Taverna
A taverna (
Etymology and history
Taverna (in Greek ταβέρνα), is a word taken from the Latin taberna (in plural tabernae), meaning “shop” (see Roman taberna). The Latin word derived from tabula, meaning “table”.
The earliest evidence of a Greek restaurant was discovered at the
Establishments serving wine were also present in the Byzantine Empire, as evidenced by a 10th-century CE ordinance setting a curfew to prevent alcohol-induced "violence and rioting".[2]
Cuisine
A typical menu for a modern taverna often includes:
- Bread, usually loaf bread, sometimes flat bread
- Meat such as lamb, pork and beef
- Salads such as Greek salad
- Appetizers or entrées like dolmadesor dolmadakia - (rice mixture with fresh herbs such as mint and parsley and sometimes pine nuts-and in some regions minced meat is added-tightly wrapped with tender grape leaves and served with a thick and creamy, lemony sauce)
- Soups such as avgolemono (egg-lemon soup) and fasolada (beansoup)
- Pasta such as spaghetti napolitano, pastitsio (baked layers of thick pasta and minced meat mixture topped with a thick béchamel sauce)
- Fish and seafood dishes such as baked fresh fish, fried fried squid and baby octopus
- Baked dishes (magirefta) including a wide variety of seasonal vegetable dishes such as moussaka (eggplant or zucchini, minced meat, and béchamel sauce)
- Grilled dishes such as souvlaki
- Wine including retsina, mavrodafni and other Greek red/white wine varieties
- Beer
- Spirits such as ouzo, tsipouro and Metaxa brandy
- Fruit
- Desserts such as baklava, galaktoboureko, etc.
Operations
Tavernes usually open at noon, with dinner hours starting at 20:00 and reaching a peak around 22:00.[3] As tourism has grown in Greece, many tavernes have attempted to cater to foreign visitors with English menus and touts or "shills" being employed in many tavernes to attract passing tourists. Similarly, tavernes in tourist areas pay commissions to tour guides who send business their way.[4]
In literature and art
The lead character in the play and film Shirley Valentine written by Willy Russell leaves her husband and family in Liverpool for a vacation where she has an affair with a waiter at the taverna and ends up working in the taverna.[5]
Gallery
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A taverna in the Anemomilos district of Corfu town. -
Choriatiki, a Greek salad typically served at a taverna.
See also
References
Citations
- ^ a b c d Shear 1975, pp. 356–357.
- ^ Book of the Eparch 19, as quoted in Dalby 1996, "Biscuits from Byzantium", p. 196.
- ^ Hiestand 2003, p. 65.
- ^ Cox 2001, p. 97.
- ^ Riggs 1999, "Willy Russell".
Sources
- Cox, Anthony (2001). Still Life in Crete: A Singular View. Parkland, FL: Universal Publishers. ISBN 1-58112-691-3.
- Dalby, Andrew (1996). Siren Feasts: A History of Food and Gastronomy in Greece. London and New York: Routledge. ISBN 978-1-13-496985-2.
- Hiestand, Emily (2003). "Lessons from the Taverna". In Haberger, Larry; O'Reilly, Sean; Alexander, Brian S. (eds.). Travelers' Tales Greece: True Stories. Travelers Tales. pp. 65–74. ISBN 1-885211-99-6.
- Riggs, Thomas (1999). Contemporary Dramatists (6th ed.). Detroit, MI: St. James Press. ISBN 978-1-55-862371-2.
- Shear, T. Leslie (1975). "The Athenian Agora: Excavations of 1973–1974" (PDF). Hesperia. 44 (4): 331–374. JSTOR 147506.
Further reading
- Stone, Tom (2002). The Summer of My Greek Taverna: A Memoir. New York: Simon & Schuster. ISBN 978-0-74-324771-9.
External links
