Monday 30 April 2018

Greek Salad Festival

The greek salad festival is not a celebration of the greek salad loved and eaten by most tourists.  This greek salad is know to us as a 'country salad' (horiatiki salata).  The salads in this festival are created by greek chefs with  'produce of the greek earth'.



The good old greek salad
tomatoes, cumber, green pepper, onion, olives, oregano, feta and lots of extra virgin olive oil (greek of course)


21 semi-finalists are dreaming-up and constructing original salads with fresh fruit and vegetables.  7 finalists will 'battle' it out on May 4. 




The first round was held in Kalamata, home of the kalamata olive.  Fruit and vegetables which thrive in this hot climate,  described as 'treasures of the mediterranean', are to be utilised by young chefs  to improve and promote greece and its gastronomy (greek word - gastronomia).  Gastronomic tourism is the next step they hope.

Chefs will use local olive oil, olive paste, olives, vinegar, dried and preserved specialites which are found all over the country.  Lots of olives I presume, black, green, salted and pickled, capers, sun-dried tomatoes which are in fashion now.   Cheeses white and yellow, cured pork and all those seasonal vegetables.




What's in season now.  Lots.  We're inbetween winter and summer so there is still beetroot to be found, spinach, lettuces red, green, wrinkled or not, a few artichokes at the end of their reign, some early beans, tomatoes and cucumber.  Strawberries are everywhere, very cheap and lemons, lemons, heaps of lemons.




Some dill, greek yogurt, along with that extra virgin olive oil, the juice from those lemons and you have the makings of something spectacular.  The tourists will gobble it down. Traditional  greeks will look at it all with doubt and ask for their beetroot with garlic sauce and their spinach in a pie.


17 comments:

  1. I want to eat the salad in the first photograph, along with a slice of spinach pie and a side serving of beetroot with garlic sauce. Greedy, but it all sounds delicious.

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    1. No sorry you can't have it all together!
      Traditonal people would eat the spinach pie with the salad but the beetroot and garlic sauce only goes with fish! So there!
      Some traditional people can get bogged down in tradition. I'm like you, I'd scoff the lot at one sitting. Mind you, we could just add fish to the menu and it would be fine.
      Got all that????

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  2. Sounds fun and a way to get all the chefs inventing and enjoying their lives!

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    1. You are right. That old greek salad is fine but there is so much more you can create with so much local produce

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  3. We eat here a lot of the country Greek salad, i like it.

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    1. Do you call it greek salad, or just
      'salad'?

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  4. Love salads. I get quite creative myself. Depending what’s on hand. But I always add the olives, feta and oregano. It’s just not a salad without those ingredients in my mind lol
    Eating salads everyday for the last five months or so has helped me lose the weight and I’m hoping to keep it off
    Kali orexi

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    1. So greek! Oregano, olives and oil in everything. And lemon juice in 99% of food as well.
      Leeping off the weight is the hardest but you are a brilliant example

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  5. I've been craving salads lately, more-so fresh cob salads, with lettuce, tomato, cucumber, carrot, and a sprinkling of feta cheese. Hmmm.
    Greeks sure know how to enjoy fresh food :)
    Hugs,
    ~Jo

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    1. ALthough I've heard of cob salads I looked them up just to make sure exactly what a cob salad is. A meal in itself! Wonderful

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  6. Oh, how wonderful! Did you know that Greek salads here are served with lettuce as well? Tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, red onion, olives, feta cheese and lettuce, all drizzled with "Greek salad dressing". I like the sounds of all the food you described! -Jenn

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    1. Lettuce in a greek salad? No no no. That's a mixed salad. Tastier but not traditional!

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  7. Strangely I had planned a Greek Salad for lunch today. I have some cold roast Pork to accompany. I bought two types of Feta, one preserved in olive oil with herbs, and the other just a plain slab.

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    1. I used to make marinated feta. Haven't made it in ages, thanks for reminding me. Great combo, salad with the pork and feta.

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