Greek wedding traditions – things I wish I’d known

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I didn’t really do much research into the legal side of things before deciding on a ‘romantic wedding in Greece’.

We loved my partners family village and wanted to go there with our closest friends and family, so we just decided to do it.

I’m glad now that it happened that way, because if I’d known about the restrictions etc I may have changed my mind.


Firstly – The easiest thing to do is to get married in a church. Which is fine, although we’re not religious it’s a beautiful ceremony – except I didn’t realise just how different the ceremony is from the ones we are used to. There’s no aisle to walk down. There are no vows. The entire ceremony is in ancient Greek…and the bride and groom don’t get to say a thing!

So, we have overcome this obstacle by creating our own aisle outside the church and saying some vows together before we actually go inside and do the ‘legal’ wedding.

Secondly – In order to be married in a Greek Orthodox church, both parties have to sign a document which is obviously written in Greek. My partners family very kindly helped with this – they found lawyers to sign it, took us to the (many!) government officials to find out exactly what we needed, helped actually write the statement, got it stamped by the right church officials, translated all our other documents into Greek and then submitted it all to the relevant officials. All this seemed fine, except when I found out that the document says that we promise to raise our children within the Greek Orthodox regligion… Which was not something I had really considered at this point…

Luckily, I can claim ignorance to this fact as I am clearly unable to read or write in Greek – I know the letters and some basic phrases, but I’m lost once we get to legal jargon…

Thirdly – you need to advertise your wedding in a local paper, just in case anyone wants to object (as there’s no speaking in the church). My very basic Greek isn’t going to help with this.

So again the family have come to help with this and will help put everything together and submit it for us.

Fourthly – the best man (Koumbaros) has to buy quite a few important items such as the candles which are lit by the couple to symbolise eternal light in the marriage, and the crowns (stefana) which the priest will place on our heads during the ceremony and are signs of the unity of the couple. He also has to buy the wine carafe and wine glass which we drink from. The cost of these things can add up to hundreds of Euro…

So I hope he already knows about this!

But it’s is all fine now that we know! The ceremony is all part of an ancient and meaningful service that has been celebrated this way for centuries. The whole service includes symbols that reflect marriage: love, mutual respect and equality… It’s going to be so beautiful and such and amazing day.

And now we’ve got this sorted we can start planning all the rest of the fun stuff!

Planning a Greek Wedding!

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What an adventure!

We are planning our very own mountain wedding and it’s finally all coming together!

We’ve got the venue, the music, the flowers and lots of fun ideas for decorating.

So now we need to think about the best part… the food!

I’ve been told that the best ‘recipe’ for a good Greek wedding includes – lots of local delicacies, a generous helping of live music, a serving of dance and maybe a splash of ouzo.

So we’ve started with the food and chosen an organic caterer who will provide seasonal and local produce.

Luckily, tomatoes are at their best in August, so we will have lots of Greek salads covered in delicious local feta.

We will also have lamb, moussaka, tzaziki, spinakopita, and a few surprises too.

And finally… there will be cake!

The married couple share the first piece of wedding cake which is a tradition that has evolved since ancient Roman times.

The Romans believed that by eating the wedding cake together, a special bond was created between the couple.

The wedding cake back then was more like a special bread made from wheat. But we are following local customs and ours is going to big, and white and filled with chocolate along with other layers of panacotta, mousse and crunchy caramel. What a perfect way to end an amazing meal!

What is it like to be blind?

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Dans Le Noir
What is it like to be blind?

This is a question that people have been asking for hundreds of years. Kids play games in the dark, wondering how blind people must feel. Books like Blindness by Jose Saramago, which depicts an entire city going blind within a mater of weeks, become international best sellers. And now there’s a restaurant that gives you a full culinary experience – in pitch black.

It’s an amazing and an eerie experience.

All the waiters are blind. Guests are led in holding hands or shoulders so they don’t get lost. The tables are very close and we could definitely hear our neighbours conversations. And the food is a total surprise!

The flavours seemed stronger. The textures more defined. Things I usually like, I found myself steering away from, and it’s incredible at the end of the meal to see photos and find out exactly what you ate. We went for the full ‘white surprise’ meal, which means it could be absolutely anything. Which it really was! I think I ended up eating most of it with my fingers because a knife and fork just became too difficult, and it was an incredible insight into what it might actually be like to be blind.

Based in London’s Clerkenwell, it’s also a central location with lots of normal bars around for a drink afterwards to review the whole experience.

I admire the waiters and would recommend the restaurant to anyone interested in an unique experience!

Beijing Airport

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Sitting in an aiport waiting for a connecting flight is rarely fun. But when I discovered these delicious steam buns in Beijing Airport, it made the stop over suddenly become a foodies delight!

It was -4 degrees outside. The wait went on and on… and then the steam buns arrived… it was like heaven!

I also discovered some ‘sand wishes’ but they were nowhere near as good.

Although my wish did come true and I finally made it out of there and back to the comforts of London.

Frittata

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My mum found this frittata recipe in a newspaper on the train, and ever since it’s become one of our family favourites!

Simply get some tinned corn kernels, wholemeal flour, one egg and some milk. Mix together and then place a small dollop into a fry pan. Lightly fry and then serve with tomatoes.

Delicious!

A good old fashioned pub

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London is full of so many new, creative and innovative restaurants and bars, that sometimes you forget the value of a good old fashioned pub. But last weekend I discovered The Lord Stanley, a little secret in the back streets of Camden and it made me realise just how nice it is to go to a place that’s been around for years!

In an area known for it’s alternative types – people with loads of piercings, dark clothing and possibly multi-coloured hair – the Lord Stanley feels more like a step back in time. It’s how you imagine London once was, and it’s great to know that such a place can still survive in such a central part of London.

The tables and chairs are dark, heavy wood. The ceilings are high. And the food is delicious. The cheese platter with quince paste was also a highlight of our night…

The bar sits in the middle of the room, as you would expect from a 19th century British pub, but a couple of adjustments have been made for the modern crowd, so to utilise the space available there is a little make-shift kitchen perched on the back of the bar! Diners can watch as their food is prepared, or sit back at one of the many tables and enjoy a nice ale (or in my case, a glass of red).

We were there on a Saturday night and it never got too full. There were a couple of people sat at the bar, and the rest of the groups were on their own tables. Again this is a rare pleasure for this part of town, where usually by 10pm on a Saturday night you have to fight the crowds just to get to the front of the bar.

They’ve also got a ‘secret garden’ out the back… but as it’s the middle of winter I didn’t check that one out. So I guess it’s a good excuse to come back in the summer!

New Years Eve in Berlin

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Berlin is a fascinating city. It’s full of history, culture and of course it was once divided into East and West by a long wall that shadowed the city.

It also hosts a crazy nightlife and loads of pop up restaurants and street food. There is so much going on over New Years and we had a crazy few days running around the city, eating drinking, letting off fireworks and dancing to some hard core techno (not really my thing, but…when in Berlin…). Luckily we were shown the ropes by some locals who were in the know, so here are a few places definitely worth checking out…

Best Street Food:
- Mustafas – basically a kebab shop, but if you’re not into the rotating kebab meat they also do an awesome vegie version. My favourite was the ‘Gemüse Kebap Vegetarisch’. There’s something about the sauce, the chili and the spices that is just amazing! Check out their website too for a real interactive experience, they’ve even added the sounds of the traffic in the background. Awesome.

- Curry 36 – famous for their currywurst and chips. This is ‘traditional’ German fast food which is made of pork sausage cut into slices and seasoned with curry ketchup. It then sits on top of a bed of fries… Oh so healthy, but very delicious!

Best Restaurant:

- Lavanderia Vecchia – wandering down the back streets near train station U7 Rathaus Neukölln, we turned up a little alley way and found ourselves in an old Italian laundry. The set menu included about 8 entrees, a primeri, a secondi and of course desert. Wine was also included, all for 39 euro. Coming from London this seemed very reasonable. Each dish just melted in your mouth. The fact that we knew the chef didn’t mean any special treatment, but he did invite us back to his awesome Kreuzberg apartment for some cocktails after the meal, which made this the most memorable of nights.

Best night club:

- Horst Kreuzberg – after watching the fireworks at Brandenburg Tor, we made our way back to another small door down a dark street (I was starting to see a trend) and entered the depths of Horst. I have to admit I’d never heard of the DJs, but the music was fun and with 3 euro drinks you couldn’t go wrong on new years eve.

Bring on more of this in 2012!

Home made mulled wine

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Mulled wine, gluhwein, Glögg, vin chaud…Every European country has it’s own version, and we’re loving trying as many of them as we can!

So when we decided to have people over on Christmas day, I realised it was the perfect opportunity to try out one of the recipes. It turned out perfectly – absolutely delicious. So here it is:

Ingredients:
2 x 75 cl bottles medium to full-bodied red wine (I used a Cabernet Sauvignon)
1 orange stuck with cloves
2 oranges, sliced
2 lemons, sliced
6 level tablespoons granulated sugar or honey (or more, to taste)
2 cinnamon sticks
2 level teaspoons finely grated fresh root ginger or ground ginger
2 level teaspoons ground nutmeg
2 tablespoons fruit liqueur such as Cointreau

Method:

Put all the ingredients in a saucepan with 1.5 litres of water then heat to simmering point, stirring until all the sugar has dissolved. Keep it barely at simmering point for at least 20 minutes – but do not boil or all the alcohol will evaporate.

This can be made in advance, then re-heated just before the party. Serve it warm in half-pint mugs or thick wine glasses.

Gingerbread Cookies for Christmas

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After our recent trip to Vienna, and as we start planning another one to Berlin, I thought it was time to embrace the world of Hansel and Gretal and the gingerbread house.

I have tried making gingerbread before and it didn’t work out too well, so I needed some courage for my second attempt.

I’ve realised that the secret to thick and soft gingerbread men is in the dough. It needs to be at least 3cm thick before you cut and bake it, otherwise the cookies turn out hard and crunch (which isn’t what I wanted).

I also realised that I don’t have an ‘men’ cutouts, but I do have Christmas decorations, so I used those instead.

So, here’s the recipe:

Gingerbread Cookies
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp salt
1 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp (freshly) ground nutmeg
pinch ground black pepper (optional)
110gm butter, room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup molasses or black treacle
1/4 cup coffee or water
1 tsp vanilla extract

In a medium bowl, sift together flour, salt, baking soda, nutmeg, ginger, cloves, cinnamon and black pepper.

In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until smooth. Beat in molasses, water and vanilla, then gradually add in flour mixture until a smooth dough forms. Divide dough into two or three pieces (dough will be quite soft), cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, until firm.

Preheat oven to 190C (Gas Mark 6).

On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough to just under 1cm thickness. Use cookie cutters to cut dough. Place cookies on a tray covered in baking paper. Bake for 9-12 minutes, depending on size of cookie cutter. Cookies should be slightly firm to the touch at the edges. Let cookies cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

When cool, decorate with lemon icing (recipe below).

Makes about 40-50 cookies, depending on size of cookie cutters used and whether you make them thick or thin.

Lemon Icing
2 cups icing sugar
2-3 tbsp tsp lemon juice

In a small bowl combine powdered sugar and lemon juice. Substitute milk or cream plus 1 tsp lemon extract, if no fresh lemon juice is available. Add enough lemon juice to make the icing thick and pourable, but not runny (start with 1-2 tbsp and add more if necessary. You can always add a bit of extra sugar to thicken it if you add too much) and stir until very smooth. Scrape into piping bag with a fine tip or a ziploc bag with a corner cut off and pipe onto cooled cookies.

Allow to set for at least 30 minutes, until firm, before storing cookies in an airtight container.

Glühwein at the Vienna Christmas markets

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The Vienna Christmas Markets are like a winter wonderland for adults. Filled with delicious food, magical Christmas decorations, beautiful fairylights and of course the addictive Glühwein.

Gluhwein is an amazing creation. Warm, sweet, fruity wine that is a perfect accompaniment while walking through any of the eight different markets in Vienna.

You buy it from little stalls within the market, and people, both young and old, walk around the magical maze as the Glühwein warms their cold hands and feet.

We were there in the first weekend of December and it was around -1 degrees, the perfect weather for a Christmas Market.

The Austrian food is especially hearty and seems to have evolved to accommodate their weather, so we started our journey with a delicious and cheesy pretzel – these are made from either soft or hard dough and tied into a knot.

They are said to have been invented by the Christian monks in AD 610 as ‘little rewards’ for children. They come in a range of tempting flavours – from salted, cheese, sesame, poppy seed, chocolate and even gingerbread.

Along with this there’s the full range of Viennese delicacies.

This isn’t the place for vegetarians as the markets include bratwurst (sausages, including those stuffed with cheese or chilli) and special cuts of meat, including ‘Tafelspitz’ (beef), and ‘Fledermaus. (pork), named for its shape which resembles a bat. Of course there’s also the famous Wiener Schnitzel.

There’s so much to do in Vienna, including concerts of musicians who lived and worked in the city, such as Mozart, Strauss, Beethoven, Schubert, Brahms and Haydn.

Among all this beauty there are also all the Christmas ornaments.

Beautiful, delicate and often hand decorated, these light up the markets and added some extra weight to our already full suitcase!

This is one of the most beautiful Christmas cities in the world, and we were so happy to have spent a long weekend there.

Happy Christmas to you all!

Love. x