srijeda, 30. srpnja 2008.

Restaurants in Zakynthos - Where to Eat in Greece's Top Island

If you are planning a trip to Zakynthos, also called Zante, you' ll most likely be interested in two things: nightlife and restaurants. Zante is the southernmost of the Ionian islands and is one of the most popular destinations in Greece, known for its wonderful sunshine and the amazing beaches. So, Zakynthos magnets thousands of visitors each summer, a fact that has made the island to adopt different kind of cuisines. However, if you are visiting Zante for a fleeting visit, you won't have the time to weed out the good from the bad.
Traditional restaurants, known as taverns, serving Greek food are everywhere. In these places you can try dishes like the moussaka (made of minced meat, aubergines, potatoes and bechamel), the lamb kleftiko (lamb in the clay with feta cheese, vegetables and red sauce) or the beef stifado (with onions and red sauce), just to name a few. You can also find countless of them with close proximity to the sea offering seafood and infinite sea view.
Grill houses in Zante are seemingly everywhere, serving the Greek pita Gyros (or souvlaki). For the one of you that have visited Greece this must be something familiar. It is usually beef, lamb, or pork meat served on a round pita bread with tomato, onions, french fries and tzatziki (yogurt sauce with cucumber and garlic). If you ever find yourself in Greece, don't miss the chance to give it a try.
Italian restaurants in Zakynthos are also everywhere. You can find them in all the tourist resorts of the island, like Laganas, Tsilivi or Kalamaki serving their pasta and pizza in a wide variety of fillings and flavours.
As far as Chinese, Indian or even Mexican restaurants you can find a lot of them in Zante too. While they are more expensive choices, the lovers of this kind of food wouldn't mind to pay a little more in order to satisfy their palate.
Despite the variety of choices I would recommend you, though, to find a traditional tavern offering live Greek music with Greek singing and dancing and don't be surprised if you find yourself dancing on the table.

The Traditional Greek Diet – Live Longer, Be Healthy & Increase Your Vitality

Greece, land of the 12 Olympian gods may be a great deal different today than it was in classical times.
Yet, if you wish, you can follow a diet that the ancients followed, live longer feel healthier protect your self against illness and best of all its tasty and easy to do even today, so here is the traditional Greek diet.
The same foods are grown there today as they always were, and are wholesome, promoting good health and long life.
The statures of the ancient Greek attest to their beautiful and strong bodies.
The ancient Greeks were known to be sexually active into old age and this was due to their diet.
Basics in the Greek Diet
The basics are traditional bread, made without commercial yeast (but use a “prozimi”, or a bit of leavened dough from the previous backing.
This prozimi in many cases is hundreds of years old, or older, in culture.
The basics are honey, olives and olive oil, fresh white cheese (now known as feta), the onion, garlic, natural tomato, eggs, wine vinegar, wine and fresh vegetables and fruits in season.
Pulses, especially the lentil, was (and is) a basic stable of Greek diet. Nuts also form part of the ancient Greek diet.
No Meat?
Actually in ancient times, eating meat was rare anyway. Without refrigeration, meat eating was reserved for some holidays and festivals only.
Therefore, the ancient Greek was mostly vegetarian. This kept them strong and healthy, without illnesses such as cancer and other diseases of excess (as were found in Rome).
Breakfast
An ancient Greek breakfast would, somehow similar to today, consist of some fresh baked bread with honey and cheese.
The beverage of choice was a sort of tea made from mountain herbs (still drunk today, called tsi to vounou ).
This infusion has great antiseptic qualities, and stimulates the immune system. The breakfast would be hardy, as there was no lunch, or if there was, it was symbolic.
Snack – Hunger Breaker
The shepherds of Greece today, follow the meal that is as old as time. They have some hard bread, a tomato, an onion, some cheese (maybe but not always), and water.
It keeps the hunger at bay.
The cheese is the white Greek feta. It is a naturally low fat cheese, and is cured in salty water, then whey. It has a distinctive taste, and it packed full of available calcium, and milk proteins.
End of the Day Meal
The day ended when the sun went down in ancient Greece, and the meal was a cooked one. Lentils (known as faikes) in ancient Greece, as modern Greece, is a culinary art. It is also the oldest food mentioned in the Bible.
It is the food that Jacob was cooking when he traded a bowl of it from Esau’s birthright. Faikes is boiled lentils with fresh tomato, onion, garlic, and laurel leaf.
The smell of cooking lentils awakens a great deal of emotion in almost any human. The taste is delicious, the nutritional value exceptional, and is very satisfying.
If you need to lose some weight, and detox your body some, have some ancient Greek food for a few days. You will not regret it.

The Mediterranean Diet – Lose Weight Fast With the Real Med Diet

Although there are many countries surrounding the Mediterranean Sea, one country in particular has a diet that is known to maintain a healthy heart, keep the adherents trim and in good form, is anti-aging, and tastes great.
This is the Grecian classic Mediterranean diet
Sadly the modern Greeks have turned their backs on the traditional fare, and now eat a lot of junk food, restaurant meals, and a heavy reliance on saturated fats.
The traditional Greek Mediterranean diet, found in the villages are no less than 60% fruit and vegetables, only 20% meats, 10% carbohydrates, and 10% fats. This means a diet rich in natural fiber, lots of vitamins and minerals, just the essential bread and other starches, and some daily dose of the magic Greek olive oil.
Typical Diet Greek Mediterranean diet
Breakfast. The Greek breakfast will always have fruit in season. If it’s the winter or spring there will be lots of citrus to choose from. Begin your breakfast with fresh fruit. You can choose from coffee or tea, but in the morning, the average Greek loves his coffee. This will be accompanied by some fresh bread (one slice…remember you are on a diet!), with some natural Greek honey. A traditional Greek cheese is also served, and this may be a Kasseri, or some local graveria. This whole break fast is less than 250 calories, and you will feel full and start your day off well.
Morning Snack. If you are hungry before lunch (and you may be, as Greeks will have lunch at about 14:00 to 15:00 hours), eat some more fruit. A good choice will be the wonderful Greek apple, available most of the year. Also a good morning snack is melon (only eat food that is in season in your area). Caloric value less than 100.
Lunch or the Greek Diner. The Greek kitchen is rich from a multitude of prepared meals. Try to select one that does not have meat and starch in the same mea. For example, you can eat spanakorizo (cooked spinach with rice), but no meat with it. Or, you can have a kokinosto (a Greek-type of goulash), but without potato. Have the meat with salads, other vegetables, or by itself. Follow with a dessert of fruit and cheese. No bread is allowed. The calories here will total no more than 500.
The Greek Supper. Many Greeks will try to have whatever was eaten at lunch, for diner. However, apply the same rules, meat with vegetables is ok, or starch with vegetables is ok…just do not mix your starches with protein. A good diner can be the legendary Greek paidakia (or lamb chops). Eat this with some boiled greens (the Greeks will eat horta or vela, two local herbs that seem to grow everywhere in the world) Have some sliced tomato, with some feta cheese (a typical Greek salad called the horyatika, salad of the villiger) and even some strong red wine. You will not have exceeded 600 calories here.
Re-cap. Having eaten like a Greek, but having separated your starches from meat, you will have eaten only 1400 calories, and you will have begun to lose weight. You will not be hungry
Tips. An old Roman saying is that if you lift up any rock, you will find a Greek under it. You cannot help but to find a local Greek grocery in your area. You can find all the Greek cheeses, and staples, especially their wonderful olive oil, and even fresh Greek bread. Speak to the owner of the shop and ask for a Greek cookbook, or you can be sure they will help you.
The only prohibition with the Greek Mediterranean diet is do not mix your protein and carbohydrates.
Meat and vegetables are fine. Pasta without meat sauce is fine. Try to keep your calories in the 1500 a day range and you will not only lose weight, you will find the Greek olive oil is like a medicine for your heart, and you whole system will clean up.
So there you have it -Follow the Greek Mediterranean diet and you look and feel better and lose weight.

Gyros -- What Is This Greek Specialty Sandwich?

First and most importantly, it’s pronounced “yee-ro.”
Gyro meat is roasted on a vertical rotisserie and served on a pita with various toppings. The spiced meat is often a combination of lamb, beef, pork and chicken. It is most often topped with tomatoes, onions, and tzatziki sauce, which is a mixture of yogurt, cucumbers, onion and garlic.
The gyro is traditionally a Greek food, but is served all over the world. In Greece, gyro meat is most popularly pork or beef and the sandwich is served with french fries. In the U.S., gyros are made most often with lamb and the tzatziki sauce is often called “cucumber sauce.” The U.S. version of the sandwich is often over-stuffed, making it difficult to eat without being a bit messy.
The gyro sandwich is also popular in France and Australia. Many countries call gyros by another name. Yiros in South Australia, churrasco grego (or Greek barbeque) in Brazil, doner in Turkey, taco el pastor in Mexico, kebab in Malaysia, and even in Athens, Greece, the term souvlaki is synonymous with gyro.
Although the origins of the Greek specialty are not known, the “father of the Gyros” is considered to be George Apostolou or “Papa George” who was the first man to successfully market and promote the food. He brought the sandwich to the United States in 1965, to a restaurant in Chicago, Illinois. Soon other restaurants became interested in serving the sandwich and eventually George sold his restaurant to start Central Gyros Wholesale, a manufacturing company that sold its gyro sandwiches to food-serving establishments across the country.
Once a regional delicacy, the gyro sandwich is quickly popping up everywhere as new restaurants catch on to the craze. Now you can visit nearly any diner, fair, café, restaurant, etc., and find gyros on their menu. Just remember to pronounce it correctly when you order.

Where Does Italian Food History Begin?

Italy is one of the oldest countries in the world, and thanks to the geographical boundaries of the Mediterranean Sea and the Alps it has remained largely unchanged throughout history. Even during the Roman Empire, Italy was set apart. Legions that had been abroad always knew when they had returned to the mother country. Italian food history, however, reaches far beyond the country's borders.
For starters, look at pasta. There is much historical debate on its origins, but many historians point to Marco Polo's voyages to the Far East, from which he returned with all manner of foreign spices and foods, as the venue from which pasta came. The Chinese had cooked with noodles for centuries, and Marco Polo's men encountered the same on their travels.
The tomato, now considered a staple in Italian cuisine, was long thought to be poisonous, partly because it is related to the deadly nightshade plant. Other Europeans found it to be palatable long before the first Italian cook simmered some down to make tomato sauce.
The Greeks, neighbors and frequent military rivals of the Italians, had a great amount of influence on Italian cuisine, especially in the area of spices and the preparation of seafood. Calamari, or squid, now a common dish on every Italian restaurant menu, was originally something Greeks were known for consuming.
The Roman Empire's excursions into North Africa were another fertile breeding ground for culinary expansion. The number of herbs, spices and vegetables that entered the Italian menu from Egypt and the other African territories is uncountable.
Even today, Italian food history continues to evolve. Much of the changes now, though, take place beyond the shores of Italy. In America, for example, chefs like Mario Batali have fused classic Italian dishes with American cuisine to come up with dishes that combine the best of both worlds. In cities and towns all over the country, chefs are taking traditional ingredients and combining them in new ways. In what could perhaps be called a "full-circle" journey for pasta, some Italian-Asian fusion restaurants are even beginning to evolve.
But perhaps the best way to get a full idea of Italian food history is to get out and eat some. Better yet, eat a lot! Eating Italian food is always better than Italian food history.

Restaurants - Italian Food

Eating Italian food is almost like romancing a woman. Italian food is more than just a meal, it's an experience. That's why when you go into an Italian restaurant, there is just nothing like it. The atmosphere is like no other place on the planet, from the music being piped in from old Italy, to the paintings on the walls. A good Italian restaurant feels like you've walked into 17th century Italy.
The trouble is, these days, it's very hard to find a good Italian restaurant. With everything being fast food today, most of your Italian places are either pizzerias, Pizza Huts, or fast food chains like Sbarros. Finding a classic Italian restaurant in the states, like they used to have back in the 60s and 70s is like looking for the missing link. But when you do find one, this is what you can expect to get there.
For starters, a good Italian restaurant will have a wine list of just about every Italian wine you could possibly want. The list reads like a who's who of Italian wineries. Don't even think of asking the waiter for a mixed drink as he's likely to deck you. Oh and by the way, the waiters are all Italians.
The appetizers are absolutely to die for. You've got your usual fair which includes fried zucchini, roasted garlic, stuffed portabello, mushrooms stuffed with crab meat and fried provolone, just to name a few. The appetizers alone are enough to fill you up so you won't even need the main course.
And the salads. Italian restaurant salads can be a meal in themselves. You don't just get a dish with a little lettuce and some carrots. You get a salad the size of Manhattan Island. And don't ask for any kind of dressing other than Italian or oil and vinegar. Yeah, the waiter will deck you for that too.
As for the main dishes, just about every Italian main dish has something to do with pasta, whether it be spaghetti, linguini, ziti or whatever. Most of the dish, as it is with Chinese food, is made up of the pasta. However, you do get quite a bit of meat with your meal too. Italians love to eat and they love to feed you. Without a doubt there is no type of restaurant that gives you more food than an Italian restaurant. It would take three Chinese restaurant meals to make up one Italian restaurant meal. Some of the more famous Italian dishes are chicken catchatori, veil parmesan and spaghetti and meatballs. However, there are literally over 100 Italian dishes you could choose from in a good Italian restaurant.
Italian desserts are probably the most unusual, at least to Americans. They include things with names like spumoni and tortoni. If you don't know what they are, find yourself a good Italian restaurant and experience them. I promise you that it will be an evening out that you will never forget.
Just don't forget to tip your waiter. Yeah, he'll deck you if you don't.

The Best Italian Food in the Whole Wide World?

Italian Food is out of this world but there is one place in Italy that is even better. Not many people know of this place. Do you?
Well Piedmont is the place.
This is a land of pure eating pleasure and an absolute paradise for gastronomes and connoisseurs of fine wines. The local ingredients are of a quality unmatched elsewhere. Ranging from the world famous truffles through to the hazelnuts that make Nutella and the far tastier and delightful Gianduiotto chocolates.
The fast growing Slow Food movement didn't start here by accident. Slow Food is not only great food and good eating. It is as much a philosophy of life as anything else.
Piedmont wine is amongst the best of Italian wines and the varieties of Italian wine grapes found on the Langhe Piedmont wine route are world renowned. Barolo is one of the most famous of all Italian wines.
This wine is produced in a carefully defined territory just south of the Tanaro River, The wine has a bouquet of violets and a smooth velvety flavour with a slightly resinous aftertaste - known as goudon or tar.
Barbaresco, is a wine that comes from steep slopes surrounding the ancient town of that name, is also a "big" wine - a younger sibling of Barolo wine if you like - and it matures quicker.
Wine from the north of the Tanaro is simply called Nebbiolo, Nebbiolo wine vintages are lighter and the wines can be drunk young
Well what are some of the famous dishes from the Piedmont? They range from some of the most complex Italian recipes, requiring time and precision to make perfectly, to some other fairly simple but extremely delicious recipes. For example the best Italian chicken recipe, chicken Marengo, comes from Piedmont and it is very easy to make.