October 1st of every year is the day “to promote the joy, compassion and life-enhancing possibilities of vegetarianism”.
Today, World Vegetarian Day is celebrated by vegetarians all over the world who are discussing the health, environmental and financial benefits of going vegetarian. We may not be a vegetarian restaurant, but vegetarianism has a lot more relevance to our menus than you can imagine!
When you think of Greek food, what comes to mind? A yummy souvlaki, grilled lamb chops or a large slice of moussaka? Whilst these are very much a part of the foods we love to consume, they are not the majority.
Greek food definitely does not revolve around meat! In Greek homes, everyday ‘menus’ are mostly made of vegetarian food. We could say that some of our most tasty traditional dishes are meat-free, making Greek cuisine a vegetable filled, healthy and nutritious favourite amongst all veggie lovers.
This love of vegetables was ‘handed’ down to us from very old times; The Ancient Greeks believed that a healthy diet went hand in hand with healthy spirituality and philosophical serenity. The idea of vegetarianism- nonviolence to animals-definitely has its roots in ancient Greece and it was called ‘abstinence from beings with a soul”- ‘αποχή εμψύχων’.
Pythagoras and Plato were some of the first known vegetarians, as they abstained from meat, due to their beliefs and ethics systems that held large implications about society, due to consuming animals.
Pythagoras believed all animals had immortal souls like ours. Early vegetarians, were called Pythagorians even, until a new word was created. ‘Vegeterian’ was a term coined by the British Vegetarian Society in the mid-1800’s and the Latin root of the word, refers to the source of life.
We find all this history surrounding vegetarianism fascinating and if you look at our menus, you will understand just how much into veggies we are- we are also into veganism, but that’s a story for November 1 st! (World Vegan Day).
Our menus reflect contemporary Greek food mentality and that’s why there are so many delicious vegetarian options on them.
From our olives, Melitzanosalata and Greek salad, to our Santorini fava, Tzatziki, Dolmades and SO much more, our menu reflects the essence of good Greek food, by offering our guests choices of the real Greek food diversity.
We pay very close attention to the produce we use to make our food and we source so many ingredients directly from Greece, that the flavours of the dishes are as wholesome and flavourful as they would be, when eaten in a little Greek village.
