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Cumin in Greek Cooking?

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d_kakavouli

d_kakavouli

Active member
When I was in Greece, I bumped into a "spanakopita" in like a turnover style dough. It didn't have cheese and was spiced with cumin. I hadn't realized people use Cumin in Greece until I tasted it in this dish. I was kind of confused.

Do people actually use cumin in Greek cooking? None of the old recipes I have mention it. Could it be a more modern influence?
 
I don't bump into this much in Greece, but I have here and there, as well. It usually happens int eh islands. I think I might have been on Crete when someone handed me one of those spinach "pitakes" without cheese, made with a dough similar to our turnovers, and spiced with cumin, onion, and some other interesting seasonings. I asked them, why Cumin?

They explained that Crete has seen a lot of people occupying them, and there was actually even an Arabic presence at one point. They brought with them their spices, which has impacted the cuisine in random ways like that one. It was actually called the Emirate of Crete in the 800s!
 
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