The Glorious Foods of Greece: Traditional Recipes from the Islands, Cities, and Villages

I've had Diane Kochilas' first book, The Food and Wine of Greece, for a good fifteen years and has been a trusted source of recipes as one can easily tell from all the food stains on its pages and a pot burn on the cover. I grew up in Greece and appreciated her reliable recipes that are also the real thing, I must have tried almost every recipe in the book. Her lentil soup was better than my mum's and is now a staple in our diet. I have moved countries many times and this was the one cookbook I always took with me. In the years that passed I didn't think I needed more on Greek cooking and instead I improved my French, Italian, Chinese, everything else, cuisine skills. It's a fortunate coincidence that I am now in the States for a few months and left my trusty book behind so I thought I'd give her newer book, The Glorious Foods of Greece a try. I was in for a surprise! The recipes are spectacular, most of them I have never heard of before, and preparing the dishes is as simple and reliable as with the first book. It's true that it is not exactly a beginner's Greek cookbook, but for the standard dishes you can get her first book. If you like Greek food, you just need to get them both! This book is a work of love, both in the collection of recipes and in the informational introductions to regional cooking and the dishes. It also needs to be read with love as the layout is by region so it takes a little bit of work to decide what to pick. This is not a complaint, it is very pleasant work! Highly recommended.

I am a professional chef of Greek decent and have lived in Greece for more than half of my life. I have traveled throuout the country and have tried several of the dishes that appear in this book but until now was not able to succesfully duplicate them. I was quite excited when I came across this collection and give the author five stars for her tremendous effort of bringing them together unadulterated.This book is exactly what it claims to be, if not more than it claims to be and most definately deserves a five star rating. As a few other reviewers have mentioned it is not a collection of Americanized versions of Mousaka and Pastitsio, but a comprehensive collection of recipes borrowed from kitchens across the country which may or may not appeal to all palates. Many of these dishes you will not find outside it's reigion of origin let alone at Kostas opa on Main Street USA. It is worth mentioning that the author has traveled accross Greece collecting these recipes, many of which have not been published before. Having said all of this if you are looking for a recipe for Mousaka, run a search on Google and you will get 100s of results but if you wish to experiment and test your pallate try this book. It is truly authentic!

Very informative!

If you like to become familiar with Greek food from little villages and neighborhood cafés in those little Greek villages this book is perfect. The author doesn't just give recipes. She tells us what she learned traveling 8 years in various Greek Islands. We learn many interesting details about the foods and the methods the locals use. We also learn how these people consume massive amounts of greens and herbs with very delicious and creative recipes.If you are looking for a book that teaches you how to make Greek restaurant food this is not the book for you. But if you want to get deep into the Mediterranean cuisine and how healthy the real Greek food is then you should not miss this book.

Beautiful recipes !! I was in a bookstore right before traveling to Greece. Jotted the title down and ordered it upon returning from my trip. A****** rating. Recipes that you don't easily find. Easy to follow recipes and great tasting !! Bargain price on Amazon. $35.00 in store -I think I paid around $3.00 on Amazon for a used issue that looks new !! What a deal.

Being a gyro I really appreciated this book. I've cooked about 10 dishes. The book goes into detail about nook and cranny of Greece. Bought one for My sis and cousin as well. They love it

very nice

I disliked the fact there the book did not feature any photos of the recipes. A number of traditional and beloved Greek recipes, such a pastitsio, are left out, the reasons why being explained in contemptuous and off-putting comments by the author.

Great Book, we enjoy the recipes.so many areas in Greece with great food but slightly different tasteswe visit often the Greek Islands.

I love this book, full of great recipes and fascinating descriptions of Greece.

Excellent book and service. Thank you