Greek Pastries
Greek pastries are a category of dessert that are made in Greece and served in Greek restaurants and homes throughout the world. They represent a long tradition of culture that has been handed down from the generations. Some of the Greek pastries, such as baklava, are also common in other cultures. But despite this, the Greek ingredients that are used make all of these recipes unique to the country. For example, some people in the Middle East use rosewater in the baklava but that is something that you do not usually see in Greece. Those are cultures that use rosewater a lot in their cooking.
There are several ingredients that are very common in Greek pastries. These are honey, phylo, a spice called mahleb that comes from a cherry tree, oranges and local fruits, and things like cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice. These ingredients are common in Greek pastries because they are traditional ingredients that are widely available. Greek honey for example, is something that has been around since ancient times. Honey is one of those ingredients that is very much shaped by the land. The local bees use the flowers of the plants around them. It is not uncommon for Greek honey to taste a little bit like honey or thyme because they reflect the flowers that the bees pollinated.
Different kinds of Greek pastries satisfy the sweet tooth in different ways and different occasions. Baklava, for example, is filled with walnuts and honey. It is crispy, sticky, and sweet and delicately spiced with cinnamon and other spices, depending on the recipe. Paximadia is a sweet cookie that is not as sweet as most. They are very similar to the zwieback cookie that is given to infants. This is the ‘funeral cookie’. It is served at funerals because other cookies, such as baklava and kourambiedes are traditionally served at happy occasions. Kourambidiedes are a butter cookie made from powdered sugar, butter, and a little bit of flour. They are flavored with a little vanilla extract and finished off with powdered sugar after they cool. Those are just some examples. If you want to sample Greek pastries, visit a Greek bakery or restaurant and give some things a try!
