Greek desserts names. Traditional Greek Sweets: Recipes with Photos

Never, never, never refuse dessert in Greece! Because, firstly, he is always incredibly beautiful, and secondly, it hurts and offends the owners. Despite the fact that before this the table was first bursting with snacks, in the second round it was filled with giant dishes with the second, if you offer to end the meal on this, the Greeks with a sweet tooth, like babies deprived of candy, will be upset, disappointed, discouraged, in a word, between you an iron curtain of misunderstanding will fall, which is much worse than any language barrier.

Desserts from Crete

I tried to do this a couple of times. Once, during lunch in Crete, when it was already hard to think that the stomach would take even a milligram of food, I said that they might not bring me dessert.

"What, you don't like sweets?" several people exclaimed. It seems that in the blink of an eye I have become a general enemy. “No, I’m just already full,” such an excuse was ridiculed, saying that if I don’t try the best creation of the cook, into which he has invested all his skill, soul and something else, then from now on he will refuse to feed me at all .

I had to try everything. But from that day on, they still looked at me with disbelief all week, constantly looking into the plate and carefully watching so that I would not try to do any such trick a second time.

By the way, the dessert was really beyond praise! I especially liked it with a fresh white light soufflé-like manouri cheese from sheep's milk, sprinkled with fragrant honey, and xerotigana brushwood.

Did you know that this popular deep-fried delicacy - brushwood - comes from Greece? To be honest, until I ended up in Crete, I never thought about it. It turns out that in the 19th century it came to St. Petersburg through Little Russia, whose inhabitants spied it from their Byzantine neighbors.

In fact, xerotigana is considered a wedding dessert in Crete, but many Greeks cook it for both the feast and the world. You can try it too - here.

Labor-intensive sweets and not so

On one of my next Greek trips, I almost shied away from coffee with sweets for the second time.

Sweet buffet in Greece is a serious threat to the figure

It happened on the peninsula of Halkidiki at a time when the endless dinner had almost become breakfast. I tried to escape, citing fatigue, the fact that in the morning (after a couple of hours) I had to get up early. I again heard the same question about sweets and felt like the most treacherous traitor.

As a result, the rest of the night had to calm the disappointed hosts, listening to how they tried and thought about the menu, how they selected each dish and how much time their chef spent preparing dessert. Yes, indeed, some Greek dishes are incredibly time-consuming.

For example, the Greeks love phyllo puff pastry. It is very elastic, after baking it turns out tender, thin, slightly crunchy melting in your mouth. But it is extremely difficult to make it - you need to roll it out and stretch it until it becomes like a sheet of paper. So, if you want to cook something Greek, the dough is better to buy.

From filo you can make huge pies with feta, spinach, chicken, small envelopes with various fillings and, of course, sweet nut baklava, poured with honey syrup. There is something original in all these sweets. Sometimes they are made from products familiar from antiquity: from honey (instead of sugar, which was not yet known at that time), from milk, olive oil, wheat flour.

But sometimes there are recipes from borrowed products. For example, from walnuts, so named only because they were brought to Russia by Greek merchants. One of my favorite Greek pies caridopita- the most delicate pie with walnuts. It is best to do it the day before the celebration, so that it is well soaked. Try to cook it.

Do you remember that the main rule is to try sweets? However, more than your refusal of dessert, Greek culinary specialists can only be upset if you compare their sweets with Turkish ones.

Forget that you ate almost the same baklava in Istanbul or ate almost the same brushwood in Anatolia - none of this matters if you don't want to hurt the quivering hearts of the local Greek chefs.

The Greeks consider their goodies (even if it's Turkish-style coffee) to be unique. However, this feeling is mutual: a few years ago, real demonstrations took place in Istanbul demanding to protect the original Turkish dish baklava from Greek encroachments. But I will tell you about Turkish sweets some other time ...

Loukoumades

To prepare this dessert, you will need the following ingredients:

• wheat flour (two cups)
• dry yeast (10 grams),
• granulated sugar (one large spoon),
• warm water (1.5 cups),
• a pinch of salt,
• one lemon, water (one glass),
• honey (150 grams),
• vegetable oil.

First you need to mix warm water, flour, granulated sugar, yeast and salt. Knead the dough and leave in a warm place for 1 hour. After that, you need to pour a glass of water into a saucepan, then add honey and squeeze the juice from one lemon. Heat the resulting mixture and mix thoroughly. After that, you need to pour a glass of vegetable oil into the pan. Make balls of dough and dip into boiling oil. Place the finished balls on a paper towel to remove excess oil. Then drizzle the loukoumades with sugar syrup and garnish with scoops of ice cream. Today it is very profitable to make joint purchases at wholesale prices. Joint purchases are the purchases of a certain amount of goods with the help of several people. I advise a good site with favorable prices and fast delivery: joint purchases City of friends. Bought with friends a lot of goods for retail, were very satisfied.

Kiwi dessert with strawberries

You will need the ingredients:

• strawberries (30 pieces),
• kiwi (6 pieces),
• tangerine (3 pieces),
• powdered sugar (3 large spoons),
• lemon juice (3 large spoons),
• almonds (2 large spoons),
• yogurt (one glass).

First you need to peel the kiwi and cut into small pieces. Tangerines also need to be peeled and cut each slice in half. Wash strawberries and cut into small cubes. Mix fruit, powdered sugar, sprinkle them with lemon juice and leave for about 5 minutes. Put the fruit in the prepared form and season with yogurt. Then you need to sprinkle almonds on top. Place in refrigerator for 15 minutes. Bon appetit!

Greek cookies

The recipe for this cookie is very simple. For this you will need the ingredients:

• butter (150 grams),
• wheat flour (450 grams),
• powdered sugar (200 grams),
• egg,
• cognac (one large spoon),
• vanilla sugar,
• soda (half a small spoon),
• ground and toasted hazelnuts (150 grams).

It is necessary to mix powdered sugar and butter, then add the yolk, vanilla sugar and cognac. Whisk everything thoroughly. After that, mix the nuts, flour and soda and add to the cooked mass. Roll out the dough and mold it into crescent-shaped figures. Bake in the microwave at high power for about 15 minutes. Then sprinkle hot cookies with powdered sugar. The cookies will turn out very tasty and fragrant.

Greeks are considered one of the biggest sweet tooth in the world. On the territory of the country, there is, perhaps, not a single person who would not be happy to go to zacharoplastio (confectionery shop). Sweets in the country are an invariable attribute of a table set for a holiday or an everyday meal.

During the long years of the rule of the Byzantine Empire, which harmoniously combined the traditions of dozens of different peoples, a wide variety of oriental dishes were brought to Hellas, which eventually became national. Further in the article you will find a description of the most diverse, unusually delicious Greek sweets, recipes and photos of which are waiting for you in this material.

About desserts

In Greece, nuts (almonds, walnuts, pistachios) and honey (most often thyme) serve as the main components for sweets. For some Greek sweets, semolina (for halva), vegetable oil, dried fruits, cream, milk, and cheese are used in cooking. And a sheet of puff pastry, prepared with your own hands, is one of the main components in cooking.

Among the popular Greek sweets are quince marshmallow, galaktoboureko, Turkish delight. Greek jam is also famous, which is made from quince, oranges, figs, cherries and peaches. Sweets in sugar syrup or molasses can also be called traditional desserts - these are most often bones (nuts, pistachios, hazelnuts and almonds) and dried fruits.

Dessert groups

All oriental sweets, including Greek ones, can be divided into three groups:

1. Sugar confectionery - nishallo (sugar vermicelli), crystalline sugar, nogul (amphora sugar with spices).
2. Products like soft sweets - Turkish delight, nougat, sherbet, whipped delight, kos-halva, chuch-hela, etc.
3. Flour products - baklava (baklavas), mutaki, kurabiedes cookies, kyata and various other cookies and pies based on butter, biscuit, shortcrust, puff pastry.

Kourabiedes

This is one of the most delicious traditional Greek sweets. It is prepared during the period of Epiphany and Christmas. Kourabiedes differs from other types of shortbread cookies in that it contains almonds and immediately after baking is rolled in powdered sugar. In the manufacture of cognac, vanilla or mastic are added to it for flavoring. You will need:

• 200 g sl. oils;
• 1 egg;
• 200 g chopped almonds;
• 1 ½ st. powdered sugar;
• 300 g flour (preferably high quality);
• 2 tbsp. l. vanilla sugar;
• 30 g almonds;
• 13 g of baking powder.

How to cook

1. Combine dry ingredients: almonds, flour, vanilla sugar, baking powder.
2. We grind the softened butter until white, pour sugar into it, beat well and add the yolk during the process, and then combine the dry ingredients with the egg-butter mixture, knead the dough. It should be elastic and not stick to your hands.
3. Form balls from pieces of dough.
4. In the middle of each we put a whole almond nut (1-2 pcs.) And spread it on a sheet covered with baking paper.
5. Bake for 20 minutes at 180°C.
6. Sprinkle the finished cookies with powdered sugar (you can see the Greek sweet - kourabiedes in the photo).

Loukoumades

This dish is airy, very tender donuts wrapped in sweet syrup. In order to prepare 1 kg of sweets, take:

• 500 g flour;
• 32 g dry yeast;
• 27 g of salt and sugar;
• 500 ml of very cold water;
• 600 ml vegetable oil for deep frying.

For syrup:

• 1.5 tsp honey;
• 200 ml of water;
• 20 g lemon;
• 250 g sugar.

Cooking technology

1. Pour yeast, salt and sugar into flour. The flour must be sifted to give the dough a more tender and airy structure.
2. Gradually pour ice water into the resulting mixture and knead the dough for a quarter of an hour, after which we cover the container with the product with a napkin or cling film and put it in a warm place for one hour for fermentation.
3. 20 minutes before the dough rises, start preparing the syrup. Pour sugar into a small bowl, fill it with water, add honey and put on the stove.
4. After the oil boils, boil it for 5 minutes, add a slice of lemon and continue to cook the same amount.
5. At the same time, heat up the oil in a saucepan.
6. Form into balls with a spoon and drop into hot oil.
7. After they are well reddened, we take them out and dip them in hot syrup for 20 seconds.

We place the finished Greek sweet on a beautiful plate. Dessert should be eaten immediately after preparation, because after a short storage it can soften and lose its attractive appearance.

By the way, only when hot it has a tender, airy core and a crispy honey-caramel crust.

Baklavas (baklava)

Among Greek desserts and sweets, the popular confectionery baklavas occupies a special place. It is made from stretched unleavened filo dough, as thin as papyrus paper (translated from Greek, “filo” means “leaf”). The preparation of such a dough is a real art and is passed down in every family from mother to daughter.

Ingredients needed for the test:

• half a kilo of flour;
• 200-250 g of warm water (depending on the quality of the flour);
• ½ tsp salt;
• 30 ml of olive oil;
• 1 tsp Sahara;
• some cornstarch.

For filling:

• 100 g of pistachios, hazelnuts, almonds, walnuts;
• 3 art. l. Sahara;
• 1 tsp chopped cloves and cinnamon;
• 1 cracker (chopped in a blender).

For syrup:

• 200 ml of water;
• 250 g sugar;
• under Art. l. lemon juice and honey;
• 2-3 cloves;
• cinnamon stick.

To brush the dough:

• 50 ml of olive oil;
• 100 g of margarine and butter;
• egg.

Stuffing and dough

First, let's prepare the nuts. It should be remembered that they must be fresh. In this case, it is recommended to soak almonds in water for a quarter of an hour, and then peel them.

1. Grind all the nuts indicated in the recipe in a mortar. Please note: since nuts have different hardness, they should be processed separately. Crushed nuts should not be too small, but not large. They can be fried in a pan, but also separately.
2. We combine the prepared nut with sugar, cloves, cinnamon, crushed crackers and mix.
3. Sift the flour together with sugar and salt in a slide, make a well and pour in the oil and vinegar, mixing gently.
4. Add warm water and knead the dough. It should be tender, but not sticky.

Dessert cooking

• We divide the dough rolled into bundles into 10 identical parts, we form balls.
• We put them in a deep bowl and cover with a damp cotton napkin. The dough should rest for an hour at a temperature of 20 ° C.

• We take out 1 ball in turn and roll out the dough, it is not recommended to take everything at once, because it can dry out.
• In order for the dough not to stick to the table and to the rolling pin, sprinkle them with cornmeal.
• Roll out into very thin sheets, the size of a baking sheet.
• For Greek sweets, coat the first sheet well with a mixture of oils (olive and cream), margarine and eggs. Definitely warm. This is necessary for the baklava to be crispy.
• We coat each subsequent sheet in the same way and lay it on the previous one.
• On 4 spread 1/3 of the filling and cover with the fifth sheet, oil the dough again and sprinkle with ½ of the remaining nut filling.
• Cover with a clean sheet, grease again and lay out the rest of the nuts.
• After that, we lay the remaining sheets in turn, oiling them well.
• Let the baklava stand for about 10 minutes, and then carefully cut into diamonds. We use clove buds as a decoration, one bud for one portion piece.
• We bake baklava (covered with foil) in the oven for about half an hour at 180 ° C.
• After that, remove the foil and reduce the temperature to 140 ° C.

Let the finished product cool for 1 hour.

Syrup

At this time, prepare the syrup. For this you need:

1. Boil water with honey, cinnamon, cloves and sugar.
2. Remove from heat and add lemon juice.

Warm baklava is poured with still hot syrup and served better the next day, when it is well soaked.

Did you know that the Greeks have an avid sweet tooth? In local confectioneries, both children and adults gather at the counters with the same enthusiasm, and any table - whether it's a dinner for two or a general celebration - will certainly be decorated with your favorite desserts.

It's hard not to try loukoumades, baklava and other famous national Greek sweets. They are sold literally everywhere, and many of them can be bought and brought as a gift from a trip. The main thing is not to get lost in this exciting abundance.

Galaktobureko (Γαλακτομπούρεκο)

A chic Greek casserole made from the finest filo dough, which is soaked in citrus syrup. Semolina is used for the filling, and it can be decided that as a result, ordinary semolina porridge is obtained from it. But when you eat dessert, you don’t feel the cereal in it at all, rather, on the contrary! It seems that a delicate custard with subtle lemon or orange notes is melting on the tongue.

Before serving, the casserole is cut, poured with syrup or sprinkled with powdered sugar. A serving of galaktoboureko costs an average of 1.8 to 2.6 €.

Rizogalo (ρυζόγαλο)

The super popular Greek dessert is made from rice and milk. Those who had a chance to try it call themselves lucky: such an airy, tender, melting in the mouth delicacy causes true delight. To taste, it most of all resembles ice cream, moreover, it is usually served cold. Rizogalos are sprinkled with plenty of cinnamon or chocolate chips on top, decorated with dried fruits and nuts, berries.

To make the dessert more attractive and tasty, it can be laid out in layers in a vase. Then confiture or jam is added between the rice base, pieces of biscuits or biscuits are placed. A portion of risogalo (180 g) costs from 0.98 to 1.3 €.

In Greece, there is a variation of making risogalo without sugar. In this case, the pudding ceases to be a dessert - it is eaten in the morning for breakfast.

Loukumades (λουκουμάδες)

Small donuts loukoumades are a local favorite and at the same time one of the most famous Greek national desserts. Popular sweets are made from yeast dough, which is divided into pieces with a teaspoon or a special dosing machine and then dipped into a vat of boiling oil. Shortly before readiness, donuts must be placed in syrup so that they acquire a recognizable taste and aroma.

They sell such sweets in Greece almost on every corner. They are often made with toppings such as cheese or apples, and served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Price for 15 pcs. usually starts from 4 €.

Kourabiedes (Κουραμπιέδες)

Although today the Greek kourabiedes cookies can be bought at any time of the year, traditionally the dessert becomes especially popular on Christmas Eve. It is simply impossible to imagine at least one festive table without these sweet crumbly shortbread cookies!

The peculiarity of the courabiedes recipe lies in the use of flower water, which gives the delicacy a pleasant, subtle aroma. Sometimes, to give original shades of taste, a drop of metaxa or ouzo can be added to the dough.

Kourabiedes are decorated with powdered sugar - in a festive package or a vase, the dessert looks very beautiful, as if covered with a snow-white "veil". The cost of 1 kg of sweets is from 12 to 15 €.

Another famous Christmas dessert in Greece is Melomakarona cookies. It is made from olive oil, flour, chopped nuts and must be soaked in delicious honey syrup.

Baklava (μπακλαβάς)

Greek baklava is a real national pride of the country. And let the world continue to argue about who was the first to come up with a recipe for delicious sweets - for the Greeks, this is no longer so important. It was local masters who developed the technology for creating filo dough, so thin that you can literally read through it. From 33 “sheets” of such a weightless dough, a puff cake is prepared, which is then soaked in sweet honey syrup, cut into neat diamonds and baked.

The filling for baklava is usually raisins, sesame seeds, chopped nuts. The finished dessert turns out tender and crispy at the same time, and if you add it with a cup of delicious, then the pleasure of eating will become doubly unforgettable. By weight, baklava is sold at a price of 10 € per 1 kg, in a cafe a portion can cost from 1.8 €.

Halva (χαλβάς)

Greek halva is not just a popular sweet. For local residents, it is first of all a source of important vitamins and a way to recharge with positive energy for the day ahead. They say that a piece of halva in the morning is the best way to cheer up and not feel hungry for a long time.

In Greece, halva is often prepared and eaten during Lent, as it contains neither eggs nor milk.

To prepare sweets, in fact, just a few ingredients are enough, including: cereals or seeds, water, sugar and spices. In Greece, two varieties of halva have become widespread: from semolina and sesame paste (tahini) with the addition of nuts or vanilla essence. There are, however, other variations, for example, with the taste of honey or chocolate.

It is customary to eat halva with a glass of cold water and in no case mix it with other sweets. In stores, the cost of a package is about 2 €.

What other sweets are worth trying in Greece

Among other national Greek desserts and sweets, which are simply impossible to resist, definitely deserve attention:

• xerotigana - pink or almond "brushwood", a popular delicacy on the islands of Crete and Cythera;
• karidopita pie - the most delicate Greek dessert stuffed with nuts and cinnamon, generously soaked in syrup;
• delight with a wide variety of flavors and aromas (honey, pistachio, coconut, bergamot, lemon, rose or almond);
• kozinaki - sweet pistachio, peanut, sesame or almond tiles in syrup;
• Greek handmade sweets - they are sold in boxes and by weight, and a variety of fillings and flavors opens up a huge scope for choice.

No matter how much you care about your figure, do not refuse to taste sweet Greek dishes at a party - otherwise you may offend the hosts. But even more unpleasant than your refusal for them will be the comparison of their favorite desserts with Turkish food. Since the liberation of Greece from Ottoman rule, local culinary specialists have created many recipes that are considered unique. And when you try the best national sweets of this beautiful country, you will certainly agree with this.

- big sweet tooth. It is impossible to imagine an adult or a child in Greecewho would not rejoice at the next trip to zacharoplastio (confectionery shop). Sweets are also an integral part of any table, from the usual reception of guests to a solemn wedding banquet. For a thousand years of the rule of the Byzantine Empire, which combined the traditions of dozens of peoples, a huge number of oriental dishes were brought to Hellas, which eventually became national. This article will focus on the most popular confectionery.
One of the most favorite Greek delicacies baklava(baklavas).

By the look Greek baklava very reminiscent of a puff pastry stuffed with nuts, sesame seeds, raisins, soaked in sweet cinnamon syrup. It has almost nothing to do with fried baklava, which is sold by the hundreds on the beaches of the Black Sea resorts. History has preserved the mention of one of the Turkish Sultan's court chefs. He wrote in his cookbook that the first baklava was prepared and presented to Sultan Mehmed II in August 1453. It is not surprising that this happened in August, because in May of the same year the Byzantine capital fell under the blows of the Ottoman Empire.

The next Greek delicacy is Turkish Delight.

These sweets have a history of over 400 years and were brought to Greece from the east in the 17th century. Lokum it has taken root in the country so much that even in the monasteries of Athos it has become a traditional treat for pilgrims. Loukoumades are made from a large amount of sugar and glucose with the addition of various aromatic and color additives. Almonds and pistachios only complement the range of taste sensations of this unearthly delicacy, which is not only very tasty, but also useful for some diseases of the digestive system.

Another famous dessert that you should definitely try is loukoumades. Dessert is donuts with a lot of sugar syrup or condensed milk. Donuts are made from yeast dough with the addition of fruit or cheese and fried in boiling oil. small loukoumades, sprinkled with powdered sugar or coconut flakes, it is customary for the Greeks to eat with a fork.
Greek jam is in demand all over the world. An amazing variety of fruits, makes it the most diverse. Given the fact that even oranges grow on the streets, we can safely say that any Greek confectioner knows all the intricacies of making this dessert from his youth.

Also popular in Greece galaktombureko(Γαλακτομπούρεκο) - roll with milk filling, kadefi - honey sweets, halva (not very similar to that produced in the CIS countries), ravani and samali – Greek pastries, profiteroles– biscuits with various types of mousse, root me cream – waffle roll with sweet filling or condensed milk and delicious courabiedes- crumbly biscuits. At weddings, guests are given bonbonnieres - gourmet sweets, consisting of nuts and fruits, filled with a special cream or chocolate.

Greek mythology

Athens. Standing Attala

Standing Attala - a long gallery - a portico was built by the king of Pergamum Attalus II (159-138 BC), as a gift to the Athenians. Attalus spent a lot of time in Athens, learning philosophy and other sciences. Stoya is a large two-storey complex portico with a double colonnade and rows of shopping arcades behind the colonnade. The building was made from local materials: marble for the façade and columns, and limestone for the walls. The building was 116 meters long and was designed for 42 trading places. From that time on, the Stoa became the largest trading building in Athens, until it was destroyed by the ancient Germanic Heruli tribe in 267 AD. e. From its remnants, the city walls of Athens were fortified.

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