Cooking & Eating Wisdom for Better Health: Ancient Greek Wisdoms for Cooking, Eating and Living Better

Cooking & Eating Wisdom for Better Health

Ancient Greek Wisdoms for Cooking, Eating and Living Better

MARIA BENARDIS

Copyright © 2013, 2015 Maria Benardis.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

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Photo of Maria Benardis, Mastic Pavlova with Petimezi and Grapes and Barley stuffed Bell Peppers with feta and herbed yoghurt dressing copyright ©Jeffrey Gurwin 2015

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ISBN: 978-1-4525-7454-7 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4525-7455-4 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2013909068

Balboa Press rev. date: 08/04/2015

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Introduction

Part 1: The Wisdom of Ancient Greece in the Kitchen

Chapter 1 The Most Important Ingredient is Agapi

Chapter 2 Adopt the Use of Wholesome Ingredients and Make Conscious Choices

Chapter 3 Listen to Your Inner Voice

Chapter 4 Everything in Moderation and in Harmony

Chapter 5 Discover Harmony and Simplicity in the Kitchen with Music and Colours

Chapter 6 Spiritually Connect with Your Senses When Cooking

Chapter 7 An Absence of Judgement

Chapter 8 All in Good Time and Season

Chapter 9 Eat with Peace, Calm and Joy

Chapter 10 Have Faith and Gratitude

Part 2: Some of the Healing Ingredients of Greece & Recipes

Acknowledgements

Disclaimer

Metrics Conversions

INTRODUCTION

The secret to any successful meal is simplicity, fresh organic ingredients wherever possible, love and intuition. Above all, don’t be afraid to have a go cooking and to make it a fun experience. — Maria Benardis

The past has much to teach us about the value of our food and the spiritual rituals surrounding its consumption. Very few cultures have such a long and thoughtful food history as that of Greece. The mezze table, for instance, is a familiar social ritual to anyone who has lived or travelled around Europe, but it was the philosophers and doctors of ancient Greece who first gave it a special meaning — they understood and showed us how valuable it is to human health and social happiness. To Greeks cooking is all about working with nature and its ingredients and transforming it into a culture or a story.

The Greek kitchen had established much of its range of ingredients over three thousand years ago and given the simple methods that have characterized the best Greek cookery both in the times of ancient Greece and today, European’s oldest cuisine has never lost its unique original flavour and traditions.

In ancient times, the Athenians were considered the most skillful chefs in the world. The Romans employed the Greeks to teach them how to cook many dishes including bread, pizza, how to make olive oil and cheese to name a few. We owe much to the ancient Greeks. They were the first to make wine, to develop different varieties of bread after being introduced to flat breads by the Egyptians, they began cultivating the olive and making olive oil, and then they shared this knowledge with the rest of the world. They were not fond of keeping secrets but, rather, were of the opinion that recipes and cooking techniques should be shared with others. They introduced many dishes to the world including pizza, lasagna, doughnuts, baklava and pies, and although many of these dishes are popular today, most people are unaware of their true origin. In recognition of all of these contributions the word ‘gastronomy’ from the Greek gastronomia was adopted for all things associated with eating and food.

It was the father of medicine, Hippocrates, who paved the way and awakened the ancient Greeks and the rest of the world that what we eat can either keep us healthy or cause illness and disease. His famous and profound words: ‘Let medicine be thy food and food thy medicine’ still resonate today. These are extremely truthful words that many people have forgotten to practice. Many of us have lost touch or forgotten the nutritional benefits and healing qualities of food and opt to solely rely on conventional medication for healing. Instead, we should be looking at supplementing these conventional methods with holistic approaches, such as eating the right foods for our particular ailment, and using methods such as naturopathy, massage, music, dream therapy, salt therapy, music therapy, sun therapy, chakra therapy and colour therapy, as they did in ancient times.

The ancient Greeks also introduced the world to the concept of energy (from the Greek word energia) and its affects on humans, animals, plants and one’s health. We are all connected spiritually by energy, whether we choose to believe it or not. The ancient Greeks would preach that ‘we are all one’ and this belief continues today. We all form a part of the circle of life that revolves in a circular motion with no beginning and no end, particularly when it comes to cooking and eating and respecting our food and where it comes from. The ancient Greeks knew that if the food they were cooking had good energy and brought agapi (unconditional love), their dishes would be masterpieces — and masterpieces they were.

We are all at one with the universe and have the potential to allow its energy into our lives. This energy can only be achieved if we are free of ego and come from a place of agapi. Only then can we come from a truthful place of love and be spiritually guided in our life. And when it comes to cooking, our ego needs to be in balance so we can see the healing power of food and appreciate its benefits. When cooking with an unbalanced ego we become self-absorbed and disconnected from the world — we are not at one with the energy source of the universe. The ego deflects us from the inner peace and happiness we seek and affects those around us negatively.

A way to attain a place of agapi is to adopt an eco (not an ego) approach to cooking. Ego can make us believe that what we are cooking is one of kind and original and solely for ourselves. An eco approach takes into consideration the environment and other people. It reminds us that we are not alone and that our choices have consequences not only on ourselves, but on the environment and other people. Eco is a ‘we’ approach; ego is ‘me’ approach. However, as the philosopher and mathematician Pythagoras said, ‘everything comes round again, so nothing is completely new’. An eco approach involves using food that is local, organic and in season to ensure you are at one with nature and are following the natural flow of the energy cycle of the universe.

The ancient Greeks lived closer to nature than what we do today and recognised that people have an energy similar to that of the plants and other animals and that all of the Earth’s organisms interacted on a spiritual level. In today’s world we have separated ourselves from nature and adopted a superior attitude towards the planet with the result that nature is now responding in an unharmonious way towards us. We are witnessing the effects of global warming, floods, droughts and fierce fires and years of intensive agricultural farming and pesticide use has depleted soil quality, leading to less nutritious food being grown. We need to go back to the basics and understand how to interact with the Earth and its energy with respect. This can be achieved by learning how the ancient Greeks related to food, themselves and nature.

In Greek culture, food and cooking is a spiritual experience, which is highly celebrated and respected. Cooking connects us to ourselves, other people, nature and God. Most religions and spiritual paths throughout history have some kind of ritual or rule related to food and eating and Greece is no exception. Fasting is one such ritual: in many spiritual traditions, the act of abstaining from food is thought to increase spiritual awareness and purification. The Greek Orthodox religion has many days in its calendar where followers must abstain from meat and meat-related products, including fish.

Modern Greece still retains many ancient Greek traditions and has developed many new ones since. In ancient times, the gods and nature were respected and acknowledged by being assigned a name. This continues today only now there is one God. There were also many people in ancient times that believed there was only one God. Agapi also features in all of these traditions. Songs and stories still exist to celebrate an occasion or a dish. There are many songs and dances performed during preparation and cooking time, dishes are kissed and dishes are blessed. Ingredients are not merely something we consume to sustain us; it is something deeper and more spiritual. A mealtime is not a time for one to eat alone, the experience must be shared around a lavishly set table to feast and excite all the senses. Hospitality and the notion of the spirit of kerasma — the offering of food to those we love — are still alive today. But, above all, the Greeks show gratitude by giving thanks to God for his guidance and for the wonderful food they are about to enjoy.

Eating and cooking should be a conscious exercise in kindness. As Aristotle once said, ‘Happiness is an expression of the soul in considered actions’. When we cook from a joyous state of mind and with love we eat better, feel better and, in turn, live better. Unfortunately, we have become a race that is numb and unconscious. Many people have become unaware of how they shop, cook, eat and live. We have desensitised ourselves from nature and from the rest of the world. However, we can change this by becoming present in the here and now — becoming aware of how we live and then choosing to alter or improve this.

In ancient times cooks were also versed in sacrificial rights and understood the spiritual connection of food to life and the gods. They would pray to all the Olympians, gods and goddesses alike. They prayed for safety, health and blessings for all and enjoyment for their present blessings. This was a part of the cooking and eating process. In modern Greece this ritual is still practiced — blessings and thanks are given before food is eaten and a toast to everyone’s health is followed by Stin ygeia sas (‘to your health’).

The Greek author Athenaeus shares with us a quote by the ancient Greek cook Damoxenus:

… nature was the fundamental source of every technical skill. … a cook who is uneducated and hasn’t read Democritus from beginning to end along with Epicurus Canon … kick him out … he needs to know how the glaukiskos [a type of fish] is different in winter and the summer, he also has to understand what fish is best when … for. Changes and movements produce alterations in the food people eat … eaten in the proper time brings a benefit … what good can result when one characteristic is mingled with another and entangled in an unharmonious mix? … I don’t serve the food randomly understand? Instead I arrange everything harmoniously.

The Greeks also believed that people had spiritual godliness within them and they assigned the word ‘charismatic’ to them. The English term ‘charisma’ is from the Greek harisma, meaning ‘favour freely given’ or ‘gift of grace’. The ancient Greeks saw spiritual guidance as a gift and applied different personality characteristics to their gods (charm, beauty, human creativity and fertility) as a way for humans to emulate these higher beings on Earth. They also worshipped goddesses of nature and human life, called Graces or Charites, who personified beauty and grace and the joy of life. The Greeks always tried to bring these same attributes of love, grace and beauty into the kitchen.

The ancient Greeks also believed that it was important to allow your inner self and