The Foods of the Greek Islands: Cooking and Culture at the Crossroads of the Mediterranean

By Aglaia Kremezi

Book Overview

The best-selling collection of simple, seasonal recipes for the foods of the Greek Islands from a Julia Child Award-winner, available for the first time in paperback. In this book, called by Time "the next best thing to a cruise through the Greek islands," Aglaia Kremezi showcases the fresh, uncomplicated recipes--many of them vegetarian--that she collected from local women, fishermen, bakers, and farmers. Like all Mediterranean food, these dishes are light, simple, and feature seasonal produce, fresh herbs, and fish. Passed from generation to generation by word of mouth, most of these recipes have never before been written down. All translate easily to the American home kitchen: Finger-Sized Fried Greens Pies; Onion, Tomato, and Feta Turnovers; Cod with Artichokes. Filled with lush photographs and stories of island life, The Foods of the Greek Islands is for all cooks and travelers who want to experience this diverse and deeply rooted cuisine firsthand. This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0395982111
• ISBN13: 9780395982112
• Release Date: January 2000
• Publisher: Houghton Mifflin
• Length: 320 Pages
• Weight: 2.26 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 7.8" x 10.3"

Customer Reviews

Feels Authentic

This book is well-written. Instructions are easy to follow and "toothy" Sometimes you get the feeling the recipe author took the shortest path possible when writing the directions, not here. However, the directions aren't overly lengthy, just enough insight to ensure success. The photography is beautiful. I like the variations and background that accompany the recipes.

My dinner actually turned out great!

I wanted to make a special dinner for my boyfriend and chose a Greek theme, mainly using recipes from this book, inclduing Friend Zucchini and Cheese and Shrimp w/Tomato and Feta. The whole dinner was simple enough (and I am a novice cook) and the ingredients were easily available. There are also interesting tidbits for most of the recipes, making reading the cookbook as fun as cooking out of it. Best of all, the food was...

Excellent book especially for one cooking outside of Greece!

I got this book as a Christmas present, and I was very pleasantly surprised. Aglaia Kremezi has always had the reputation of a gourmet cook, so I felt intimidated to try any of her recipes, because I thought they would be quite complicated and easy to fail for a home cook. Quite the contrary!! This is an excellent book, with very detailed descriptions and insightful information on original Greek dishes (as a Greek who just...

The Best of Island Cuisine

In this cookbook, Aglaia Kremezi not only compiles the best of the traditional recipes of the Greek islands, she also captures the essence of the islands themselves through well written, detailed, and interesting historical and geographical information.This 298-page hardback begins with a comprehensive introduction to the islands of Greece. In addition to beautiful photographs, Kremezi provides a detailed description of each...

Almost like my wifes cooking

My wife was born and raised in Athens, her mother was raised on the island of Kalymnos. This book was a trip down memory lane, with the bonus of including easy to follow recipes for some of the less well known but very tasty Greek foods. This book is an excellent read full of historical tidbits, beautiful photographs, and island lore. A very useful cookbook for anyone wanting a taste of the islands.