“It’s just like the horio,” say Greek Australian friends when visiting my backyard. It could have to do with the cement floor in lieu of greenery, the outhouse that is used ‘in case of emergency’, but what they are really referring to is the shade provided by the overhang of the grapevine. Memories of childhood visits to family friends or even if you had one in your backyard, there wasn’t one trip to Greece where you didn’t come across a house with a grapevine providing a much needed retreat from the gorgeous Mediterranean sun. But what is it about the grapevine that represents to us so much about our culture, and what part do grapes play in our Greek diet?
The infatuation with grapes in Greek cuisine is embedded in history and myth. In Greek mythology, Dionysus was the god of the grape harvest, winemaking and wine, but with the wine made from the grapes comes ritual madness and ecstasy. No wonder he’s one of the more popular gods. He is often depicted adorned with grapes and grapevines and leaves, and indulging in either wine or just the fruit itself.
Seeing a bowl of grapes on a kitchen table is commonplace during the summer time. And whether they are green or red, seedless or with seed, the consumption of grapes as a fruit in its natural form is both a form of nutrition as well as a comfort food that takes us back to the motherland. Grapes can be eaten raw, but are also an incredibly versatile fruit that can be reconstituted as jam, jelly, juice; dried as sultanas, currants and raisins; or created into dressing such as grape seed oil and a plethora of vinegars. And then obviously there’s wine – grapes are of course the essential ingredient in wine production. But table grapes and grapes for wine production are all different. The number of grape varietals range in the hundreds, with many specific to different regions and climates and many produced for specific sources. Grapes are groups of fruit that are grown in clusters that are found on a woody vine. The grape leaves themselves are also used in Greek cooking. Dolmades are a common meze in Greece and are rice mixed with either meat or nuts and sultanas as a vegetarian option, then wrapped with the vine leaf and left to cook in its own brine.
Known as the ‘queen of fruits’, grapes have a number of nutritional values that differ depending on which variety you are eating. Grapes have long been classified as having a low glycemic index (GI). Recent studies have shown that the low GI value of grapes is also a good indicator of this fruit’s blood sugar benefits. Better blood sugar balance means better insulin regulation. Several grape phytonutrients are now believed to play a role in longevity. One of these, resveratrol has been shown in studies to increase three genes related to longevity in life. Grapes also contain high levels of vitamin C. Vitamin C is a powerful antioxidant that assists your body in ridding itself of free radicals within the body. Grapes help you by providing your body with vitamin B1. Vitamin B1 is a vitamin that will give your body energy.
Apart from eating the fruit raw, grapes are used in a number of cooking options in the Greek cuisine from savoury to sweet. Grapes are included in a simple summer salad and provide a tart sweetness to the dish. They can be baked in the oven with feta, sprinkled with dried Greek oregano and served with warm crusty bread. These are both great summer lunchtime options. Grapes are also used in stews or in roasts and go well with chicken, to provide a sticky sweetness to the roasted meat. Dried grapes such as sultanas, currants and raisins can be added to yemista, dolmades or cabbage rolls, as the dried grape goes hand-in-hand with rice.
As for sweets, grapes are prominent in Greek cuisine. The most popular being the spoon sweet as the sugars of the grape left to brine in the jar create a sticky, gorgeous, delicate dessert. A number of cakes are created using grapes, especially when left at the bottom of the cake tin to emulsify in a gooey sticky sweet mess. Just freshly picked grapes, with a gorgeous Greek yoghurt and organic honey can make the simplest of desserts or the healthiest of breakfasts, especially with a generous sprinkling of cinnamon.
