Poland, Ukraine and Greece

• Greek cuisine goes back to ancient times.
• Greek foods influenced Rome and Europe.
• Greeks wrote the first cookbook in history.
• Greece is a peninsula, meaning it's surrounded by water on 3 sides.
• Fish and seafood are staples in the region, due to Greece being a peninsula.
• Greece is near the equator and has a Mediterranean climate.
• Mild, wet winters occur in the southern lowland and island regions.
• Hot, dry summers occur in the southern lowland and island regions.
• Greek cuisine is based on the Mediterranean diet, which is considered one of the healthiest diets in the world.
• Olive oil is the oldest and most central ingredient in the Greek diet.
• Olive oil comes from olive trees abundant in the region.
• The basic grain in Greece is wheat.
• Vegetables like tomatoes, eggplant, and okra are native foods.

Greek Dishes

• Moussaka is a spiced meat dish made with beef or lamb, cooked in tomato sauce, and layered with eggplant.
• Souvlaki (Gyros) is an iconic Greek food that dates back to the 17th century BCE.
• Souvlaki is split-roasted meat usually served in pitas.
• Gyros are made with stacked meat cooked on a vertical rotisserie.
• Tzatziki is a classic Greek dip made of yogurt, olive oil, dill, cucumber, garlic, lemon, or lime juice.
• Tzatziki is often eaten with bread, fried eggplant, or used to dip souvlaki.
• Spanakopita is a Greek spinach pie eaten any time of day, including breakfast and dinner.
• Spanakopita has a cheese and spinach mixture wrapped in phyllo pastry.
• Briam is an all-vegetable dish made with eggplant, zucchini, and potatoes cooked with tomato sauce and olive oil.
• Briam is usually served with whole wheat pita bread.
• Saganaki is fried cheese cut into thin pieces, dipped in flour, and fried at a high temperature.
• Cheeses often used in Saganaki are kegalograviera, graviera, or kasseri.
• Bakaliaro me Skordalia is deep-fried cod usually served with a garlic sauce.
• The cod is soaked in water, dipped in batter, and fried in olive oil for Bakaliaro me Skordalia.
• Dolmades are grapevine leaves stuffed with rice and fresh herbs.
• Dolmades can be served at room temperature or warm.
• Amygdalota are almond cookies shaped in balls, like pears, or other shapes.
• Amygdalota are made with almond flour, egg whites, and sugar.
• Baklava, a layered pastry made with chopped nuts, phyllo pastry, and honey, originates in Turkey but is very popular in Greece.
• Ukraine is one of the most populated countries in Europe.
• Ukraine is known as the "breadbasket" of Europe because of its vast wheat production.
• Ukraine has fertile soil for crops like potatoes, sugar beets, and wheat.
• Ukrainian cuisine blends native dishes with influences from other countries.
• Throughout history, Ukraine was a crossroads connecting Europe, Arabia, and Asia.
• Countries like Poland, Austria, and Russia have taken over Ukraine, influencing the cuisine.
• Ukrainians have maintained their traditions and culture.

Ukrainian Dishes

• Borscht, the national dish, is a beet soup made with beef (or vegetarian), cabbage, potatoes, carrots, onions, garlic, and tomatoes.
• Varenyky are Ukrainian stuffed dumplings made from unleavened dough with sweet or savory fillings, often pan-fried.
• Paska, also known as Easter Bread, is a traditional bread made during Easter in Eastern Europe with eggs, milk, butter, flour, and sugar.
• Holubtsi are stuffed cabbage rolls, typically filled with meat, rice, and vegetables; grape leaves are sometimes used instead of cabbage leaves.
• Salo is a popular Ukrainian snack made from cured slabs of pork, similar to bacon but with less lean meat, often eaten raw or cooked and flavored with garlic.
• Kutia is a sweet, grain pudding traditionally served during Christmas, containing wheat berries, poppy seeds, honey, and sometimes raisins or dried fruit.
• Chicken Kyiv is flattened chicken breast rolled around cold, herbed butter, coated with egg and bread crumbs, and then baked or fried.