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Greek Food Research Paper

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Since the beginning of the Greek Empire to the modern times, the Greek cuisine has always been fondly praised for its unique tastes and large variety of foods. A typical dish, both modern and traditional, included olive oil, olives, cheese (primarily feta), wine, fish and a number of vegetables, meats and herbs. Most deserts generally consist of chopped nuts, honey and are wrapped in phyllo dough. In the United States the majority of Americans has never tasted a real, authentic Greek meal. The closest they have ever come to it is when they eat Baklava, a dessert consisting of nuts, phyllo and honey, or a sweet syrup that holds the dessert together, or Activia, which claims to be Greek, but in reality is of French origin. As I grew up, however, I had the opportunity to enjoy delicious traditional food from Greece. My mother was close friends with a woman who immigrated to the United States from Greece during the late 1980s. During major holidays, such as Christmas and Easter, my family and I were often invited over to their …show more content…

It is believed that this dish may have been introduced to Greece by the Turkish while the Ottoman Empire occupied the nation some 400 years ago. In the Turkish cuisine, there is a very similar food called ispanakli and their recipes are almost identical to one another. In the Italian region of Liguria, a coastal north-western region, a dish called torta pasqualina exists. Spanakopita and torta pasqualina also appear to be almost identical in appearance and recipe. The similarities in all these dishes are most likely due to the fact that both Greece and Italy were occupied by the Ottomans at some point in history. Spinach, in general, is best grown in a cool climate, and in Greece, the winters are the perfect environment to grow the main ingredient in Spanakopita. With little to no snow and frequent rains, it can flourish in the rugged terrain. Onions are also well adapted for that

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