The Economist explains that moussaka is the dish that shows how national cuisines evolve thanks to the various influences they may receive from multiple factors. At the same time, he deifies this Greek dish with the following description: “Sloppy cut squares of richly flavored minced meat, potatoes, eggplants and delicious béchamel.”
The Economist article, in fact, begins by pointing out a contradiction that although moussaka is today considered the national food of Greece, “its entry into the pantheon of Greek gastronomy came regarding a century following Greek independence”.
How Greece has embraced this particular dish is a “lesson in how traditions are forged and how a nation’s cuisine evolves,” the article points out.
“In 1821 Greek revolutionaries rose up once morest the Ottomans, sparking years of bloodshed that culminated in the creation of a free state in 1829.
On March 25 every year, Greeks celebrate Independence Day with parades and lavish feasts where skordalia cod, chunks of cod with garlic puree, is served,” the British magazine explains to its readers worldwide, pointing out the contradiction: “And yet it’s moussaka – sloppy cut squares of richly flavored ground beef, potatoes, eggplants and delectable béchamel — considered by many to be the national dish of Greece. Its entry into the pantheon of Greek gastronomy came regarding a century following Greek independence. How this particular dish was embraced in Greece is a lesson in how traditions are forged and how a nation’s cuisine evolves.”
But what the Economist points out is the fact that it took a century or so for moussakas to enter the pantheon of Greek gastronomy – something that was achieved thanks to the talent, intelligence and influence of Nikolaos Tselemendes, who is considered his “godfather”. In the 1920s he published the first complete Greek cookbook, the “Cooking Guide”, which included six recipes for moussaka and none of the spices used by Greek cooks at the time, such as bay leaf and cinnamon, as, as he wrote, these were “contamination” following 450 years of Ottoman rule.
Tselemendes’ “Cooking Guide” became an integral part of wealthy urban kitchens, and the word “Tselemendes” is still synonymous with the highest quality cookbooks, notes the Economist, which stands in particular on how Tselemendes revolutionized Greek cuisine, denying the established, until then, Turkish influences. “Nicolaos Tselemendes, like many of his contemporary cooks, was ‘soaked’ with French gastronomy. This may have been what inspired him to ‘dress’ his moussaka with velvety béchamel. His Franco-Greek creations often contained, following all, eggplant, fried courgette and, in winter, artichoke.”
Analyzing modern influences in cuisines, chefs today seek to resurrect lost culinary traditions, the article points out, highlighting how moussaka proves that authenticity is an elusive concept in food. Tselemende’s moussaka is still served today in taverns around the world. But at the same time, there is no unique way of preparation: A restaurant in Corfu adds grilled crayfish between the layers of moussaka, while in Britain it is served with roast goose, in a dish that the English call “goosaka” (from the English goose meaning goose and the moussaka). “However it is prepared, moussaka will always be a representative dish of Greek gastronomy,” concludes the Economist article.
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