Greece

Logan Felten

Location
Greece is a country located in the south of Europe. Greece is situated on the southern end of the Balkan Peninsula. Surrounded by the Aegean, Mediterranean, and Ionian Seas on three sides, Greece has an important location as a gateway between Europe and the Middle East and Asia.

Overview of Greece Video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B-5MMxsq5Q

Common Dishes

Baklava
Baklava is a perennial favorite, a classic Greek pastry made with flaky phyllo dough that is layered with a cinnamon-spiced nut filling, and bathed in sweet syrup.

Chickpea Soup

Greek Salad
On the menu in every Greek restaurant and many non-Greek restaurants as well, this salad has many individual variations, some include salad with it but the picture below shows a classic Greek salad.

Video of Greek Cuisine

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L8OIIch2I 1Q

Traditionally, the balance of Greece trade has been negative. However, ever since Greece joined the EU and gave up restrictive trading measures, things have started to look up, albeit with still a negative balance.

 Greece has been a traditional exporter of food, beverages and textiles. It has most of its trading partners located in the EU with the only notable external trade partner being USA. In 2009, the economy suffered due to dip in exports, as the figures dropped from $29.14 billion (2008) to $18.64 billion in 2009. The country, in terms of export volume, ranked 65th in the world and thus was far below the EU rankings.

 Greece mainly exports the following commodities:

Food and beverages Manufactured goods Petroleum products Chemicals Textiles

Major export partners are:

-Italy -Germany -Bulgaria -Cyprus -USUK -Romania

The following countries have been regular import partners of Greece: Germany 12.1% Italy 11.7% Russia 7.4% China 5.6% France 5.1% Netherlands 4.7%

5 Essential cooking utensils for a Greek kitchen

Mortar And Pestle

A mortar and pestle is a tool used to crush, grind, and mix solid substances

Wooden Spoons
Several. Short and long handled, rounded spoon shape and flat edged like a spatula. No matter what type of cooking ware used, wood utensils are a must.

Olive Oil Can

a metal can on the countertop for oil used in small quantities, like on salads, or measured by tablespoon. Cans come in various shapes and sizes, and the spouts allow only a small amount to pour, so there's no chance of overfilling that tablespoon.

Spice Grater
Grating spices is a sure way to get the best aroma and flavor, and almost all spices used in Greek cooking are available in "whole" form, like nutmeg, cinnamon, allspice, and others.

Straight Wood Rolling Pin

This rolling pin is ideal for the kinds of dough's used in baking Greek pastries, and is the traditional type used in Greek homes. It allows even pressure across the dough.

Traditions and customs

The pattern of the day's meals varies from rural to urban dwellers. The Greek farmer rises early, often with little more than grape juice or fruit brandy to start his day. His noon meal will be brought to the fields for him by his wife or daughter and the basket will contain a hot soup, bread and cheese, perhaps olives and raw onions, tomatoes and cucumbers and occasionally a sweet pastry or fresh fruit. The farmer eats his evening meal after sundown when the chores are completed. The meal is similar to the noon one except that a meat dish may be added if meat is available or if it is not a fast day. The table is set with colorful woodenware and the women place the meal on colorful cloths woven from goats' wool.

 In Greece, from five to nine o'clock is considered late afternoon when visitors would be treated to spoon sweets, fresh cool water, and perhaps Ouzo and pastries. The Greeks delight in their children and it is expected that visitors will admire the little ones and bring small gifts for them.

 So deeply valued is the concept of hospitality that it is closely interwoven with a sense of self-esteem in the Greek word philotimo. Since a part of hospitality is a display of generosity, members of the Greek family happily extend every courtesy and the best of their food to their guests. This, however, can have adverse effects. Greek women may be insulted if only one helping of food is taken; they firmly believe in the Arabic saying, "The food equals the affection." Greek men may feel shamed if their offers of hospitality are refused. Moreover, it is often true that any failed gesture in the ritual of hospitality on the part of guest or host can be construed as either a personal insult, a family or communal insult, or even disdain of the ancient gods themselves.

Works Cited
http://greekfood.about.com/od/greekcooking basics/tp/kitchessentials.htm http://www.foodlinks.com/countries/greece/greek-mealscustoms.php http://www.mapsofworld.com/greece/greecelocation-map.html http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B-5MMxsq5Q