients (for 4 people):

For the lamb:

- 8 lamb chops

- 1 glass and a quarter of soy sauce

- 1 glass and a quarter of oil

- 15 peppercorns, rosemary

For the sauce:

- 1/2 litre of milk

- 1 glass of water

- 200g of flour

- 1/2 glass of hot water

- 1 teaspoon of salt

- 3 spoons of oil.

Recipe

For the lamb: Wash 8 small lamb chops in cold running water. In the meantime, prepare a mixture with 3/4 of a glass of soy sauce, 3/4 of a glass of oil and some rosemary, then mix well. Pour the mixture in a frying pan and cook the lamb chops in it for 15 minutes, turning them over from time to time.

For the sauce: Pour 1/2 litre of milk and a glass of water in a frying pan, then bring it slowly to the boil. In the meantime toast 200g of flour in oven, put it in a bowl and then knead it with a glass and 1/2 of hot water, a teaspoon of salt and 3 teaspoons of oil.

Roll out the pastry, create with it thin sheets of pastry (that should look like lasagne sheets) and let them dry. When they are dried, crumble them, put them in boiled milk and cook them, blending the sauce often, until it thickens.

Lay lamb chops in a baking tray and then pour the sauce on them.

Bake at 180 °C for 15 minutes. Serve hot.

► This recipe is particularly suitable for pregnant women because it is a hyperproteic dish: having lamb and soy as ingredients, it is full of noble and vegetable proteins.

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ITALIAN RECIPE

Italian modernised version: Agnello in crema di latte

Ingredienti (per 4 persone):

Per l'agnello:

- 8 costolette d'agnello

- un bicchiere e un quarto di salsa di soia

- 10 cucchiaini di pasta d'acciughe

- un bicchiere e un quarto d'olio

- 15 grani di pepe

- 1 spicchio d'aglio.

Per la salsa:

- 1/2 litro di latte

- 1 bicchiere d'acqua

- 200g di farina

- 1 bicchiere

- 1/2 d'acqua calda

- un cucchiaino di sale

Ricetta:

Per l'agnello: Lavare sotto acqua corrente 8 costolette d'agnello. Nel mentre preparare un composto con 3/4 di un bicchiere di salsa di soia, 6 cucchiaini di pasta d'acciughe e 3/4 di un bicchieri d'olio e mescolarlo per bene. Quindi mettere in una padella il composto e cuocere in esso le costolette d'agnello per 10 minuti, girandole di tanto in tanto. Dopo averle tolte dal fuoco, bisogna inciderle e farle marinare per due ore con un trito di 15 grani di pepe,uno spicchio d'aglio triturato, 1/2 bicchiere di salsa di soia, 4 cucchiaini di pasta d'acciughe e un cucchiaio d’olio. Dopo 2 ore bisogna scolarle e passarle per 10 minuti su una piastra priva di condimento.

Per la salsa: Mettere in pentola 1/2 litro di latte e 1 bicchiere d'acqua e portarlo ad ebollizione a fuoco basso. Intanto tostare in forno 200g di farina, quindi lavorala con 1 bicchiere e 1/2 di acqua calda, 1 cucchiaino di sale e 3 cucchiai d’olio. Stendere l'impasto, creare con esso delle sfoglie (che dovranno essere delle dimensioni e dello spessore di una lasagna) e lasciarle seccare. Una volta asciutte, bisogna sbriciolarle, metterle nel latte bollente e cuocerle, mescolando spesso, finché la salsa non si rappresa. Porre le costolette d'agnello in un tegame e in seguito versarci sopra la salsa. Far passare il tutto per 15 minuti in forno a 180° C. Servire caldo.

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ITALIAN RECIPE

FISH-BASED MAIN COURSE: Cod with beetroot

Ingredients (for 4 people):

- 700g chopped salted cod (soaked overnight and drained; if very dry and salted, soak cod in a large bowl full of water and remember to change the water frequently)

- 700g broadly shredded beetroot leaves

- 1 large finely chopped onion

- 2/3 finely minced carrots

- 2/3 crushed garlic cloves

- 1 finely chopped celery stick

- 500g peeled tomatoes

- few pinches of finely chopped basil and parsley

- 8 tablespoons olive oil

- salt

Recipe

Heat 8 tablespoons of olive oil in a large and deep saucepan. Add the onion, carrots, garlic, celery, basil and parsley all finely chopped, brown for about 3 minutes, add the cod and brown it on both sides. After about 5 minutes remove the cod and lay the tomatoes in its place. Add a little salt and keep cooking for 30 minutes. Add the beetroot leaves, separately boiled and drained, and finally lay the cod back into the pan and keep cooking for 15 minutes. Serve hot.

► This recipe is particularly suitable for pregnant women because it contains cod, a fish full of omega3 fats. Moreover, if you add some dried spirulina to the recipe, you can largely increase the amount of Omega3 fats without changing the taste of the whole dish.

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ITALIAN RECIPE

Italian modernised version: Baccalà con barbabietole

Ingredienti (per 4 persone):

- 700 gr di baccalà in pezzi (ammollato nella notte e scolato)

- 700 gr di barbabietole tagliate

- 1 cipolla grande tagliata

- 2 o 3 carote affettate

- 2 o 3 spicchi d’aglio schiacciati

- 1 costola di sedano tagliata

- qualche pizzico di basilico e prezzemolo tritati

- 4 o 5 cucchiai di olio d’oliva

Ricetta

Versare 8 cucchiai d’olio in una padella larga e profonda. Aggiungere un trito di cipolla, carote, aglio, sedano, basilico e prezzemolo; soffriggere il tutto per almeno 3 minuti ed aggiungere le barbabietole. Rosolare bene assieme al resto della mistura ed aggiungere infine il baccalà. Cuocere a fuoco lento e senza coperchio per circa 20 minuti, stando attenti a girare i tranci di tanto in tanto con un mestolo di legno. Continuare a cuocere fino a quando l’acqua delle barbabietole non verrà assorbita.

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ITALIAN RECIPE

DESSERT: Chestnut flour pancakes

Ingredients (for 4 people):

- 250g of chestnut flour

- a pinch of salt - one cup of water/2 cups of milk

- two spoons of olive oil

- soft cheese (Ricotta)

- honey or wild berries to use as a topping

Recipe

Sift the chestnut flour in a large bowl. Add the salt, water and the milk while stirring the mix . The mixture should be thick (it should run down a spoon slowly). Pour the olive oil and stir well. Oil a pancake pan and, when it’s hot, pour a large spoon of the mixture. Turn the pancakes upside down with a fork, then, when they are golden and crisp, put them on a plate with a sheet of blotting paper. Spread a bit of ricotta cheese on the pancacakes and top with honey or wild berries. You can also choose other toppings (chocolate, nuts…) at pleasure.

► This recipe can be particularly suitable for pregnant women if you add some nuts to the mixture, making the dessert rich of proteins, vitamins E and B and fiber.

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ITALIAN RECIPE

Italian version: Pancakes di farina di castagne

Ingredienti (per 4 persone)

- 250g di farina di castagne

- un pizzico di sale

- una tazza di acqua e due di latte

- due cucchiai di olio d’oliva

- ricotta

- miele o frutti di bosco

Ricetta

Setaccia la farina in una ciotola. Aggiungi il sale e l’acqua insieme al latte (un po’ alla volta). Mescola bene. L’impasto dovrebbe essere denso e “scendere lentamente” dal cucchiaio. Aggiungi l’olio d’oliva e mescola di nuovo. Ungi una padella da crepes e versaci un mestolo abbondante di impasto. Gira le crepes prima da un lato e poi dall’altro con una paletta, poi, quando sono dorate e croccanti, mettile in un piatto con della carta assorbente. Spalma sulle crepes un po’ di ricotta e servile decorando il tutto con miele e\o frutti di bosco.

Welcome to the slovak menus!

Slovak food

SLOVAK FOOD CULTURE

There is no real “Slovak cuisine” that would be known and used all around the world, like the Chinese or Italian.

Slovak meals vary from region to region across Slovakia. It was influenced by the traditional cuisine of the Austrian, Czech and Hungarian. Slovakia is a country with strong rural roots. The origins of traditional Slovak cuisine can be traced to times when the majority of the population lived self-sufficiently in villages.

Wheat, pealed barley, milk, cow and sheep cheese, cabbage, sauerkraut, onions and garlic are the bases of the traditional food in Slovakia. Very often potatoes, beans, corn, lentils, wild mushrooms were traditionally eaten.

All these were usually produced and processed by families themselves with some local trade at the country markets. Wheat was ground, and bread, dumplings and noodles were made from it. Potatoes were mostly boiled or processed into potato dough. Milk was processed into a wide range of products such as butter, cream, sour cream, buttermilk, and various types of cheese etc.

Soups have always been very popular, traditionally they were made of sauerkraut, beans, lentils and vegetables.

Pork, beef, game meats and poultry were the main meats consumed in Slovakia, with pork being the most popular. Typical pork products include sausages, smoked bacon, and lard. Spices

were not widely used, and animal fats and butter were used instead of cooking oils.

Main drinks included fresh and sour milk, and beer.

Traditionally the main meal of the day is lunch, eaten around noon.

The first cook book in Slovak language was published in Budapest in 1870 by Jan Babilon, Slovak chef and the owner of the restaurant.

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Typical sheep cheese (bryndza) spread with bread Bryndzová nátierka s chlebom

Menu

Ingredients:

• 125 g sheep cheese

• 50 g butter

• 1 chopped onion

Bread

Put sheep cheese, butter and chopped onion into the bowl and mix it together. Serve on the slice of bread.

You can make it healthier by adding olive oil instead of butter and top it with chopped chives as decoration

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Slovak food

Lentil SoupŠošovicová polievka

Ingredients

•+Soaked lentils – 1 cup

•+ 1 onions

•+Root vegetables – 200 grams

•+Ground red paprika

•+Marjoram, parsley, soup seasoning (Vegeta)

Cooking process:

Cut one of the onions into small cubes and fry it in hot oil.

Drop some flour on the top of it and add also some water. Stir all of it and add pre-soaked lentils.

Let it simmer for a while; while cooking, clean the vegetables, cut them into small pieces. Add it to the soup.

Add salt and the rest of spices and cook it until vegetables are soft.

Next add parsley, soup seasoning (according to your taste) and marjoram.

Let the soup boil and after cool it down. Serve with bread.

Instead of frying onion in hot oil and adding flour on it, it is healthier just to boil pre-soaked lentils. To make the soup thicker peel one middle potato and shred it directly to the soup using a fine food grater. Add 1 spoon of lemon juice.

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Potato dumplings with sauerkraut

Ingredients

750 g potatoes (about 2 large ones)

2 cups flour

salt

700 g sauerkraut

Oil

bacon

Cooking process:

Peel two large potatoes and shr

ed them using a fine food grater. Also salt water in a large pot and bring to boil.

Pour out as much water as you can without dumping out any of the potatoes. Add salt and two cups of flour. Mix well.

Place the dough on a wooden board. Then using a knife, “toss” the dumplings into boiling salted water. Smaller, the better. 

Boil for a few more minutes till dumplings come up and scoop out with a large perforated spoon.

Rinse the sauerkraut 

Then heat up oil, and fry the sauerkraut for 30 minutes. Add some caraway seeds.

Top dumplings with sauerkraut and fried chopped bacon.

To make this meal healthier and get vitamin C from sauerkraut, it is better not to fry sauerkraut on oil so long, it is enough just to heat it a bit and then serve. Instead of fried bacon, use chopped chives.

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Potato dumplings with sauerkraut

Ingredients

750 g potatoes (about 2 large ones)

2 cups flour

salt

700 g sauerkraut

Oil

bacon

Cooking process:

Peel two large potatoes and shr

ed them using a fine food grater. Also salt water in a large pot and bring to boil.

Pour out as much water as you can without dumping out any of the potatoes. Add salt and two cups of flour. Mix well.

Place the dough on a wooden board. Then using a knife, “toss” the dumplings into boiling salted water. Smaller, the better. 

Boil for a few more minutes till dumplings come up and scoop out with a large perforated spoon.

Rinse the sauerkraut 

Then heat up oil, and fry the sauerkraut for 30 minutes. Add some caraway seeds.

Top dumplings with sauerkraut and fried chopped bacon.

To make this meal healthier and get vitamin C from sauerkraut, it is better not to fry sauerkraut on oil so long, it is enough just to heat it a bit and then serve. Instead of fried bacon, use chopped chives.

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Roast Goose with Stewed Cabbage Pečená hus s kapustou

To the autumn in Slovakia belong the goose feasts, with their long tradition especially in the Small-Carpathian region. Breeding of geese and goose feasts in Slovakia have about a hundred year long tradition that is related to the southern regions of our country. 

Roast gooseIngredients:1 goose, about 3 kg, salt, cumin, 300 ml of water

Cooking process: Wash, dry thoroughly and cover the goose with salt from the outside and from the inside and sprinkle with cumin seeds. Place the goose with its breast (chest) down onto the roasting pan, and pour some water (about 3 dcl) under it. Bake the goose in an oven for an hour per each kilo and keep pouring gravy over it. (A 3 kg goose roast for 3 hours). As we laid the goose breast down, in the middle of the roasting, turn the goose breast up and continue pouring over with the gravy. We thus achieve even browning and breasts are not dried. After roasting, allow about 15 minutes to rest, cut into pieces and serve.

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Potato pancakes with poppy seed fillingPečená hus s kapustou

Ingredients: 3 kg of potatoes, 2 eggs, 150 g of fine flour, 30 g of salt, poppy seed, sugarCooking process:Push the unpeeled boiled potatoes through a sieve, add salt, 2 eggs, fine flour and mix. Knead the dough, from which you make a roll, cut it into pieces and with the roller roll the potato pancakes to a thickness of about 2 mm and the size of the pan in which you are going to bake them. Bake in a dry pan (such as for crepes), wipe each pancake after baking with a kitchen towel to wipe out the flour, which remained on it. Put them on a plate, brush each pancake with melted butter and sprinkle with ground poppy seeds and powdered sugar. 

Potato pancakes can be served with different fillings, it is better to replace sugar with honey or maple syrup

Welcome to the Cypriot menus!

Cypriot food

Cypriot Food Culture

Cyprus is situated in the South-Western part of Asia, in the Mediterranean Sea.

The relief of Cyprus includes both mountains and fields and the agriculture is mainly focused on rice, potatoes, grape vines and citrus fruits, which are intensively used in the local cuisine.

The Cypriot cuisine is very representative for the exotic Mediterranean cuisine (various herbs and spices, olive oil, smoked and marinated meats, light garnishes and exotic dips), due to the strategic position of the country, at the intersection of Europe and Middle East.

The cuisine has also been affected by the numerous conquerors of the past but, naturally, its closest ties are to that of Greek cuisine. However, despite all the similarities to the Greek cuisine, Cypriot dishes have their own distinguishing characteristics that set them apart.

There are dishes and products which are inherent exclusively to Cyprus, such as the cheese halloumi.

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Cuisine is a part of the culture, the history, the soul of the people. Cypriot dishes are prepared from fresh products with large amounts of vegetables, are seasoned with local herbs and olive oil, which makes them not only tasty but also healthy.

The famous Greek mathematician and philosopher, Pythagoras established an entire school of vegetarianism. He lived a long, healthy life on a diet of honey, barley, millet and raw or boiled vegetables and these remain staples in Cypriot cuisine to this day.

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Kolokasi

Recipe in original language

Κολοκάσι

Kolokasi or Taro is a specialty in the Cypriot cuisine, a root vegetable often stewed in tomato sauce with pork. Apparently, Kolokasi was brought to Cyprus by the Romans who would cook it in a sauce of pepper, cumin, rue, vinegar, oil.

Τι χρειαζόμαστε:

• 1500 γρ. κολοκάσι

• 500 γρ. χοιρινό κρέας κομμένο σε κύβους

• 500 γρ. σέλινο με τα φύλλα του

• χυμός από ένα λεμόνι

• 3 ντομάτες ξεφλουδισμένες και κομμένες σε μικρά κομμάτια

• 1 κρεμμύδι ψιλοκομμένο

• 1 κουταλιά σούπας ντοματοπελτέ

• 1/2 ποτήρι ντοματοχυμό

• ελαιόλαδο

• αλάτι

• πιπέρι

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KOLOKASSI 2

Kolokasi

Ingredients:

• 1500g of Kolokasi -Taro

• 500g of pork meat

• 500g of celery leafs roughly chopped

• Juice from 1 lemon

• 3 tomatoes - peeled and chopped

• 1 onion - chopped

• 1 Tablespoon tomato paste

• ½ a glass of tomato juice

• olive oil

• salt

• pepper

Preparation:

Place all the ingredients in a deep pan (except for the pepper), add olive oil to taste, cover with water and cook for one and half hours over low heat.

As soon as the food is cooked add fresh pepper.

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Afelia (Cypriot braised pork)Afelia (Cypriot braised pork)

Ingredients:

• 1 kg of pork meat (cut in cubes)

• 1½ cup of red dry wine

• 2 tablespoons of crushed coriander seeds

• Salt

• Pepper

• olive oil

• 1 cup of water

Preparation:

• Marinate the meat overnight (or for at least 4 hours) using wine, salt and pepper.

• Add some olive oil to the bottom of a deep heated pan. After 1 or 2 minutes simply put the pieces of meat in the pan and stir every five minutes or so until the meat turns brown.

• Then, add the coriander seeds, some extra salt and pepper and, once more, stir evenly until all the ingredients are mixed well.

• Add the wine and water, lower the heat and cover the pan to let the meat absorb the fluids.

If done correctly you should have a nice plate of one of the most famous traditional pork dishes in Cyprus!

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Pourgouri

Pourgouri (Bulgur – Crushed Wheat)

Ingredients:

• 2 cups of pourgouri (crushed wheat)

• 5 cups of water

• 1 cup thin noodles (fides)

• olive oil

• 250g tomato juice

• 1 onion (cut in small pieces)

• lemon juice

• Salt

• Pepper

Preparation:

• First add some olive oil in a heated pot to fry onions along with the noodles, stirring frequently.

• A few minutes later, add the water and the tomato juice, stir and let it boil.

• Finally, add the crushed wheat, the lemon juice, the salt and pepper and cover the pot until it absorbs all the liquids.

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Trahanas Soup

Ingredients

• 1 cup of trahanas (traditional coarse dried mixture of crushed wheat and yogurt)

• 4 cups of water

• Salt

• Pepper

• Butter or Oil

• Cheese (better even halloumi, a well known traditional cheese made from goat’s milk)

Preparation

• Place the water in the pot and add the trahana, before the water boils

• Stir well over medium heat and add the salt, pepper and the oil/butter. Boil for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring constantly

• Finally, add the cheese and it is ready to be served

•

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VILLAGE SALAD

Ingredients:

• 2 large tomatoes cut in 8 pieces each

• 2 cucumbers cut in thin slices (if fresh, you may opt to leave them unpeeled)

• 1 green pepper (capsicum) cut in thin slices

• 1 medium-sized onion (red onions are tastier)

• 150g of feta cheese

• ½ cup of black olives

• ½ cup of caper

• parsley leaves

• οlive oil, oregan, lemon, vinegar (All optional)

Preparation:

• Place all the ingredients, cut in small pieces, in a large plate

• Add oil olive, vinegar, lemon and seasonings

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Cookies in Carob Syrup

Ingredients:

• 3 cups of strong flour (country style)

• ½ teaspoon salt

• 3 tablespoons oil

• 3lt water

• 1 cup of carob syrup

Preparation:

• Sift the flour and add salt, oil and water and knead until it becomes a firm dough. Shape like a ball and cover with a towel for an hour.

• Make thin strips to form small snail-shaped pieces. Place in basket or on a baking sheet, for a few hours, until they dry.

• Heat water in a saucepan and cook the cookies

• Ιn a second saucepan add the carob syrup diluted in 2 litres of warm water.

• When the cookies are ready, move them using a slotted spoon to the second saucepan. Let them boil for 5 - 10 minutes and serve.

• They can be enjoyed both hot and cold.