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Jan 14, 2025 | 
culinarybackstreets.com | Carolina Doriti
After World War II, many Greek islanders left their homes and moved to Athens for work and a brighter future. Such was the case with Nikos and Irene Vasilas, who came to Athens from the island of Naxos during their late teenage years; Irene came from Apiranthos village and Nikos from Danakos, both mountain villages.
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Nov 4, 2024 | 
culinarybackstreets.com | Carolina Doriti
It’s fall and the wonderful farmers markets of Athens are filled with the season’s harvest; fresh walnuts and chestnuts, persimmons, pomegranates, quince and, of course, the two queens of the season: pumpkin and butternut squash. I love using butternut squash or pumpkin in a variety of recipes and these traditional fritters are one of my favorite ways to enjoy this nutritious vegetable.
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Sep 3, 2024 | 
culinarybackstreets.com | Carolina Doriti
Pies, sweet and savory, constitute a massive chapter of traditional Greek cuisine, and are also a timeless popular street food all across the nation. Most classic Greek pie shops tend to open early in the morning, as pies are popular for breakfast, and close in the afternoon, usually after they have sold out for the day.
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Aug 2, 2024 | 
culinarybackstreets.com | Carolina Doriti
Orzo, which in Greek is called kritharaki (or manestra), is a rice-shaped pasta that is particularly popular in Greek and Italian kitchens. Interestingly, its name both in Italian and Greek means barley, which would once have been the most commonly used grain in this region of the Mediterranean. Research suggests that this kind of pasta was a substitute for rice, which as late as the 1960s was relatively expensive and hard to get.
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Jun 14, 2024 | 
culinarybackstreets.com | Carolina Doriti
Athens’s central and largest food market is located off of National Road, between downtown Athens and Piraeus port, in an industrial area called Rendis. It covers about 60 acres of land and was inaugurated back in 1959 when the city realized that the two existing markets of Piraeus and central Athens were not enough to cover the population’s needs.
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May 30, 2024 | 
decanter.com | Fiona Beckett |Carolina Doriti
Born in Athens, Carolina Doriti has worked as a chef, recipe developer, restaurant consultant and food journalist, and is the culinary producer of the USA TV series My Greek Table, presented by Diane Kochilas. Carolina is also the Athens bureau chief for Culinary Backstreets, a company that runs gastronomy tours around the world. I have lived most of my life in Athens, a city that blends and balances the ancient with the modern. This blend is how I experience this age-old culture’s cuisine.
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May 21, 2024 | 
culinarybackstreets.com | Carolina Doriti
Neo Psychiko, a suburb north of central Athens, is just a 15-minute drive from the city’s busy Syntagma central square yet feels like a world away. Residential and family-oriented, the area is greener and quieter than downtown. At its heart is Plateia Eleftherias (“Freedom Square”), a lively spot with a playground, a kiosk, cafes and restaurants – the usual you’ll find in any decent Athenian plaza. People gather here from early in the morning to late at night.
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Jan 17, 2024 | 
culinarybackstreets.com | Carolina Doriti
I can’t think of a more comforting dish than soup. It can be as simple or complex as you wish, and as cheap or expensive as you can afford. Just open your fridge or pantry, and you’re sure to find something to turn into a liquid meal – vegetables, herbs, spices, meat, poultry, seafood, grains, legumes… the list goes on. If you’re looking for a restoring bowl of soup in Greece, one of your best bets is a late-night restaurant (many operate round-the-clock) or diner.
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Dec 29, 2023 | 
culinarybackstreets.com | Carolina Doriti |Katherine Whittaker
The food scene in Greece is constantly being enriched. More and more local chefs are opening their own restaurants, many of which have a creative focus on the local cuisine and produce. Seasonality, sustainability, tradition and high-quality ingredients are in the spotlight and traditional cuisine gets to shine with the sophisticated touch of a talented younger generation of Greek chefs.
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Nov 2, 2023 | 
culinarybackstreets.com | Carolina Doriti
It’s fall and the wonderful farmers markets of Athens are filled with the season’s harvest; fresh walnuts and chestnuts, persimmons, pomegranates, quince and, of course, the two queens of the season: pumpkin and butternut squash. I love using butternut squash or pumpkin in a variety of recipes and these traditional fritters are one of my favorite ways to enjoy this nutritious vegetable.
