OPENING: Mrs Persefoni Karanika, Deputy Head of Mission and Head of Consular Office, Greece Embassy in Qatar, cutting the ribbon to open the Greek Week.  Photos by Najeer Feroke

Because of different types of terrain in Greece; North, South, mainland, islands, there are many different cuisines depending on the area you are in, writes Umer Nangiana

They have on offer some delicious and healthy cuisines even in the most fatty food categories. If you love lamb, you can have plenty without worrying about fat; if you’re a beef or chicken lover, you still have plenty to choose from. These are authentic Greek flavours and the entire food is prepared by a master chef assisted by a Phd in Diet, both coming straight from Greece.

Greek Week is being celebrated at Sharq Village & Spa’s Al Liwan restaurant with the introduction of cuisines from every part of Greece. This means a different menu every day — the week ends on May 31.

The Greeks, like their Middle Eastern counterparts, too, indulge meat, seafood and olives.

Native Greek Chef Doxis Bekris, the Culinary Director at Hotel Costa Navarino in Athens, assisted by Chef Georgios Palisidis (Phd in Diet), present a sumptuous set of traditional dishes with modern twist such as Omega Beetroot soup, Cretan Salad made of tomato, cucumber, olives, green peppers, whole wheat rusk and extra virgin olive oil.

The ‘goodness’ celebrations also feature Moussaka from Naousa made of layers of eggplant, zucchini, potato, minced beef and cheese cream, and Lamb “Giouvetsi” from Pilio, which is a stew with fresh tomato and “hilopites” pasta, Saltimbocca Chicken Fillet and Lemon Tart.

“This year we have tried to introduce Greek food to Doha and Sharq Village one more time and we brought quite a few Greek products with us so we can enhance the flavour and we have tried to be as authentic as possible,” Chef Bekris told Community.

The master chef confirmed they prepare most cuisines with a lot of olive oil. Greek olives are the best in the world, he said. “Feta cheese is something that Middle Eastern people love as well and it comes from Greece. We use it a lot,” said Bekris.

“Meat that we use is very famous in other countries as well. We use a lot of lamb like in other Arab countries as well. We have on the menu a lot of seafood and beef and chicken cuisines as well in different flavours,” he added.

On the first night, the table was decorated with Hilopites Pasta with Shrimps & Feta Cheese, Soutzoukakia Smirneika (traditional Smirnean meatballs), Chicken Giouvetsi (Greek baked pasta and meat) and Pilaf (rice cooked in seasoned broth) with Spring onions besides lamb and other delicacies.

Salads, buns and dinner rolls were just too many to keep an account of. They are all highly recommended by the chef Palisidis, the doctor.

“We have a dish similar to shwarma in Middle East but we call it Gyros. It is chicken but we marinate it with yogurt and garlic which lends to it a slightly different flavour. So there are a lot of fresh products, simple yet very tasty,” chef Bekris told Community.

For the people, who have not tasted Greek food before, the chef recommended “must have dishes” with Greek salad on top.

“Moussaka is a vegetable and beef dish with sauce on top baked in the oven. It is very traditional and classic. And then, there’s the grilled seafood that we have brought from Greece,” suggested the chef.

Because of different types of terrain in Greece; North, South, mainland, islands, there are many different cuisines depending on the area you are in, the chef added.

“However, if I have to put two or three things on the table I would say that mainly, in the islands, we consume a lot of fish and seafood but in the mainland and Northern parts of Greece, we consume a lot of beef and lamb. So these are must haves if you want to try Greek flavours,” said Bekris.

He said they have tried to introduce different parts of Greece every day. First day was mostly mainland with a lot of beef and lamb and less seafood. “But in the coming days, we will try to catch more on the islands of Greece so it will be more light dishes,” the chef added.

He has been into the business of cooking and food for over 17 years and has traveled around the world. “I look young but I am not that young,” said the Greek chef laughing. “I studied in England as a chef before going to the CIA in the states — it stands for the Culinary Institute of America (CIA), not THE CIA or FBI,” said Berkis, chuckling. He has worked in England, Switzerland, and Dubai for the past five years; in Asia, Singapore, and Hong Kong besides other places.

“I was born and raised in Greece and grew up eating Greek food. The first experience was at home. The first chef school I attended was in Greece before moving to England. The chef training I got in Greece was basically, the fundamentals of the Greek cuisine,” he recalled.

Chef Palisidis is more into desserts. Loucoumades, a special dessert with ingredients such as honey and pollen, is a personal favourite and he got it prepared under personal supervision. It is made with flour which is prepared with water, yeast and sugar. It is then fried in olive oil and separated on a plate.

“You pour honey and pollen on it and it is ready to be served,” said Palisidis. The dessert was indeed very light yet very delicious. Almost every visitor had it fresh out of the pan.

Palisidis said he was a Phd in Diet. “Everybody talks about the oxidants and vitamins. We can find them in as simple food as grapes. They are in the skin of the grapes and in pomegranates and the Greek delicacies which are prepared keeping in mind the balance of all essentials.

Greek food has a lot to do with vitamins. Olive oil, which is necessary for proper functioning of the human body and to keep it healthy is a major part of Greek cuisine, he added.

But how would you make lamb healthy?

“If you take out the fat in the lamb, it is good and you can eat it because the fat on the lamb is easy to see and remove. It is good to eat lamb but you should also eat salad with it. In fact, you should take it every day,” advised the master chef.

“It is not just about original food. We have come here to offer you something very special,” said Palisidis. He recommended food lovers to try the special beans, tomato, garlic, olive oil and beef with small onions that they have brought with them from Greece.

The Greek delicacies can be had between 6:30pm to 11pm this week.

 

 


BELOW:

1) SALAD DAYS: Salad Bar at the restaurant to mark Greek Goodness.

 

2) DELICIOUS: A lamb dish in the menu for the opening night.

 

3) THE STARS: Chef Doxis Bekris, second from left, and Chef Georgios Palisidis, second from right, with their team.