Eggs in the Greek Kitchen

At the Central Market in Athens and at every one of the city's farmer's markets, you will find vendors who sell nothing but eggs, thereby testifying to the important place of this ingredient both within the Greek kitchen specifically, as well as within Greek culture in general.

Athens' Central Market, an area that exudes tradition and culture, is paradoxically located in the commercial center of the city, and there is something heartening, perhaps a bit anachronistic and guild-like, about its rows of shops. You can buy just one egg for about 15 cents, or dozens for even cheaper. The eggs are stacked like towers in cardboard trays.

Without a doubt, the best-known use for eggs in the kitchen of a Greek household is in the avgolemono, or egg-and-lemon sauce, that both graces vegetables and acts as a thickener for the many different soups and stews. Eggs appear in multitude in many of the holiday breads of Greece, as well, and of course hard-boiled, red-dyed eggs are the first food with which the Greek people break the Easter Fast.

But eggs appear frequently on the everyday table, too. They often make for a casual, quick meal, combined with vegetables or cheese in baked and pan-fried omelets, frittatas, and other dishes. The egg recipes in the "Recipes" section, include some of the most familiar on the Greek tables as well as a few more obscure dishes, such as the pie-like baked omelet with cornmeal and chestnuts.