Greece! It’s the birthplace of democracy, the Olympics, and a whole bunch of scary mythological monsters like gorgons and minotaurs. But did you know that they also eat food in Greece? It’s true! There are a wide variety of delicious Greek dishes, from moussaka to gyros to spanakopita and more.
Today, we’re looking at something called Greek seasoning. It’s available at the grocery store, it might even be in your spice rack, but you might not know what exactly it is. You might be saying, “This is all Greek to me.” Probably not, but at least we got that out of the way early. More likely, you are asking: What are Greek seasonings? How do I make the stuff? When should I use it? Let’s find out and get you to the Greek (okay, that’s it for the Greek puns).
What is Greek seasoning?
Greek seasoning is a mixture of spices that is ideal for cooking food from the Hellenistic region, or really Mediterranean food in general. Perhaps the most famous commercially-available Greek seasoning mixture is called Cavender’s All Purpose Greek Seasoning, which bills itself as “a tantalizing taste treat” from “an ancient Greek formula.” But of course, major spice brands like McCormick and Spice Islands have their own version as well.
What is in Greek seasoning?
Let’s say that you would prefer to mix your own Greek seasoning at home, rather than buy the premade version at the store. Fortunately, that is very doable. Here are the ingredients: salt, garlic powder, oregano, basil, cinnamon, black pepper, parsley, rosemary, dill, marjoram, nutmeg, thyme, and cornstarch. Mix them all together and you’ve got Greek seasoning.
Most of these spices will be very familiar to American home chefs, and you most likely already have the majority of them in your kitchen. The one that might be slightly less common is marjoram. Marjoram is an herb with a slightly citrusy flavor that is native to the Mediterranean and used in a lot of Greek dishes.
Marjoram was not widespread in the U.S. until after World War II, and even now it’s not quite a spice rack staple. Despite its local underappreciation, marjoram has a fairly compelling Wikipedia page. Among other interesting factoids about this herb are that the Greeks and Romans considered it to be a symbol of happiness, and it is also associated with the pagan holiday Samhain, which was a precursor to Halloween.
What is Greek seasoning used for?
Now that you’ve purchased Greek seasoning, or made your own at home, what are you supposed to do with it? Fortunately there are many, many options for those looking to experiment with hellenistic cuisine.
Taste Of Home has a list of delicious-looking dishes you can make with this spice mix. One that seems particularly appealing to me is this Greek Feta Chicken. As far as I’m concerned anything with feta in it is going to be amazing. This recipe calls for red tomatoes, chicken thighs, salad dressing, feta, and, of course, Greek seasoning. Just combine the ingredients, bake, add the cheese, and enjoy!
Thoughts? Questions? Complete disagreement? Leave a comment!