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Greek Dishes with Almonds

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dimi_pat

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I remember driving through Crete that there were a ton of almond trees. Yet, when I think of nuts that are used in Greek cooking, I automatically think of walnuts.

Do Greeks cook with a lot of almonds or does it depend on the region? What do they typically do with them? I know you can use almonds in baklava...
 
dimi_pat said:
I remember driving through Crete that there were a ton of almond trees. Yet, when I think of nuts that are used in Greek cooking, I automatically think of walnuts.

Do Greeks cook with a lot of almonds or does it depend on the region? What do they typically do with them? I know you can use almonds in baklava...
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I have found the almonds and walnuts are interchangeable depending on where in Greece, or whichever are readily available. So I see both, and I have seen both in all parts of Greece I've been.
 
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Greek cooking without a recipe?

I've been thinking about how much traditional Greek cooking relies on instinct rather than following exact recipes. Some of the Greek dishes I learned to make were taught to me by feel, with someone showing me what to do rather than measuring everything out.

I actually enjoy cooking this way, but I've noticed that it can make certain dishes difficult to recreate consistently! Sometimes everything comes together perfectly, and other times I wonder what I did differently.

I'm curious how others approach this. Did you learn Greek cooking by watching your yiayia, mother, or other relatives? Do you measure ingredients, or do you just know when something looks, smells, or tastes right?

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.

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