[VAR]iable expression » Greek

Fanouropita & Metaxa

Maria Varmazis — Sun, 30 Aug 2009 04:53:06 +0000

There are a lot of cool/weird/complex/funny Greek traditions out there, some of which are rooted in the ancient days and have since been amalgamated in Orthodox rituals. One nice and simple tradition says that when you need help recovering a lost item or help finding your way out of a problem, you pray to Saint Fanourios (whose name is similar to the ancient Greek verb “faino,” which means “to reveal,” as in “revealing a path”). If you find your lost item or successfully find your way out of a problem or troubled times, you bake an offering food to the Saint as a thank-you.

Food offerings go way, way back and no doubt this has roots in ancient traditions. And who doesn’t like an excuse to bake a delicious cake that has alcohol in it? :) This fanouropita (a cake for St. Fanourios) has half a cup of Metaxa (Greek brandy) and a splash of French orange cognac in it. Best of all, fanouropita is Lenten fast-friendly, meaning it’s totally vegan!

This is Sparta! (technically it’s Messini)

Maria Varmazis — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 01:39:22 +0000

Parthenon marbles

Maria Varmazis — Sun, 10 May 2009 16:02:13 +0000

Anyone who has had a decent art history course knows why these pieces are significant both in the context of Greek/classical history and to art history in general. I was very very glad I got to see these masterpieces in person, despite the fact they were not in Greece.

Grab a seat at the table

Maria Varmazis — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 17:34:19 +0000

Fresh cut flowers from my mother’s garden, including fragrant daffodils and (my favorite) hinodoxa.

Frustrating, fickle, delicious baklava

Maria Varmazis — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 04:15:11 +0000