Creative Greek Cuisine

Thursday, 16 June 2016.

Creative Greek Cuisine

The fact that Greek/Mediterranean cuisine promotes good health has for many years put it in the international spotlight. The creativity of this cuisine until some decades ago was lost on the dark side of the moon: faux dishes prepared by pseudo-chefs in pretentious ambiances concealed the pearls of authentic Greek inspiration and truth under a celluloid glamour.

 

Greek cuisine never counted sequins and gold dust among its ingredients. The new generation of Greek creators seems to understand this very well. Their creations once again glow with the truth of understatement and the wisdom of simplicity that were always features of authentic Greek dishes. These creators are vindicated as they bring back ever more awards from international gastronomy competitions (in terms of their publications, documentaries, wines, restaurants).

What is creative Greek cuisine? Memory, the collective memory of Greeks, as this was formed through our familial, personal and social experiences, is perhaps the most important element in the “Greekness” of a dish. This element is at least as important as the local nature of the ingredients which created our cuisine. Olive oil, feta, garden vegetables, salads, herbs such as thyme, oregano, rosemary or mastic, pulses, fishes and seafood and the dozens of local traditional products from every corner of Greece must be present if we want to talk about Greek cuisine.
The more unexpected and inspired the combinations, the newer the techniques and the originality of texture and presentation, the more delicious these dishes are, the more justified we are in talking about a new Greek, or creative, cuisine.

PHOTOS: Creative Greek cuisine by Lefteris Lazarou, Greek Chef awarded a Michelin Star.