In 1829, seven Greek sailors were convicted of piracy by the British Naval Court, and sent to New South Wales. They were the first known Greeks to arrive on Australian shores. The first free Greek migrant was Katerina Georgia Plessos. She arrived in 1835, with her husband Major James Crummer, and thought to be the last person to speak to Lord Byron ( more on Lord Byron later...). Over the years, there has been a steady increase in Greek immigration, which slowed down in the 1980's and 90's. In 2000, many decided to return to their homeland. Now the tide has turned. Due to the Greek Financial Crisis, Greeks are flooding back to Australia. Inflation, Deflation, Disinflation, even Lowflation. Call it what you like - this period of ultra-low inflation is destroying output in Greece, and they are returning en masse to re-join the 378,270 people of Greek ancestry living in Australia.
Greece has a 6000 year old continuum of Culture. They gave us the principles of governance as laid down by Plato (a student of Socrates), the transformation of knowledge by Aristotle ( a student of Plato), the lyric poetry of Sappho, and baklava! The first ever cookbook was written by the Greek gourmet Archestratos in 330 BC. With a sun-blessed Mediterranean climate, the ancient Greek diet centred on the triptych of bread, olives and wine. Vegetables like eggplant and zucchini were turned into olios so filling that no other substance was required. In fact, the vegetarian diet of ancient Greeks was one of the healthiest in the world. They worked fruit and nuts into dough, and soaked pastries in honey. They seasoned with wild oregano and sage, garlic and lemons. They turned milk into yoghurt and cheese and preserved the wild capers in sea salt.
In 350 BC, Alexander the Great extended the Greek Empire from Europe to India with exposure to fragrant new spices. Greece fell to the Romans in 146 BC, adding Italian influence to Greek food. In 330 AD, Emperor Constantine moved the capitol of the Byzantine Empire to Constantinople (with the introduction of even more flavours and preferences). The Empire fell to the Turks in 1453, with Ottoman Rule dominant for 400 years. Some Turkish food names remain today like tzatziki, hummus and dolmades.
Greek cuisine is simple and elegant, the flavours can range from subtle to robust, and it is always fresh and healthy. Our culinary journey to Greece took us to Lefkas Taverna, along Hardgrave Rd in West End. Lefkas was opened in 1991 as a small family owned business, and has since expanded into a large capacity operation, with John Theoharis at the helm. Kali orexi!
On arrival, we had some ouzo (similar to Italian sambuka or French absinthe....without the woodworm). Distilled from grapes and flavoured with anise, this clear solution turns into a cloudy emulsion once water or ice is added. The Greeks will warn you never to drink ouzo "dry hammer" (drinking without eating), as the alcohol absorption is delayed by the high sugar content, and then, all of a sudden ...BAM!....you wonder why you are dancing on the table. We ordered two platters of mezethes to spare us any possible embarrassment. The menu featured all the traditional mains one would expect to find at a taverna somewhere on a Greek Isle: moussaka (mince eggplant, potato), keftedakia me saltsa (meatballs in tomato salsa) gemista capsicum kreatos ( stuffed capsicum), elliniko psimeno kotopoulo (baked lemon chicken), lachacoctolmades (cabbage rolls), yiros (rotisserie of lamb), souvlaki (skewers) and calamari tiganito (battered and fried calamari).
The fact-sharing (see sharing of facts rules blog week 1) was as layered as a baklava: From the flag (Freedom or Death) and the national animal (the dolphin) to some personal insights and memories from Vanessa. Kerry (fact-free last week) dared to return this week, armed with encyclopaedic knowledge on a range of topics (some challenged, true to Friday Night Out tradition). We discussed the Olympic Games, the origin of the Caduceaus symbol (medical symbol of two entwined serpents on a winged staff), the origin of the white Chefs hats and the poet Lord Byron. Shunned by the British for his bohemian lifestyle, and famously described by his peers as "mad, bad, and dangerous to know", Lord Byron part-funded the Greek revolutionary army and died in 1824 fighting for Greek independence from Ottoman Rule. His support was an inspiration to young men to join the uprising, and in Greece he enjoys hero status, with the day of his death honoured as a public holiday. From Greece, we shall travel our way back to Lord Byron's county of birth. Next week , we'll dine in England.
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