Recipe: Greek Spanakopita Cups

Greek Spanakopita Cups

Happy & Healthy Cooking,

Fun-Da-Mentals Kitchen Skills

• layer :

  to arrange foods in layers, such as sliced fruit in a pie or tart, or sliced potatoes in a potato gratin; or to build flavors by adding seasonings or foods that may be dissimilar but complement the overall dish.

• sauté :

  to cook or brown food in a pan containing a small quantity of butter, oil, or other fat.

• squeeze :

  to firmly press or twist a food with fingers, hands, or a device to remove its liquid, like shredded potatoes, frozen and thawed spinach, or tofu.

History of Spanakopita!

• Spanakopita (spah-nah-KO-pee-tah) is a traditional Greek savory pastry. We all know the word pita, as in pita bread. Well, in Greek, pita means pie. So the English translation of "spanakopita" is "spinach pie." 
• This Greek dish may have originated over 500 years ago, during the occupation of the Ottoman Empire.  
• Spanakopita is made with phyllo dough filled with cooked spinach, feta cheese, eggs, onions or scallions, and seasonings like dill, nutmeg, or mint. After baking, the pastry is commonly cut into triangles for serving. The traditional Greek way is to serve them lukewarm. Although you can purchase previously prepared spanakopita ready to bake and serve as an appetizer, making spanakopita yourself is much more fun! 
• You will find the dish in most Greek restaurants outside of Greece and in virtually all restaurants in Greece. Chefs and food historians credit the region of Epirus in Northwestern Greece with serving the most delicious spanakopita in the world.

Let's Learn About Greece!

Ancient Greece

• Ancient Greece was a civilization in the northeastern Mediterranean region that existed from about 1100 BCE to 600 CE. Democracy began there in Athens in the 5th century BCE.
• The first Olympics were dedicated to the Olympian gods and were staged on the plains of Olympia. Ancient Olympic sports included running, chariot racing, mule-cart racing, boxing, discus throw, long jump, wrestling, and pankration, a wild cross between wrestling and boxing with no rules except biting and eye-gouging!
• A few of the well-known figures from this period were: Alexander the Great, who ruled over the whole empire from 336 to 323 BCE; Hippocrates, a physician referred to as the Father of Medicine; Herodotus, called the Father of History, who wrote his "Histories" about the Greco-Persian wars; Socrates, considered the founder of Western Philosophy; Plato, an author and philosopher who founded the first academy of higher learning in the West; Aristotle, a student of Plato's who also founded a school of philosophy; and Thales, a mathematician, astronomer, philosopher, and one of the Seven Sages of Greece.  

Modern Greece

• Greece, in Southeast Europe, is officially called the Hellenic Republic. Its government is a unitary parliamentary republic with a president, prime minister, and parliament. The capital and largest city is Athens, and the official language is Greek.
• Greece declared its independence from the Ottoman Empire in 1821 and was recognized as an independent country in 1830. 
• The size of Greece is about the same as the US state of Alabama but has twice as many people, over 10.5 million. 
• The country of Greece consists of 6,000 islands, but only 227 are inhabited. Nearly 80 percent of the country is hills and mountains. 
• About four-fifths of the people live in urban areas in Greece, and almost everyone is literate.
• Greece has three times the number of annual tourists (about 31 million) as residents. It is one of the most-visited countries.
• Greece is the third-largest producer of peaches and the fifth-largest producer of olives in the world. 
• In the past, most Greeks were farmers, and they ate the food that they grew. Since Greece had a mild climate, they could grow many different fruits and vegetables as long as they got enough rain. Vegetables were a considerable part of the Greek diet and still are. Most Greeks eat a Mediterranean diet that includes plenty of olive oil, legumes, fruits, veggies, grains, and fish. They generally consume less dairy and meat.
• Greek cuisine includes "fasolada" (soup of white beans, olive oil, and veggies), "moussaka" (eggplant or potato dish with ground or minced meat), "souvlaki" (grilled meat on a skewer), and "gyros" (pita bread filled with meat cooked on a vertical rotisserie, veggies, and tzatziki sauce). 

What's It Like to Be a Kid in Greece?

• Greek kids have three stages of education: primary school for six years, gymnasium (junior high) for three years, and lyceum (senior high) for three years (this stage is not mandatory).
• Kids may participate in sports such as soccer, basketball, baseball, swimming, and handball. 
• There are many museums and ancient sites to explore in Greece. Families love being outdoors and enjoy hiking and going to the many beaches. 
• There are several different sweets that Greek children enjoy. These include "pasteli" (sesame seed candy), "bougatsa" and "galaktoboureko" (phyllo pastries filled with semolina custard), and "baklava" (nut-filled phyllo pastry soaked in a honey syrup).