Greek Food, Cooking and Recipe Community

How do you preserve your family recipes?

1 - 3 of 3 Posts
greek_ggirl

greek_ggirl

Active member
One of the most cherished things in my household is my mom's binder of old recipes preserved in clear plastic film. My mom has kept all of our family recipes in the original form which is old paper that is yellowing and in my grandmas handwriting. Because I am paranoid, I have taken pictures of all of the recipes and taken pictures of each recipe and uploaded them to the cloud so that I have a backup in case the binder gets lost. I urge everyone to write all of their family recipes down if you don't have them already!!
 
This is a great reminder and tip! I have taken photos with my phone of all of the older Greek family recipes left to me from my Mother and Grandmother.
 
greek_ggirl said:
One of the most cherished things in my household is my mom's binder of old recipes preserved in clear plastic film. My mom has kept all of our family recipes in the original form which is old paper that is yellowing and in my grandmas handwriting. Because I am paranoid, I have taken pictures of all of the recipes and taken pictures of each recipe and uploaded them to the cloud so that I have a backup in case the binder gets lost. I urge everyone to write all of their family recipes down if you don't have them already!!
Click to expand...
You're lucky you have this. My grandmother's recipes were in her head. She passed them down to me, and they're in my head. My mom tried to write some of the recipes down, but she missed some of the recipes. It stresses me out that I feel the family legacy of cooking stops with me aside from the handful (maybe 10%) that my mom managed to catalog. I am the only one in my generation from the family who knows the full repertoire from her food. She taught me when she used to watch me as a kid, and then as an adult I have added my own spin on things. So, I know what I have to do (write the all down) but it is a massive undertaking.
 
1 - 3 of 3 Posts
You must log in or register to reply here.

JOIN THE DISCUSSION AND READ OTHER GREEK INFO:

Favorite Greek Cheeses Beyond Feta

Feta gets most of the attention when people talk about Greek cheese, but there are so many other varieties worth trying. I’m curious which Greek cheeses everyone enjoys most beyond feta.

Graviera is one of my favorites because it works so well on a cheese plate, grated over dishes, or just eaten with bread. Kasseri is another one I really like, especially melted. I’ve also been interested in trying more regional cheeses like metsovone, manouri, kefalotyri, and formaela.

Some Greek cheeses seem to be much easier to find outside Greece than others, so I’d also love to know which ones people regularly buy and where they usually find them.

What Greek cheeses do you keep coming back to? Are there certain ones you associate with a particular region, dish, or family tradition? And if someone has mostly eaten feta, which Greek cheese would you recommend they try next?

Is lamb or beef more traditional for giouvetsi?

I've been looking into traditional Greek giouvetsi recipes lately, and I'm curious about which meat is considered the most traditional. I've seen recipes that use lamb, others that call for beef, and even some that use chicken.

I love the idea of slowly cooking the meat in a rich tomato sauce with orzo until everything becomes tender and flavorful. However, I'm wondering whether lamb or beef would be the more authentic choice.

Is one traditionally preferred in certain regions of Greece? I've read that lamb is often associated with older Greek recipes, but beef seems to be very common in modern versions of giouvetsi.

I'm also curious whether the choice of meat changes the way the dish is prepared. Does lamb require different seasonings or cooking times than beef?

For those familiar with traditional Greek cooking, which version do you prefer, and which would you recommend trying first?

How does your family season dolmades?

I’ve been thinking about how much dolmades can vary from one family to another, especially when it comes to seasoning. Even when the basic ingredients are similar, the flavor can be completely different depending on which herbs and spices are used.

How does your family season dolmades? Do you use mostly dill and parsley, or do you add mint as well? I’ve also seen recipes that include green onions, oregano, or even a little cinnamon, especially when meat is part of the filling.

I’m curious whether you season the rice mixture pretty heavily before rolling the grape leaves or keep it simple and let the lemon and olive oil provide most of the flavor. Does your family add lemon juice directly to the filling, or only during cooking and serving?

I’d especially love to hear about any regional or family traditions. What gives your dolmades their distinctive flavor?

How Much Garlic in a Batch of Tzatziki?

How much garlic do you usually put in a batch of tzatziki? I think I may be using a little too much. I usually make mine with about 2 cups of Greek yogurt and 4 cloves of garlic, along with cucumber, olive oil, and the other usual ingredients.

It tastes great when I first make it, but we usually take about three days to finish the batch. By the second or third day, the garlic flavor and smell become really strong. Some people in my household love that and don’t mind it at all, but others think it becomes a bit overpowering. I’m starting to agree that four cloves might be too much, especially since the garlic seems to get stronger as it sits.

What do you all do? How many cloves would you use for about 2 cups of Greek yogurt?

Do You Make Avgolemono Thick or Brothy?

I usually prefer avgolemono somewhere in the middle. I don’t like it so thick that it feels almost like a cream soup, but I also don’t want it completely thin and brothy. For me, the best version has enough egg and lemon to give the broth some body while still keeping it light.

A lot probably depends on what kind of avgolemono you’re making, too. In chicken soup, I like it a little more brothy because I want the rice or orzo and chicken to still stand out. With something like lahanodolmades, I don’t mind the avgolemono sauce being thicker because it is coating the food rather than serving as the soup itself.

The lemon level matters just as much as the thickness. I like enough lemon to make it bright and noticeable, but not so much that it overwhelms everything else. I think balance is really the key.
Sign up for a free account and share your thoughts, photos, questions about Greek food, travel and culture!

WorldwideGreeks.com is a free online forum community where people can discuss Greek food, travel, traditions, history and mythology.
Join Worldwide Greeks here!

JOIN COMMUNITY FOR FREE

LOGIN TO YOUR ACCOUNT
Back
Top