Modern birthday cake with the candles marking each year of life may date back to worship of the goddess Artemis. Credit: Will Clayton / CC BY-SA 2.0 The global tradition of blowing out candles which adorn a birthday cake to be shared with well-wishers might be rooted in an ancient Greek votive ritual to honor the goddess Artemis, the female archetype associated with childbirth, wildlife, and the moon. The Ancient Greeks started making cakes that were modeled after the moon as tribute to Artemis, the goddess of the moon. The cakes were circular and then lit with candles to shine like the moon ..read more

One of the world’s Blue Zones is the Greek island of Icaria. Credit: Zouzouloo/Wikimedia Commons/CC-BY-SA-4.0 Centenarians living in the world’s ‘blue zones’ such as the Greek island of Icaria share a surprising number of similarities when it comes to their usual diet.  By Justin Roberts, Joseph Lillis & Mark Cortnage Ageing is an inevitable part of life, which may explain our strong fascination with the quest for longevity. The allure of eternal youth drives a multi-billion pound industry ranging from anti-ageing products, supplements and diets for those hoping to extend their lifesp ..read more

The world’s first study says loneliness makes space food taste bland. Credit: NASA / Wikimedia Commons / Public Domain Astronauts have limited food choices in space. They eat meals prepared ahead of time and stored in pouches. These meals are freeze-dried, dehydrated, or heat-treated to last longer. To eat, astronauts just add water for a hot or cold meal. But these meals often taste plain, and astronauts sometimes find it hard to eat enough while on the International Space Station (ISS). Researchers from RMIT University conducted a unique study. They found that food smells might explain why a ..read more

Thessaloniki: The Undisputed Capital of Greek Sweets. Image: Trigona Panoramatos — crisp phyllo filled with cream is a specialty of Thessaloniki. Credit: Greek Reporter Thessaloniki is indisputably number one when it comes to Greek sweets. Tsoureki, Bougatsa, Trigona Panoramatos and Syropiasta are the most famous of the northern city’s delectable sweet treats. Legendary old pastry shops and famous desserts are a product of historical geography in Thessaloniki, which has been a crossroads between East and West for more than a millennium. The result is a cross-culture mix and-match of peacefully ..read more

Ioannis Kapodistrias: The first governor of Greece introduced the potato to the Greek diet. Credit: G.A. Gippius Wikimedia Commons Public Domain The introduction of potatoes to Greece by first Governor Ioannis Kapodistrias after the liberation from the Ottomans is a story rich in lore. It is a famously anecdotal story that involves a shipment of potatoes in a warehouse guarded by soldiers and curious Greeks stealing the “strange” vegetable at night. The governor who knew the nutritional value of potatoes brought the first shipment of potatoes to Nafplio, the capital of the newly independent Gr ..read more

Greek Olive Oil Companies at Food Expo. Credit: Greek Liquid Gold At the 2024 Food Expo in Athens, hundreds of Greek olive oil company representatives joined other food and drink professionals to exhibit products and connect with buyers. They also talked with Greek Liquid Gold about the Expo’s usefulness, their companies’ innovations, and the challenging crop year, with high prices and growing evidence of global warming. By Lisa Radinovsky At the Metropolitan Expo exhibition center on March 9-11, many professionals working with Greek olive oil expressed concern that the current high olive oil ..read more

Bakaliaros (hake) with Skordalia. Credit: Flickr / Klearchos Kapoutsis CC BY 2.0 DEED Greeks eat bakaliaros (hake) and skordalia on March 25th, the most important national holiday for Greece. The day coincides with the feast of the Annunciation (Evangelismos) of the Virgin Mary, a day on which, traditionally, Greeks eat fried hake accompanied with a garlic puree called skordalia. The reason behind this tradition is that apart from the national holiday, March 25th is dedicated to the Virgin Mary, making for a joyful celebration in the midst of the 40-day Lenten fast, when the Greek Orthodox fai ..read more

An AI depiction of a table with Greek delicacies. Credit: Midjourney for the Greek Reporter As the vibrant parades of the Greek Carnival, or “Apokries,” flood the streets of the nation, this festive season brings with it a storm of culinary traditions that are as colorful and rich as the celebrations themselves. Apokries marks the period leading up to Lent in the Orthodox Christian calendar. It is a time of joy, dance, and, most importantly, feasting. This article takes a look at the delicious delights that define this important period for Greek society. Let’s dive into the traditional foods t ..read more

Woman kneading bread, c. 500–475 BC, National Archaeological Museum of Athens. Credit: Marsyas, CC BY-SA 2.5 Modern chefs have been recreating bread from ancient Greece that has been intricately woven into human history for thousands of years. Bread, one of the oldest foods, started being prepared as a dish in ancient Egypt, coinciding with the rise of civilization. Egypt, with its abundant wheat fields, played a pivotal role in this. Herodotus noted that, in ancient Egypt, bread was kneaded with the feet, a practice that persisted into the early 20th century in many regions of Greece and Euro ..read more

Li-Lac Chocolates, Manhattan’s oldest chocolate house, was founded by Greece’s George Demetrious in 1923. Credit: Brecht Bug/CC BY-NC-ND 2.0 Li-Lac Chocolates, Manhattan’s oldest chocolate house, was founded by Greece’s George Demetrious. The history of Li-Lac starts in 1923, when Demetrious, a Greek native who studied the art of chocolate making in France, emigrated to New York and opened his shop in the heart of Greenwich Village. In the 1920s, the Village was a destination for artists, intellectuals and innovators. It was in this context that Demetrious applied his chocolate-making expertis ..read more