The History of Greek Food

Greek Food History has influenced and has been influenced by many cultures.

-In 350 B.C. Alexander the Great extended the Greek Empire from Europe to India and so introduced northern and eastern influences into the Greek cuisine.

-In 146 B.C. the Roman Empire were the authority that Greece was under and in such a way both cultures were influenced.

-In 330 A.D. the Emperor ...... Constantine moved the capital of the Roman Empire to Constantinople creating in this way the Byzantine Empire. This had major consequences in the Greek Cooking.

-In 1453 the Turks conquered the City which remained under their authority for about 400 years.

Every invasion brought changes in the greek cuisine and in the History of Greek Food. Many of the invadors were Romans, Venetians, Balkans, Turks and Slavs that came in Greece. Lots of names of Greek foods originate from these cultures.

Dolmades

"Dolmades" for instance originate from the Turkish word "dolma". Many such dishes can also be found in the Armenian and Egyptian altough they have been adapted over the years to suit the cultures and traditions of every country.

Despite the influence of others though Greece has a cuisine that is easily traced back to 350 B.C. and still influences the world.

-In 330 B.C. Archestratos wrote the first cookbook. He was the first food gourmet and he was Greek. This clearly indicates that cooking has always been of high significance in Greek society.

Even the tall white chef's hat is owed to the Greek history. In the middle ages, monks who prepared food in the Greek Orthodox monasteries wore tall white hats so that they could be distinguished from the normal monks who wore large black hats.

Of course many ingredients used in modern Greek cooking were unknown until the middle ages. Some of these are the potato, tomato, spinach and banana. These came to Greece after the discovery of America.