Greek Macedonian cuisine facts for kids

Macedonian cuisine (Greek: Μακεδονική κουζίνα) is the cuisine of the region of Macedonia in northern Greece. Contemporary Greek Macedonian cooking shares much with general Greek and wider Balkan and Mediterranean cuisine, including dishes from the Ottoman past. Specific influences include dishes of the Anatolian Greek, Aromanian and Megleno-Romanian, Slavic, Armenian and Sephardi Jewish population. The mix of the different people inhabiting the region gave the name to the Macedonian salad.

History

Buffalos breeding in Lake Kerkini

A continuation from the ancient period 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.

The arrival of Greek refugees from Asia Minor and Constantinople in the early 20th century brought also Anatolian and Constantinopolitan elements in the cuisine of the region.

Some current specialties are trahanas with crackling, phyllo-based pies (cheese, leek, spinach) and meat plates (such as pork, wild boar and buffalo). Others are tyrokafteri (Macedonian spicy cheese spread) and soupies krasates (cuttlefishes in wine). Unlike Athens, the traditional pita bread for the popular souvlaki usually is not grilled, but rather fried. (Information included from 'Greek Gastronomy', GNTO, 2004)

Various products are produced from the buffalo meat. There is breeding especially around Lake Kerkini.

Appetizers/local products

A plate with tirokafteri

Manouri

Florina peppers

Anevato creamy cheese

• Ajvar (Florina), spicy dip
• Krokos Kozanis (saffron)
• Melintzanosalata
• Kavourmas
• Kolokythopita (zucchini pie)
• Koulouri Thessalonikis (a type of simit)
• Kichí of Kozani, a type of tyropita with cheese
• Mushrooms (large production around Grevena region)
• Manitaropita, mushrooms pie
• Pinakotí, bread from Mount Athos
• Pastourmas
• Skordalia
• Spanakorizo
• Tahini
• Taramosalata
• Various cheeses, like Anevato, Kasseri, Manouri, Batzos, Metsovone, Petroto, Kefalograviera and Tirokafteri, a spicy cheese spread or dip made of whipped feta cheese with hot peppers and olive oil
• Tirokroketes
• Red peppers of Florina: can be roasted, sliced and served by adding olive oil and garlic

Specialties

Pork with celery

Tiganiá

Petoura with tomato sauce

• Arni me kydonia, lamb meat with quinces
• Arni me spanachi, lamb with spinach (Kavala)
• Chirino me selino, pork meat with celery
• Mangia (Μάντζα), vegetables
• Makálo, meatballs with garlic sauce (Kastoria)
• Manitarosoupa, mushrooms soup
• Melintzanofai
• Misoúra, meat plate
• Mussels with saffron
• Ospriada Makedoniki, amix of legumes
• Petoura (petila), a type of hilopites
• Soupies krasates, cuttlefishes in wine
• Souvla, Souvlaki and Kontosouvli
• Tigania, fried pork
• Trahanas, may be soup
• Agriogourouno, wild boar meat
• Yaprákia, Christmas food in the region of Kozani, meat and rice in pickled cabbage-leaf
• Various dishes with buffalo meat
• Various fish plates, especially pestrofa and grivadi, fished in the lakes of the region
• Various types of loukaniko, sausages

Desserts

Sliced bougatsa served on a plate

• Akanés (Serres)
• Armenovíl/Armenonville (Thessaloniki)
• Bougatsa
• Halvas
• Kourkoubinia
• Laggites
• Moustalevria
• Moustopita
• Pandespani
• Poniró, from Serres
• Roxákia
• Revaní (Veria)
• Sáliaroi (Saliaria) from Kozani
• Spoon sweets
• Trigona Thessalonikis

Drinks

A vineyard in Naoussa, central Macedonia

Frappé coffee

• Frappé coffee, invented in Thessaloniki in 1957
• Retsina
• Tsipouro
• Wine.