Mixed-grill Thursday!
There is a multitude of carnival customs and celebrations lasting for 3 weeks all over Greece, very colorful and diverse in every region, city, and even particular villages. But one custom is the same all over Greece: the roast-meat eating day, sort of a Mardi-Gras – but in Greece it is always on a Thursday. Actually, during the whole of that week people are supposed to eat meat, because after all, this is the definition of carnival.
Technically, to properly celebrate the day you must find yourself around meat that is being grilled over a charcoal fire so to watch and inhale the roasting fumes (“tsikna”). If you don’t do that, it is simply not right!
Equally important is togetherness: this is a day for getting out of the house and socializing, having fun with friends. If you are looking for excuses to give up a diet, this is the right time!
If you wish to avoid the crowds, it is again OK to gather friends at home and order out. In both cases, food comes from a specialized tavern/grill-house so you must make sure:
a) not to let vegetarians know about it
b) you order your choice of the following:
Paidakia (lamb chops)
Souvlaki (shish-kebap of pork or chicken or veal) with grilled pita bread
Biftekia scharas (grilled veal patties with oregano and mint)
Loukaniko horiatiko (country-style pork sausage, flavored with orange peel or leek)
Kotopoulo souvlas (chicken roasted on the spit)
Kotopoulo sti schara (chargrilled chicken)
Kokoretsi (lamb offal roasted on the spit)
Exohiko (stuffed pork rolled up with vegetables and herbs roasted on the spit)
Kontosouvli (pork chunks roasted on the spit)
Gioulbasi (lamb with vegetables and feta cheese, baked in parchment paper)
Gyros (dӧner-kebap of pork or chicken)
and a few vegetables! For keeping our cholesterol levels under control 🙂
Bon Apetit, drink to health and happiness and enjoy the Carnival Feast!
Sophia Nikolaou
Comments
Loading ...
