More on Greek cuisine

In 1991, Ikaros Publications released the book *Deipnosophistis*. It was a collection of articles, originally published in the newspaper *Kathimerini*, focusing on cuisine or gastronomy, as we would say today. It was the first time in Greece that anyone had spoken about the philosophy of taste, its aesthetics, its sociology and its ritual dimension. He spoke of both popular and refined cuisine and of the clarity of flavours. It changed the way we had viewed cuisine up to that point, but it also introduced the dimension of Greek identity, opening up a major topic, a dialogue that continues to this day. The book was loved by both the public and critics, went through numerous reprints, was discussed, commented on, copied, gained a devoted readership, and was followed in subsequent years by the equally successful Second and Third Diners, both by the same author, Christos Zouraris.Much has changed since then. Gastronomy has entered our lives and become fashionable, with all the pros and cons that entails. Hundreds of related books and magazines have been published. Television has become a vast kitchen. Restaurants have opened and closed, chefs have risen to fame and faded away, we’ve eaten feta mousse and caramelised everything (much of the aforementioned being of exceptional quality). Rocket and Parmesan became our national salad, and we saw a TV advert featuring a grandmother in a headscarf in the village telling her neighbour the brilliant line: ‘I’m rolling out the sushi sheet!’ And now? Now the trend will pass. Unfortunately, with the help of the crisis that is plaguing everything. But the good things will remain. The essence. The substantive dialogue about Greek cuisine and Greekness. With all its cultural, social and philosophical ramifications. Ramifications that contribute to self-awareness, an essential virtue for us to be better Greeks. Epicurus has been at the forefront of this dialogue for years. A follower and interlocutor of Christos Zouraris, he has published books and numerous articles and reviews in newspapers and magazines. His deep engagement with gastronomy in general and Greek cuisine in particular, his knowledge and his many years of experience, have now been brought together in a volume, a thorough study entitled: The New Greek Cuisine, with the subtitle On the Greekness of moussaka, our gastronomic identity and its renewal. In this book, Epikouros passionately explores what exactly Greek identity means in our cuisine. He begins by exploring what ‘Greekness’ means, drawing on references and examples from literature, painting and architecture. He asks what ‘Greekness’ meant to the generation of the 1930s, how it is changing today, and what this means for gastronomy. He traces, from the Ottoman period to the present day, the folkloric, local, cultural, economic and many other factors that constantly shape what we call Greek cuisine. What is ‘mum’s cooking’ and what is restaurant food? Who are the great chefs who have shaped our tastes and palates from Nikolaos Tselementes to the present day? Is moussaka Greek? Will our great-grandchildren consider sushi to be Greek? In other words, joking aside, the dialogue we were discussing continues. What will be the next chapter in this fascinating history of our Greek cuisine? It is a great joy and honour for us that, 20 years after the Deipnosophists, this dialogue continues at Ikaros. Epicurus’s book will be published by our publishing house this autumn.