Macedonian cuisine (Greek)
Encyclopedia
Macedonian cuisine is the cuisine
of the region of Macedonia
. Contemporary Macedonian cooking shares much with general Greek and wider Balkan
and Mediterranean cuisine, including dishes from the Ottoman
tradition. Some dishes date from ancient Greek
days. Some Macedonian dishes include Masnic which is a pastry rolled in to a spiral and filled with either pumpkin, cheese or sweet potato, Slatki which is bread filled with cheese and Burek which is a sort of a sweet cake.
. A constant factor across the centuries has been seafood and meats. In the wedding feast by Caranus
referred in Hippolochus
's letter, around 4th or 3rd century BC, we find grilled fish, eggs, oysters, orioles and a host of roasted delicacies. All supplemented with wine and half naked female flutists. The Byzantine era introduced further dishes.
and Constantinople
in the 20th century, popularised Ottoman
and Constantinopolitan
recipes.
A continuation from ancient days are dishes such as lamb cooked with quince or various vegetables and fruits, goat boiled or fried in olive oil: modern recipes from Kavala
to Kastoria
and Kozani
offer lamb with quince, pork with celery or leeks.
Some current specialties are trahana with crackling, phyllo
-based pies (cheese, leek, spinach) and wild boar. Favourites are tyrokafteri (Macedonian spicy cheese spread), soupies krasates (cuttlefish in wine), mydia yiachni
(mussel stew). Unlike Athens
, the traditional pita bread for the popular souvlaki (kebab) is not grilled but fried. The variety of sweets has been particularly enriched with the arrival of the refugees. (Information included from 'Greek Gastronomy', GNTO, 2004)
Cuisine
Cuisine is a characteristic style of cooking practices and traditions, often associated with a specific culture. Cuisines are often named after the geographic areas or regions that they originate from...
of the region of Macedonia
Macedonia (Greece)
Macedonia is a geographical and historical region of Greece in Southern Europe. Macedonia is the largest and second most populous Greek region...
. Contemporary Macedonian cooking shares much with general Greek and wider Balkan
Balkan cuisine
The Balkan cuisine is heterogeneous and is therefore known as the cuisine of states and regions, since every region has its own distinct culinary traditions...
and Mediterranean cuisine, including dishes from the Ottoman
Ottoman cuisine
Ottoman cuisine is the cuisine of the Ottoman Empire and its successors in Anatolia, the Balkans, and much of the Middle East.- Description :...
tradition. Some dishes date from ancient Greek
Ancient Greece
Ancient Greece is a civilization belonging to a period of Greek history that lasted from the Archaic period of the 8th to 6th centuries BC to the end of antiquity. Immediately following this period was the beginning of the Early Middle Ages and the Byzantine era. Included in Ancient Greece is the...
days. Some Macedonian dishes include Masnic which is a pastry rolled in to a spiral and filled with either pumpkin, cheese or sweet potato, Slatki which is bread filled with cheese and Burek which is a sort of a sweet cake.
Ancient Macedonia
The letters of Lygeas of Samos include reference to a Macedonian dish organized by Lamia of Athens for her lover Demetrius I PoliorcetesDemetrius I of Macedon
Demetrius I , called Poliorcetes , son of Antigonus I Monophthalmus and Stratonice, was a king of Macedon...
. A constant factor across the centuries has been seafood and meats. In the wedding feast by Caranus
Caranus
Caranus is the name of:#Caranus , legendary progenitor of the royal house of Macedon#Caranus #Caranus of Alexander the Great...
referred in Hippolochus
Hippolochus
Hippolochus was a Macedonian writer, a student of Theophrastus, who addressed to his fellow-student Lynceus of Samos a description of a wedding feast in Macedon in the early 3rd century BC. The bridegroom was a certain Caranus, probably a relative of the Caranus who had been a companion of...
's letter, around 4th or 3rd century BC, we find grilled fish, eggs, oysters, orioles and a host of roasted delicacies. All supplemented with wine and half naked female flutists. The Byzantine era introduced further dishes.
Modern period
The arrival of Greek refugees from Asia MinorAsia Minor
Asia Minor is a geographical location at the westernmost protrusion of Asia, also called Anatolia, and corresponds to the western two thirds of the Asian part of Turkey...
and Constantinople
Constantinople
Constantinople was the capital of the Roman, Eastern Roman, Byzantine, Latin, and Ottoman Empires. Throughout most of the Middle Ages, Constantinople was Europe's largest and wealthiest city.-Names:...
in the 20th century, popularised Ottoman
Ottoman cuisine
Ottoman cuisine is the cuisine of the Ottoman Empire and its successors in Anatolia, the Balkans, and much of the Middle East.- Description :...
and Constantinopolitan
Constantinople
Constantinople was the capital of the Roman, Eastern Roman, Byzantine, Latin, and Ottoman Empires. Throughout most of the Middle Ages, Constantinople was Europe's largest and wealthiest city.-Names:...
recipes.
A continuation from ancient days are dishes such as lamb cooked with quince or various vegetables and fruits, goat boiled or fried in olive oil: modern recipes from Kavala
Kavala
Kavala , is the second largest city in northern Greece, the principal seaport of eastern Macedonia and the capital of Kavala peripheral unit. It is situated on the Bay of Kavala, across from the island of Thasos...
to Kastoria
Kastoria
Kastoria is a city in northern Greece in the periphery of West Macedonia. It is the capital of Kastoria peripheral unit. It is situated on a promontory on the western shore of Lake Orestiada, in a valley surrounded by limestone mountains...
and Kozani
Kozani
Kozani is a city in northern Greece, capital of Kozani regional unit and of West Macedonia region. It is located in the western part of Macedonia, in the northern part of the Aliakmonas river valley...
offer lamb with quince, pork with celery or leeks.
Some current specialties are trahana with crackling, phyllo
Phyllo
Phyllo, filo, or fillo dough is paper-thin sheets of unleavened flour dough used for making pastries in Middle Eastern and Balkan cuisine.-History:An early, thick form of phyllo appears to be of Central Asian Turkic origin...
-based pies (cheese, leek, spinach) and wild boar. Favourites are tyrokafteri (Macedonian spicy cheese spread), soupies krasates (cuttlefish in wine), mydia yiachni
Yahni
Yahni or Yakhni is a class of foods found from Greece to the Indian subcontinent.In South Asian cuisine, it is a kind of soup or stock, often served over pilaf ....
(mussel stew). Unlike Athens
Athens
Athens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...
, the traditional pita bread for the popular souvlaki (kebab) is not grilled but fried. The variety of sweets has been particularly enriched with the arrival of the refugees. (Information included from 'Greek Gastronomy', GNTO, 2004)
Appetizers
- Tyrokafteri: a spicy cheese spread or dip made of whipped fetaFetaFeta is a brined curd cheese traditionally made in Greece. Feta is an aged crumbly cheese, commonly produced in blocks, and has a slightly grainy texture. It is used as a table cheese, as well as in salads Feta is a brined curd cheese traditionally made in Greece. Feta is an aged crumbly cheese,...
cheese with hot peppers and olive oil
Famous Macedonian dishes
- Polnati Piperki: stuffed capsicums.
- SarmaSarma (food)Sarma is a dish of grape, cabbage or chard leaves rolled around a filling usually based on minced meat. It is found in the cuisines of the former Ottoman Empire from the Middle East to the Balkans and Central Europe.-Etymology and names:...
: Cabbage rolls with pork mince. - ZelnikZelnikZelnik is a traditional pastry from the Balkans composed of thin layers of phyllo pastry filled with combinations of cheese, eggs, spinach, sorrel, browned meat, leeks and rice; in winter, the filling may also include brined cabbage, from which the dish derives its name: zelnik means cabbage.In...
: Pastry Pie, with different fillings, onion, meat, cheese, leek, pumpkin - Maznik : fetta cheese pastry with circular form
Desserts
- BougatsaBougatsaBougatsa, , is a Greek breakfast pastry consisting of custard, cheese, or minced meat filling between layers of phyllo.- Origin :...
- HalvaHalvaHalva refers to many types of dense, sweet confections, served across the Middle East, South Asia, Central Asia, West Asia, North Africa, the Horn of Africa, the Balkans, Eastern Europe, Malta and the Jewish world.The term halva ,...
s - Loukoumades
- Svingoi ( donuts made with a yogurt mix)
- Revani VeriaVeriaVeria is a city built at the foot of Vermion Mountains in Greece. It is a commercial center of Macedonia, the capital of the prefecture of Imathia, the province of Imathia and the seat of a bishop of the Greek Orthodox Church...
s - AkanesAkanésAkanes is a Greek sweet similar to loukoumi, only that it is flavoured with fresh butter rather than fruit essences. It is made exclusively in the town of Serres in Northern Greece...
Drinks
- TsipouroTsipouroTsipouro is a pomace brandy from Greece and in particular Thessaly , Epirus, Macedonia, Mani Peninsula, and the island of Crete . Tsipouro is a strong distilled spirit containing approximately 45 percent alcohol by volume and is produced from the pomace...
- Greek Macedonian wine
- WineWineWine is an alcoholic beverage, made of fermented fruit juice, usually from grapes. The natural chemical balance of grapes lets them ferment without the addition of sugars, acids, enzymes, or other nutrients. Grape wine is produced by fermenting crushed grapes using various types of yeast. Yeast...
is the most common drink in Macedonia, Greece.