Greek cookbook recommendations?

[PingusMistress]

I'm missing my Greek holidays, especially the food, and thought I would have a go at cooking up some of our favourite recipes at home until we can get back there.

Any recommendations for good Greek cookbooks? I'm just looking for authentic versions of traditional dishes, nothing trendy

My Greek Table by Diane Kochillas and Taverna by Georgina Hayden

This will out me to anyone reading this who knows me in real life but you need to apply a simple test to any greek cooking book - in the recipe for Tsatiki, does it include vinegar? If the answer is yes, it's a "good" recipe book, if not, don't bother. The one slightly odd exception to that rule I've found is this book from which I had made a number of basic recipes that DH assures me taste very similar to how his Yaya used to make them.

I can also recommend My Greek Table.
Not a book, but I've cooked quite a few recipes from this website: www.mygreekdish.com

@SpaceOp

This will out me to anyone reading this who knows me in real life but you need to apply a simple test to any greek cooking book - in the recipe for Tsatiki, does it include vinegar? If the answer is yes, it's a "good" recipe book, if not, don't bother. The one slightly odd exception to that rule I've found is ]] book from which I had made a number of basic recipes that DH assures me taste very similar to how his Yaya used to make them.

Vinegar in tsatsiki? 😱 I've never heard of this, I use lemon juice!

Not a cookbook but I love Akis Petretzikis; he has two channels on YouTube - one each in Greek and English. He's ahem, rather easy on the eye too

Thank you for your recommendations - it was actually seeing Georgina Hayden on Saturday Kitchen the other week that got me thinking about this! So Taverna and My Greek Kitchen are in my virtual shopping basket.

And I will now have to make tsatziki both with and without vinegar to test which tastes better, and check out the lovely Akis, all in the name of culinary research of course. It's a hard life

Just popping in to say that my Greek family never make tzatziki with vinegar... Lemon juice, yes, and enough garlic to take out an entire colony of vampire bats, but no vinegar

Nothing actually useful to add, sorry.

@Elderberry84

Just popping in to say that my Greek family never make tzatziki with vinegar... Lemon juice, yes, and enough garlic to take out an entire colony of vampire bats, but no vinegar

Nothing actually useful to add, sorry.

Same. Greek through and through..never used vinegar. Always lemon and garlic.

@Elderberry84

Just popping in to say that my Greek family never make tzatziki with vinegar... Lemon juice, yes, and enough garlic to take out an entire colony of vampire bats, but no vinegar

Nothing actually useful to add, sorry.

I would actually be fine with lemon juice rather than vinegar. The point is that it needs acid and a lot of recipes don't include that. And I've been given extensive lectures on this by DH's family*!

*was once at a restaurant, in Athens, with DH's aunt who sent the Tzatiki back because the cucumber was chopped not grated!

I am missing Greek food too. I recommend the mygreekfood website and also this website: the greek food
Out of curiosity I looked it up and Antonis uses vinegar in his tzatziki (which he then mixes with pasta).

Irini Tzortzoglou who won Masterchef a couple years back also has a book out but I have never read it. It's called Under the Olive Tree - I found her cooking truly inspiring. She's got a web site too. irini cooks

I am actually sitting, looking at
Greece - The Cookbook by Vefa Alexiadou
It is a tome, but very useful in the Good Housekeeping Cookery Book kind of way.

I LOVE masterchef winner irinis under the olive tree. I am part of a cookbook club and we covered it last year- it is still largely hailed as one of the best books we have covered (if you are on Facebook , it's the great British chefs cookbook club- you can have a look at what every one made / what kind of recipes there are beforehand? )
There are some truly delightful recipes, and none are fail.

Blatantly place-marking! Great thread!

Out of interest PingusMistress where do you recommend going in Greece to experience really good local cuisine?

Not a book but I use the website
'My Greek Dish' and that has a lot of authentic Greek home cooked meals