If you go to a Brisbane Greek restaurant what can you expect to see on the menu? How can you create the Mediterranean flavours of Greek food in your home kitchen?
Olives and lemons thrive in the Greek climate so they are the ingredients in many of the dishes. Similarly, herbs grow well and include rosemary, mint, parsley, basil and oregano.
There's lot of coastline in the islands and mainland of Greece, so seafood such as octopus, sardines and anchovies are popular. Favourite vegetables include zucchini and eggplant.
It's hard to imagine our food landscape without the creamy dairy additions of feta, haloumi and ricotta cheeses. For great Greek cheeses made in Brisbane, give Olympus brand a try. They are made in Coorparoo and are wonderful local products that will add to any Greek meal (or fusion Aussie meal too).
A Greek appetiser is called meze and it's popular now to find restaurants having ‘meze plates' on their menus. With a meze plate, expect to find small offerings such as whole olives, a piece of squid, or small meatballs perhaps.
Greek dips - it's commonplace now to have hommus (made from chick peas), taramasalata (from fish eggs) and tzatziki (yoghurt and cucumber) dips. You'll even find them pre-made in every supermarket.
For a sweet end to a meal, try halva, a sweet rich nougat-like dessert made from sesame seeds. Available from delis and some supermarkets, it comes in vanilla or chocolate flavours or with nuts. Desserts such as syrupy baklava (made from pistachios and filo pastry) and honey puffs are well loved.
What about alcohol? Ouzo and Tsipouro are both strong liqueurs with an anise flavour. There are also Greek wines and beer, sold at the Greek Club.
For wonderful Greek food (and not just during Paniyiri) head to the Greek Club and Convention Centre in West End. They are open every day and have good value lunches and dinners.
West End is the traditional home for many of Brisbane's Greek community and includes the Greek Orthodox Church. The legacy of Greek immigration is a smattering of Greek delis and food stores across the suburb. At nearby Woolloongabba you'll find family-run Samios Foods, a store which specialises in Greek food ingredients and has been a Brisbane institution for 70 years.
