Thracian Pasta Archives - The Fine Food Magazine

Thracian Pasta – Greek Dough Miracles

Delisophy Team — Mon, 18 Oct 2021 13:58:50 +0000

Italians are recognised worldwide as the experts on pasta. Common belief has it that Marco Polo was the first European to encounter pasta during his travels to China and that, in turn, he brought them back with him to Venice where it became undeniably Italian. Well, that is not exactly how history tells it. Have you ever heard about Greek dough miracles?

Pasta has always been part and parcel of the Greek larder. It seems more likely that pasta may not have come from any one place but from several, including ancient Greece. Greeks for many millenia prepared a kind of primitive pasta in the form of a grilled batter they called laganum. The word may be the etymological root of what the Italians now call lasagna. Even the word for macaroni might have Greek origins, from the makaria, as in funerary dish. Wheat-based foods, usually sweetened, are highly symbolic of rebirth and regeneration and thus have always been associated with the foods served in honor of the dead.

To each his own (pasta)

Anyhow, Greeks are a nation of bread eaters and subsequently there is a vast diversity of regional pasta throughout the country. There are at least dozens, if not more, different traditional Greek pastas and certainly hundreds of ways to cook them.

Before the advent of refrigeration, pasta was a necessity in every household kitchen. For one, it was a way to preserve eggs, although not all Greek pasta contains eggs; it was also a way to ensure that there was always something, however simple, ready to cook and an easy solution to feeding a large, hungry family.

Chylopites, kofto macaronaki, kritharaki, trachanas… Greek words that may sound weird, but refer to types of Greek pasta used in everyday recipes around the country. Greek dough miracles. In the past, women used to make their own homemade pasta, usually during the summer months (after harvesting), when plenty of raw materials was available. They made the dough, worked it, cut or rubbed it by hand into small pieces and then laid it out in the sun to dry. Then, the pasta was put away in fabric pouches in their cellars to keep throughout the year.

Passing the torch

Nowadays, grandmothers’ tradition has passed on to small family businesses and women’s cooperatives that craft the fine high quality pasta as it used to be, using only the best and purest of ingredients. One of those bearers of tradition is “Thracian Pasta”, the brandname of a family company from Thrace, the northeastern-most part of Greece, established in 2004 in the Aigeiros area of Komotini. The company produces mainly chilopites, couscous and trachanas, which they export in Germany and Italy (oh, the irony!), while also having grasped a sizeable part of the domestic market.

The post Thracian Pasta – Greek Dough Miracles appeared first on The Fine Food Magazine .

Thracian Pasta – The Healthy, But Tasty “King Of Greek Pasta”

Delisophy Team — Thu, 16 Sep 2021 13:06:22 +0000

Pastas are divided into two broad categories: dried and fresh. Most dried pasta is produced commercially via an extrusion process, although it can be produced at home. Both dried and fresh pastas come in a number of shapes and varieties, with 310 specific forms known by over 1300 documented names. In Greece, the names of specific pasta shapes or types often vary by locale. Common forms of pasta include long and short shapes, tubes, flat shapes or sheets, miniature shapes for soup, those meant to be filled or stuffed, and specialty or decorative shapes.

Chilopites, the Greek vesion of either tagliatelle or noodles, depending on its many different shapes and forms, even none of them when cut in small pieces, is considered by many to be the “king of Greek pasta”, due to it being highly popular across the country, making it an essential part of dozens of traditional recipes. Nevertheless, in the age of healthy nutrition, tradition is the bedstone for producing innovative products for modern consumer needs, since wholesome nutrition is an integral part of what we call traditional, especially Mediterranean, diet. Such is the case with “Chilopita Normal with Spinach”, a 100% Greek product from the family company “Thracian Pasta”, an ethnic speciality from the northeastern-most part of the country. As for nutritional and health benefits, you don’t have to enquire any further: It’s all in the name…

The post Thracian Pasta – The Healthy, But Tasty “King Of Greek Pasta” appeared first on The Fine Food Magazine .

Thracian Pasta – Greek Spicy Culture

Delisophy Team — Wed, 08 Apr 2020 15:47:08 +0000

Greek imagination and creativity have been an inspiration for pasta’s names, as well as for their different shapes despite being crafted with the same raw material. In mainland Greece, a staple of traditional cuisine is the renowned “trachanas”, which roughly translates as “coarse dough”, due to its irregular shape and size; sweet or sour, thick or thin, with semolina, flour, or bulgur wheat, with butter, milk or tomato, it is a must-have dish during the cold winter days and nights. It is served neat, as a thin or thick soup, sprinkled with chunks of feta cheese, cooked along side with vegetables and legumes, accompanied by meat, or as a filling in pies and in dolmadakia dish.

Trachanas is truly appreciated as it is very nutritious and is even served as breakfast in the countryside. The one made with vegetable pulp, flour or semolina is usually prefered during the lent period. There is no doubt that Greece holds a leading position as the country with the biggest variety of trachanas worldwide. In Thrace it is traditionally made with sesame and red pepper flakes. One such product is “Trachanas with Vegetables Chili” made by the family company “Thracian Pasta”, using fresh, local ingredients with natural sweeteners, no added aromas, dye, additives or preservatives and with reduced salt, making it the perfect healthy dish for a family table, but also for a vegan and/or vegetarian diet.

The post Thracian Pasta – Greek Spicy Culture appeared first on The Fine Food Magazine .