This New York Times Notable Book is “a real working guide to preparing the traditional dishes found all over Greece” (Newsweek). Stretching from the shores of Turkey to the Ionian Sea east of Italy, the Greek islands have been the crossroads of the Mediterranean since the time of Homer. Over the centuries, Phoenicians, Athenians, Macedonians, Romans, Byzantines, Venetians, Ottoman Turks, and Italians have ruled the islands, putting their distinctive stamp on the food. Aglaia Kremezi, a frequent contributor to Gourmet and an international authority on Greek food, spent eight years collecting the fresh, uncomplicated recipes of the local women, fishermen, bakers, and farmers. Like all Mediterranean food, these dishes are light and healthful, simple but never plain, and make extensive use of seasonal produce, fresh herbs, and fish. Passed from generation to generation by word of mouth, most have never before been written down. All translate easily to the American home kitchen: Tomato Patties from Santorini; Spaghetti with Lobster from Kithira; Braised Lamb with Artichokes from Chios; Greens and Potato Stew from Crete; Spinach, Leek, and Fennel Pie from Skopelos; Rolled Baklava from Kos. Illustrated throughout with color photographs of the islanders preparing their specialties, and filled with stories of island history and customs, The Foods of the Greek Islands is for all cooks and travelers who want to experience this diverse and deeply rooted cuisine firsthand. “The author has combined her reportorial skills, scholarly interests and superb instincts as a cook who knows both American and Greek kitchens to produce recipes that are simple, direct yet exciting.” —The New York Times Book Review

The remote and lush island of Ikaria in the northeastern Aegean is home to one of the longest-living populations on the planet, making it a "blue zone." Much of this has been attributed to Ikaria's stress-free lifestyle and Mediterranean diet--daily naps, frequent sex, a little fish and meat, free-flowing wine, mindless exercise like walking and gardening, hyper-local food, strong friendships, and a deep-rooted disregard for the clock. No one knows the Ikarian lifestyle better than Chef Diane Kochilas, who has spent much of her life on the island. Part cookbook, part travelogue, Kochilas's Ikaria is an introduction to the food-as-life philosophy and a culinary journey through luscious recipes, gorgeous photography, and captivating stories from locals. Capturing the true spirit of the island, Kochilas explains the importance of shared food, the health benefits of raw and cooked salads, the bean dishes that are passed down through generations, the greens and herbal teas that are used in the kitchen and in the teapot as "medicine," and the nutritional wisdom inherent in the ingredients and recipes that have kept Ikarians healthy for so long. Ikaria is more than a cookbook. It's a portrait of the people who have achieved what so many of us yearn for: a fuller, more meaningful and joyful life, lived simply and nourished on real, delicious, seasonal foods that you can access anywhere.

From Simon & Schuster, Vilma Liacouras Chantiles' The Food of Greece includes the food, folkways, and travel across the mainlands and islands of Greece. The Greek national character is reflected in recipes for favorite gourmet and common dishes from appetizers and soups to fruits, nuts, and desserts. The Food of Greece

What do we think about when we think about Greek food? For many, it is the meze and the traditional plates of a Greek island taverna at the height of summer. In Gifts of the Gods, Andrew and Rachel Dalby take us into and beyond the taverna in our minds to offer us a unique and comprehensive history of the foods of Greece. Greek food is brimming with thousands of years of history, lore, and culture. The country has one of the most varied landscapes of Europe, where steep mountains, low-lying plains, rocky islands, and crystal-blue seas jostle one another and produce food and wine of immense quality and distinctive taste. The book discusses how the land was settled, what was grown in different regions, and how certain fruits, herbs, and vegetables became a part of local cuisines. Moving through history—from classical to modern—the book explores the country’s regional food identities as well as the export of Greek food to communities all over the world. The book culminates with a look at one of the most distinctive features of Greece’s food tradition—the country’s world renown hospitality. Illustrated throughout and featuring traditional recipes that blend historical and modern flavors, Gifts of the Gods is a mouth-watering account of a rich and ancient cuisine.

150 simply yet abundantly flavorful recipes for irresistible Mediterranean vegetarian dishes you can enjoy at home. Aglaia Kremezi, who first introduced Greek cooking to an American audience with her award-winning book The Foods of Greece, leads a cook’s tour of the entire Mediterranean with Mediterranean Vegetarian Feasts. Realizing that so many of the traditional dishes of the Mediterranean diet are naturally meat-free, Kremezi has collected 150 simple yet abundantly flavorful recipes that will appeal to even the most ardent carnivore. Opening with detailed descriptions of essential ingredients and the basic preparations that make the most of seasonal shopping at farmers’ markets, she takes us from meze and soups to mains and desserts, with dishes like Toasted Red Lentil and Bulgar Patties; Roasted Cauliflower with Zahter Relish; Pseudo-Moussaka (a meatless version of the classic); Quince Stuffed with Wheat Berries, Nuts, and Raisins; and Rose Petal and Yogurt Mousse. Kremezi’s arsenal of master recipes for spice, nut, and herb mixtures, sauces, jams, and pastes inspired by eastern Mediterranean and North African traditions transform even the humblest vegetable or grain into an irresistible dish. Praise for Mediterranean Vegetarian Feasts “Aglaia Kremezi’s fine sense of flavor and seasonality is captured in this beautiful celebration of Mediterranean cooking. In these thoughtfully considered recipes, her deep understanding of vegetables, fruits, and herbs is paired with a respect for tradition and place—and the results are universally delicious.” —Alice Waters, owner of Chez Panisse and author of The Art of Simple Food “A teacher, a cook, a master storyteller, and a friend: Aglaia is all of these things to me, my team, and so many others. Her generous spirit is alive in this book. And now, more than ever, her amazing look at the rich and robust vegetables at the heart of Mediterranean cooking could not be more important. Everyone wants to eat smart, healthy, and always with lots of flavor!”—José Andrés, chef/owner of ThinkFoodGroup including Zaytinya, Jaleo, and The Bazaar by José Andrés

The Glorious Foods of Greece is the magnum opus of Greek cuisine, the first book that takes the reader on a long and fascinating journey beyond the familiar Greece of blue-and-white postcard images and ubiquitous grilled fish and moussaka into the country's many different regions, where local customs and foodways have remaained intact for eons. The journey is both personal and inviting. Diane Kochilas spent nearly a decade crisscrossing Greece's Pristine mountains, mainland, and islands, visiting cooks, bakers, farmers, shepherds, fishermen, artisan producers of cheeses, charcuterie, olives, olive oil, and more, in order to document the country's formidable culinary traditions. The result is a paean to the hitherto uncharted glories of local Greek cooking and regional lore that takes you from mountain villages to urban tables to seaside tavernas and island gardens. In beautiful prose and with more than four hundred unusual recipes -- many of them never before recorded --invites us to a Greece few visitors ever get to see. Along the way she serves up feast after feast of food, history, and culture from a land where the three have been intertwined since time immemorial. In an informed introduction, she sets the historic framework of the cuisine, so that we clearly see the differences among the earthy mountain cookery, the sparse, ingenious island table, and the sophisticated aromaticcooking traditions of the Greeks in diaspora. In each chapter she takes stock of the local pantry and cooking customs. From the olive-laden Peloponnesos, she brings us such unusual dishes as One-Pot Chicken Simmered with Artichokes and served with Tomato-Egg-Lemon Sauce and Vine Leaves Stuffed with Salt Cod. From the Venetian-influenced Ionian islands, she offers up such delights asPastry-Cloaked Pasta from Corfu filled with cheese and charcuterie and delicious Bread Pudding from Ithaca with zabaglione. Her mainland recipes, as well as those that hail from Greece's impenetrable northwestern mountains, offer an enticing array of dozens of delicious savory pies, unusual greens dishes, and succulent meat preparations such as Lamb with Garlic and Cheese Baked in Paper. In Macedonia she documents the complex, perfumed, urbane cuisine that defines that region. In the Aegean islands, she serves up a wonderful repertory of exotic yet simple foods, reminding us how accessible -- and healthful -- is the Greek fegional table. The result is a cookbook unlike any other that has ever been written on Greek cuisine, one that brims with the author's love and knowledge of her subject, a tribute to the vibrant, multifaceted continuum of Greek cooking, both highly informed and ever inviting. The Glorious Foods of Greece is an important work, one that contributes generously to the culinary literature and is sure to become the definitive book of Greek cuisine and culture for future generations of food lovers -- Greek and non-Greek alike.

The New York Times Editors’ Choice collection of recipes featuring the seasonal foods and flavors of Greek and Mediterranean cuisine. The classic cookbook of Greek cuisine, Rosemary Barron’s Flavours of Greece is regarded as the most authentic and authoritative collection of Greek recipes. Food explorers and cooks of all levels will enjoy more than 250 regional and national specialties—from the olives, feta, and seafood of mezes; to delicate lemon broths, hearty bean soups, grilled meats and fish, baked vegetables and pilafs; to fragrant, gooey honey pastries. Based on decades of research and refinement from Barron’s legendary cooking schools on the island of Crete and in Santorini, these delicious recipes have set the standard for contemporary Greek cuisine, showcasing seasonal foods and flavors perfect for informal eating with family, friends, and entertaining.