These foods might not appeal to everyone…I felt it was my duty to give you a “heads-up.”

1.       Mageritsa:  If you happen to find yourself in Greece during Lent and believe that lamb innards belong inside the lamb and not inside you, then you may wish to avoid mageritsa. Descriptions on Greek food sites, such as a “lemony soup made from lamb sweetmeats,” do not do it justice. Think instead, non-descript pieces of everything from liver to lung, heart to kidney, in a slightly lemony, mostly garlicky broth (to hide other tastes). Honestly, the one I had was missing the eyeballs only.

2.       Kokoretsi:  This is mageritsa minus the broth, grilled. It is usually accompanied by a lot of ouzo or its Volos cousin Tsipouro. There is a good reason for this. The EU has tried to ban serving animal innards, but it takes more than a ban to stop the Greeks!

3.       Skordalia:  Okay. I happen to love skordalia, but if garlic doesn’t turn you on then you may wish to avoid it. The trick here is to use the most garlic and the least potatoes or bread to make a thick rich paste. It is yummy with beets. If you would like to see what it looks like, find the old men or follow your nose.

4.       Arheedia: Yes, that's testicles, and they have been known to show up in kokoretsi. I haven’t tried them yet…at least, not to my knowledge…

5.       Fresh Raw Sea Urchins:  We’re talking very fresh, the hey, are they still moving or do I need glasses? kind of fresh. In all fairness to the sea urchin, my Greek friends swear that our prickly sea-friends are truly marvelous, a real delicacy. But even the stunningly beautiful Mykonos sunset backdrop and my third glass of ouzo couldn’t convince me.

So, you are all forewarned…eat at your own risk! And, remember, these five are good excuses to order that extra ouzo. Kali Orexi!

Hi Everyone. Welcome! Please keep those helpful comments coming. So far, most of you would like to see a combination of content--so I'll start with some helpful tips and a few short stories. Please send your comments to: [email protected]. Thanks and Happy Reading!

 

© 2009 Rebecca Elia