Food

Carolina Doriti's Greek Odyssey

Exploring the eternal flavours of Greece’s island cultures with Carolina Doriti. 

It’s not hard to love Greek cuisine. Just the thought immediately conjures the enjoyment of fresh, wholesome flavours against the blue and white contrasts of the Aegean and Mediterranean Seas and the iconic white buildings that stud the landscapes of the Greek Isles. 

At once timeless and endlessly diverse, Greece can lay claim to one of the oldest continuous food cultures in the world, with written records of recipes – including some by Archestratus, often cited as ‘the father of gastronomy’ – dating back to hundreds of years before the common era.

One of its leading contemporary exponents is Carolina Doriti, the Athens-born cook who, since her first book Salt of the Earth: Secrets and Stories From a Greek Kitchen, has sought to preserve and express the “lost recipes, old cooking methods, and century-long traditions” of one of the world’s cradles of civilisation. 

“For me, Greek cuisine’s timelessness lies in its simplicity and the way it celebrates fresh, seasonal produce,” Doriti explains via email. “Like all great food cultures, it’s shaped as much by landscape and history as by recipes. The appeal is a combination of both the ingredients and the culture of sharing, seasonality and hospitality that surrounds them – and the fact that Greeks express love, care and generosity through food.” 

For Carolina Doriti, a leading contemporary talent in Greek cuisine, her latest cookbook is a love letter to her heritage and to the diverse people and cultures of the Greek Islands.

Doriti’s mother was a recipe and food writer – the family enjoys a deep culinary tradition – and Doriti herself began developing her own recipes at twelve years of age. “The house was always filled with the most wonderful smells from the kitchen,” says Doriti. “Almost every week, I went with my mother to the farmers’ market in Athens. My grandfather taught me about good cuts of meat, about fresh fish and seafood, and he and my grandmother would bring me the best pastries and cold cuts from all the best spots.” 

Even now, she says, she feels close to her grandparents despite their passing several years ago, specific aromas like hot avgolemono sauce acting as keys, unlocking the windows of memory. Unsurprisingly, moving to the UK to pursue higher education came as both a culture and a palate shock for Doriti. “Everything was completely new... I missed many everyday foods from Greece – ripe tomatoes, fresh salads, seasonal fruit,” she recalls. “I was especially surprised by the price of figs in supermarkets: I’d grown up picking them straight from trees!"

On completion of her studies, Doriti worked for a time in the arts and culture industries, but it wasn’t long before the siren song of her home culture – and its food – began calling. She pivoted to food professionally in the early 2000s, and was soon creating menus and consulting widely, serving as Culinary Producer on the successful My Greek Table series for America’s PBS in 2016. 

CAROLINA DORITI'S THE GREEK ISLANDS COOKBOOK

Her latest book, The Greek Islands Cookbook: Simple Sun-kissed Recipes further cements her status as an authoritative voice on Greek cooking and its deep historic context, this time casting the net wide to capture its cuisine in all its maritime splendour. Given that there is somewhere in the order of 6,000 islands and isles, of which 227 are inhabited, each with its own unique history and food traditions, it’s an extraordinary snapshot of teeming diversity. 

“What excites me about the Greek islands is how each one feels like a micro-culture,” says Doriti. “Greece’s archipelago is divided into groups and that geography shapes not only landscape and architecture but also food. Every island has its own cheeses, wines, festivals, and star ingredients.” For Doriti, the book is a celebration of “the warmth of the Greek islanders, their deep connection to the land and sea, and their remarkable and highly sustainable culinary creativity.”

From the Ionian islands of Corfu through to Kythira, the Cyclades and Santorini, the Aegean, Saronic and Sporades islands and, of course, Crete, the book is a loving ode to the vibrancy of their people and produce – and, in some ways, a tribute to her grandfather and his birthplace, the Cycladic island of Paros, where Doriti has spent every summer of her life. 

"I missed many everyday foods from Greece – ripe tomatoes, fresh salads, seasonal fruit... I was especially surprised by the price of figs in supermarkets: I'd grown up picking them straight from trees!"

 

Naturally, Greek food has a celebratory dimension that can’t be overstated, with certain milestones marked by timeless dishes. “Certain foods are expected on special occasions,” Doriti shares. “Greek Easter is a perfect example and a huge celebration which unfolds over the whole day and the amount of food and alcohol consumed never ceases to impress!” 

As for her own approach to preparing food for special occasions, Doriti plays it by ear. “To be honest, I often change what I cook for celebrations, unless someone requests a dish I can’t refuse,” she says. 

“One special exception is baking a vasilopita, the traditional New Year’s cake, using my great.grandmother’s recipe. It’s spiced with mastiha and mahlepi – two flavours I particularly love, especially together, and their lovely aroma combined always brings back warm childhood memories.” 

Food and memory, ever intertwined. Life and laughter, and love: the secrets of every great culinary culture really aren’t that secret after all. 

Images and text from The Greek Islands Cookbook by Carolina Doriti, photography by Manos Chatzikonstantis. Murdoch Books RRP $39.99