Greek Methods of Cooking Question...

[auroracoor1]

In looking through Greek cookbooks, I have noticed that there are a lot similarities between recipes. For example, I found a Gigantes Plaki (baked gigantes beans in tomato sauce) that looked identical to a baked beans recipe that uses lima beans.

That is just one example, but there are many instances. Lentil soup recipes look very similar to white bean soup recipes. Some stuffed cabbage recipes look very similar to dolmades recipes.

Is this a common thing? It seems that I can simplify my efforts to learning about Greek cooking if I think about recipe types and understand they are all similar... what do you guys think?

 

[ellinasgolfer0320]

Yes, that's very common among recipes. Greeks like to use tomato sauce in everything too.

A lot of soups use a tomato sauce/paste in them.. Fasolada and lentils are pretty much the exact same recipe except one uses beans and the other uses lentils.

 

[k_tsoukalas]

I agree! It is very common for them to be similar. In fact, when I learned to cook, it was more about the method and less about the "Recipe" itself. I have a method for soup, braised vegetables, etc. My family would buy what is fresh and then take it home and make something.