November 2010 Newsletter Bookmark and Share
 This Month
November's Article: The Greeks of Australia Special Feature: Zakynthos: Food, Wine & Products
What's New: Alphabet Block Personalized Apparel, Greek Hooded Sweatshirts, Sterling Silver Jewelry, Children's Greek Toys, Greek Almanac & Calendar Refills, Books in Greek & English, Greek Music, Greek Food, Ancient Greek Costumes, Vintage Greek City Photo & Advertisement Posters Latest Arrivals: 14k Gold & Gold Overlay Jewelry, Greek & English Junior Dictionary, Children's Greek Zouzounia DVDs
Featured Destination: Cyclades November's Recipe: Loukanniko Apo Elafi
Saint Namedays in November Suggestions, Comments, Subscription Info







Greek Goddess Beauty Gift Basket

Greek Goddess Beauty Gift Basket
Greek Island Christmas Tree Ceramic Ornament - Bell

Greek Island Christmas Tree Ceramic Ornament - Bell
Hristougenna Me Ta Zouzounia (Christmas with the Zouzounia) DVD-PAL

Hristougenna Me Ta Zouzounia (Christmas with the Zouzounia) DVD-PAL




Greek Fisherman's Hat -Cotton - Tan

Greek Fisherman's Hat -
Cotton - Tan

Stainless Steel Cooking Pans - Set of 5 Round Tapsia Pans

Stainless Steel Cooking Pans - Set of 5 Round Tapsia Pans
Name Mug with Greek Candy Gift Package

Name Mug with Greek
Candy Gift Package

Signature Greek Name Necklace with Chain

Signature Greek Name
Necklace with Chain


November's Recipe:
Loukanniko Apo Elafi
(Venison Sausage)


This is a play on a Cypriot sausage called tseftelia. Rather than using casing, these fresh sausages are held together with caul fat, the lining of a pig stomach. I love caul fat -- it's basically a weblike sheet of translucent fat that melts away as it cooks. Once you start using it, I guarantee it will change the way you cook. After all, what isn't better wrapped in dissolved fat? Caul fat is typically purchased frozen, so you will have to plan ahead. It's best to soak the caul fat overnight in salted water and squeeze dry before using. However, you may substitute a sausage casing if caul fat is unobtainable.

Note: If you don't have a spice mill, substitute 1 1/4 teaspoon ground fennel and 3/4 teaspoon ground cumin for my spice mixture.


Ingredients:
  • 2 (1/4 inch thick) slices Spanish or sweet onion
  • Extra virgin olive oil
  • Kosher salt and cracked black pepper
  • 1 tsp coriander seeds
  • 1 tsp cumin seeds
  • 2 juniper berries
  • 1 tsp fennel seeds
  • 12 ounces ground venison, from the leg
  • 6 ounces fatty, coarse-ground pork or fatback
  • 2 tsp Garlic Puree
  • 2 tsp Dijon mustard
  • 1 tsp honey
  • Large pinch dry Greek oregano
  • 1 tbsp finely chopped parsley
  • 1/2 tsp orange zest
  • About 3 ounces pork caul fat or a sausage casing
  • Lemon wedges and extra virgin olive oil or Tsatziki
  • 1/4 cup loosely packed, picked herbs, such as dill, mint, and/or parsley
Preparation:

Brush the onion slices with a little olive oil and season with kosher salt and pepper. On a hot grill pan or in a cast-iron skillet, grill the onion until tender. Separate into rings and finely chop.

Toast the seeds and juniper berries in a preheated 325 F oven for 10 minutes. Transfer to a spice mill and grind to a powder (you will not use all of it).

In a large bowl, combine the grilled onion, 2 tsp of the spice mixture, and the venison, pork, Garlic Puree, mustard, honey, oregano, parsley, and orange zest. Season liberally with salt and pepper. With clean hands, combine the mixture evenly, and form 9 football shaped sausages.

Wrap each sausage in a single layer of caul fat, trimming off any extra bits and pieces. If you like, refrigerate the sausages on a rack, uncovered, for 2 hours; this will help dry the surface and give you an even better sear on the grill.



Preheat a charcoal or gas grill, or rigid cast-iron grill pan, until very hot. Brush the sausages lightly with a little olive oil and season with kosher salt and pepper. Grill until firm and char-marked all over. Transfer to a platter and drizzle with some lemon juice and extra virgin olive oil, or top with a spoonful of Tsatziki. Scatter with picked fresh herbs.

Makes 9 2oz sausages, perfect for meze

Excerpts and Photography from: How to Roast a Lamb
by Michael Psilakis

 
 

 
November's Article:
The Greeks of Australia
 

The Greeks of Australia

Although Australia remained largely unknown to Greeks, from 1829 to 1974 approximately 300,000 immigrated and settled in. The early period of settlement (1829-80) was highlighted by the arrival of displaced Greek patriots convicted for piracy by the British naval court in Malta, curious seafarers, fortune seekers and adventurers tempted by the gold rush. During these early days the sporadic migration comprised predominately 450 Greek male sailors serving on British vessels, fugitives, fortune hunters, unsuccessful islander traders and unskilled or unemployed persons from the Greek islands interested in the possibilities in a new land. From Sydney and Perth, where they landed initially, many moved on to other areas; the fortune seekers headed to the goldfields, the travelers roamed across the country, and some migrants settled in rural New South Wales (NSW) and Victoria. Greek gold-miners, from the Ionian Islands, a British protectorate (1815-64), began to arrive in large numbers after 1850 to amass wealth and return to Greece, with the intention of investing in the flourishing Greek shipping industry of the time. Most of them settled in NSW and Victoria, particularly in Ballarat and Bendigo. Some of them even participated in the armed Eureka Stockade rebellion in 1854, in which miners protested against the unbearable working conditions and capital taxes imposed on them by the British colonial rule. Among the Eureka stockade participants was the Ithacan Andreas Lekatsas who had arrived in Australia in 1851.

The pioneers, mostly bachelors, were illiterate wanderers who endured hardships in mining camps and worked under strenuous conditions as peddlers in the urban centres, porters on the wharves and unskilled labour clearing vineyards and farms. Some of them decided to settle. They married local girls, primarily Irish, and became small farmers and graziers, while others moved towards the north of the continent where they were engaged in the sugar cane plantations. Some shortened their names in an effort to gain acceptance from the broader Australian community and were assimilated. They lived far apart from each other, employed in seasonal work or unhealthy jobs, which many Australians found too demeaning to perform. They often had to travel long distances to find work. In country areas they lived in improvised houses, which were usually made of tin and hessian cloth, and were often cruelly exploited by their employers. The only exceptions were the gold hunters of Tambaroora in Ν S W who, in 1860, established their own housing settlement called 'Greektown' near the town's edge. However, when the gold deposits ran out these settlers dispersed across the vast continent.

The earliest Greek Cypriot immigrants were also attracted by the gold rushes of the 1850s in Australia. For example, Antonios Meringas emigrated in about 1840 from Cyprus at the age of twelve, initially to Great Britain and by 1857 to Victoria while George Kalenidis successfully settled in the mining city of Ballarat in 1880, thus encouraging further Cypriot migration. The massive exodus of Cypriots from their homeland continued throughout the twentieth century for political and economic reasons. Being under British rule, Greek Cypriots had been constantly agitating for enosis (union) with Greece. Cyprus was offered to Greece in 1915 as an inducement to enter the war on the side of the allies, however Greece was not willing to risk its fortunes on the battlefield and declined the offer. Greece's refusal to annex the island led large numbers of Cypriots to seek refuge in Greece, the USA and Australia with the hope of repatriating once there was a change of administration. For example, by 1881 the Australian Census already recorded ten Greek Cypriot settlers, by 1911 their number increased to thirty, while by 1928, pioneer Cypriot settlers established the local Greek community of Home Hill in Queensland consecrating the church of St Stephen and a Greek language school. When in early 1933 the first Cypriot communities were established in Melbourne and Sydney the number of Greek Cypriots was more than 500.

Greek immigration to Australia until 1965 was male dominated. For example, the Victorian Census of 1871 recorded 127 males and only nineteen females born in Greece. Ironically, the first recorded lists of non-convict Greek settlers to migrate to Australia included more women. Aikaterini Plessas, an attractive lady from Epirus arrived in 1835, accompanying her husband Major James Henry Crummer, who was appointed that year commander of the British garrison in Sydney. John and Maria Bartides and their son Petros landed in Fremantle in March 1830 as servants to James Somers Rae, while the first free will Greek immigrant, sailor loannis Peters, from the island of Samos arrived in Sydney in about 1838 and became a gold-miner. Four years later, Georgios Tramountanas arrived in Port Adelaide and was employed as the first mate on a coastal vessel, while Nicolaos Emelos, Georgios Doikos and Andreas Lekatsas landed in Melbourne by 1851. Greek settlers were dispersed after 1858 throughout Queensland, by 1862 in Tasmania and by early 1872 in Western Australia (WA). Some pioneers emerged as influential personalities and their role increased migration from their own region. For example, Ithacan Georgios Morfesis who came to Melbourne in 1849 opened his food store and set the foundations for the migration of hundreds of his fellow countrymen in the years that followed. Similarly, in Sydney in 1878 the Kytherian Athanasios Komninos opened the first Greek general store and in 1896 became a founding member of the Greek Orthodox Community of Sydney (GOCS).

Until 1890, Greeks were emigrating to Australia in larger numbers than to America. It was only in 1891, that, for the first time, more than a thousand immigrants arrived in America, while from then on, the influx increased steadily and became epidemic during the period 1901-9, when more than 165000 Greeks settled in the USA. From the beginning of the 1880s Greeks commenced to settle in substantial numbers in Australia. By 1900, their number grew to about 1200, especially because of chain immigration of families from the islands of Kythera, Ithaca and Kastellorizo. Other important sources of emigration were the islands of Samos, Lemnos, Lesbos, Crete, Lefkada, Kefalinia and the Dodekanese. The pioneer immigrants were predominately from 25 Ionian and Aegean islands, with fewer settlers from the mainland and the Greek lands under Ottoman rule. During the inter-war period and especially by 1924, due to the restrictions on migrant intake imposed in the USA and the political and demographic situation created in Greece following the Asia Minor Catastrophe (1922), a mass exodus began from mainland Greece. The number of Greek settlers in Australia drastically increased with new waves of refugees from Asia Minor, Macedonia and the Peloponnese to reach over 15,000 by 1940. Many of these immigrants came from the large trading centres of Constantinople, Smyrna, Alexandria and Cairo.

Article to be continued next month

 

Excerpts and Photography from
The Greeks in Australia
by Anastasios Tamis

   
  Greekshops Recommends:

 

The Greeks of Southern California, The Pioneers 1900-1942, DVD (NTSC, All Zones)

The Greeks of Southern California,
The Pioneers 1900-1942, DVD
(NTSC, All Zones)

The Greeks of Southern California, The Promise of Tomorrow 1940-1960 DVD (NTSC, All Zones)

The Greeks of Southern California,
The Promise of Tomorrow 1940-1960 DVD
(NTSC, All Zones)

 Special Feature:
 Zakynthos: Food, Wine & Products


Olives in Zakynthos are very small but very tasty. Zakynthians have different ways of preserving them. The green ones usually are bitter and they are cracked with stones and kept in brine until they become sweet. The back ones are put in brine for several days, and then in vinegar and olive oil. Zakynthians eat olives with all their meals.

Wine is important in the Greek diet. Hippocrates believed that a little wine stimulates the brain, but too much disturbs it. There are studies which prove that red wine fights cancer, helps blood circulation and prevents heart attacks. Medical studies prove that a glass of wine has fewer calories than an apple.

Sleep helps the child to thrive, the sun helps the calf to grow and wine makes the old man brave and strong.

Zakynthians might count themselves lucky for having been ruled by the Ottomans as was mainland Greece, but they were occupied instead by Westerners who took advantage of the production of grapes.

When the Venetian aristocrats settled on this island they discovered the grapes, raisins and currants newly brought from the Peloponnese and learned to profit from exporting these products to Western Europe and as far as Constantinople.

During the Venetian period, two things were punishable by death: treason and grape smuggling. Peaceful stability and thousands of new settlers had swollen farm production, and profits were high. About 34 wine varieties were cultivated during their occupation but because of wine's high taxation, native producers were discouraged from wine making.

Then the British exploited the Zakynthians with the excuse that they needed currants, black gold as they called it, for dyeing clothes. But clever Zakynthains discovered that they could use currant in the making of cakes, as there was a great demand for the Queen's favorite recipes, among them, English pudding. Zakynthians today still grow currants and use them in most of their desserts and breads.

When Zakynthians refer to ambelia vineyards, they mean grapes grown for dessert wine; on the other hand stafithes, raisins, are currants. As wine making became less of an industry, Zakynthians began making wine from fresh fruit in the late 19th century. Stafiditis, as they call it, became the commercial wine on the island. Later they made red wine called Romania and white wine called Ribola.

The only grape wine surviving today is Verdea with 15% content alcohol, which has been recently introduced. The name, taken by the grape variety Verdea, which means greenish, was carried by a wine that was once Tuscan. It is a mixture of ripe and unripe grapes and has the strength of its high alcoholic percentage and a fresh flavor. After fermentation it changes to a golden green color. Goustoulidi is the variety of grapes usually grown for Verdea, which comes from the word August because it is harvested in August. It is sometimes ripened until September to increase the sugar content.

Other varieties of grapes used for making Verdea are robola, pavlos and skiadopoulo, which all ripen in September. Verdea is a perfect wine for seafood and pasta.

The noble Comoutos family, considered Zakynthian aristocracy, has been making wine since 1638 at its agricultural estate, Agria, and still exports to Europe. This is the oldest winery in Zakynthos. Grand Reserve and Rouge Grand Reserve are some of Greece's finest wines. For his Verdea, Count Comoutos uses robola, goustoulidi, pinot gris, skiadopoulo, pavlos, areti and Zakynthian asproudi, white. Count Comoutos consideres both an aperitif and a dinner wine perfect for game birds, roast turkey, chicken, squids and octopus.

Another variety of grapes is lianorrogi, which literally means small berries. This is an ancient white variety of grapes called leptoragas, which means fine berry. This is referred by Atheneus and later by Pliny. From this variety white protropon wine was produced, as Miles Lambert mentions in his book, The Greek wines. He mentions that this type of wine was sweet and it was made of sun dried grapes. It is a traditional full bodied sweet wine, rich in scent, from the fruit of the forest. This goes mainly with game and Zakynthian sartsa, sauce.

Recently Maria Sidirokastritis, an architect from Lithakia, has discovered many Mycenaic wine presses placed in a row, where the white protropon wine was made during the Venetian times and was renamed lianorrogi because it was made of the variety lianorrogi or leptoragas. Lianorrogi are very small white grapes but without seeds. They covered 50% of the vineyards land on Zakynthos until 1550 A.D. At this time, Corinthian grapes were introduced and became so popular and profitable that Zakynthians began uprooting the lianorrogi. Today there are only sporadic lianorrogi grape vineyards in the plains of Zakynthos which Solomos Estates uses for their new crops. Miles Lambert compares the wine produced from this variety to tokay from Hungary or sherry from Spain. Solomos Estates follows Mr. Lambert's directions in order to produce this kind of wine experimentally. He feels that this modern day winery has a successful future.

The Korianitis and Voutsos-Kalinikas estates produce a dry and a semi-dry Verdea of 12.5% alcohol. They vinify goustoulidi, pavlos, skiadopoulo and robola grapes grown at Kalipado village. There is enough to satisfy the local demand but a limited amount for exportation. The Union of the Agricultural Cooperatives of Zakynthos produces dry and medium dry Verdea made from pavlos and skiadopoulo in limited production. Also many individuals are proud of practicing their winemaking skills and enjoy their products with their families and friends.

Zakynthians open their new vintage of wines every year on the 14th of November with big festivities.

There is no meal on the island without Verdea. Zakynthians use Verdea in all their cooking, especially with game birds and the national sauce, along with tomatoes. Verdea is perfect for turkey, stuffed chicken, squid and octopus. The grape harvest is a fast. During the harvest of grapes farmers provide Kolatsio, light brunch, with the traditional foods. Grapes are not only served as a fruit, but they are also used for making spoon sweets and jams which are excellent desserts year-round.


The Special Feature "Zakynthos: Food, Wine & Products" will continue next month..

Excerpt from
Cooking and Traditions of Zakynthos
by Calliopi Toufidou

 

  What's New!!
  Alphabet Block Personalized Apparel
  Greek Hooded Sweatshirts
  Sterling Silver Jewelry
Sterling Silver Arm Bracelet - Decorated Serpent (90mm)

Sterling Silver Arm Bracelet - Decorated Serpent (90mm)
Sterling Silver Arm Bracelet - Minoan Dolphin (90mm)

Sterling Silver Arm Bracelet - Minoan Dolphin (90mm)
Sterling Silver Arm Bracelet - Swirl Motif (90mm)

Sterling Silver Arm Bracelet - Swirl Motif (90mm)
Sterling Silver Pendant - Swaying Owl (23mm)

Sterling Silver Pendant - Swaying Owl (23mm)

 
Sterling Silver Pendant - Standing Owl (25mm)

Sterling Silver Pendant - Standing Owl (25mm)
Sterling Silver Ring - Minoan Dolphin

Sterling Silver Ring - Minoan Dolphin
The Clio Collection - Sterling Silver Post Earrings Greek Key (4mm)

The Clio Collection - Sterling Silver Post Earrings Greek Key (4mm)
The Ariadne Collection - Sterling Silver Post Earrings Swirl Cutout (5mm)

The Ariadne Collection - Sterling Silver Post Earrings Swirl Cutout (5mm)
Sterling Silver Pendant - Phaistos Disk (19mm)

Sterling Silver Pendant - Phaistos Disk (19mm)
Sterling Silver Ring - Adjustable Greek Key Band 4mm

Sterling Silver Ring - Adjustable Greek Key Band 4mm
Rubber and Sterling Silver Necklace - Greek Key Meander V

Rubber and Sterling Silver Necklace - Greek Key Meander V
Greek Name Necklace with Silver Chain

Greek Name Necklace with Silver Chain
Greek Name Necklace with Rubber Cord

Greek Name Necklace with Rubber Cord
Sterling Silver Men's Bracelet - Large Greek Key Links (16mm)

Sterling Silver Men's Bracelet - Large Greek Key Links (16mm)
Sterling Silver Men's Bracelet - 2 Sided with Greek Key and Swirl Motif (10mm)

Sterling Silver Men's Bracelet - 2 Sided with Greek Key and Swirl Motif (10mm)
Sterling Silver Men's Bracelet - 2 Sided with Greek Key and Floral Motif (13mm)

Sterling Silver Men's Bracelet - 2 Sided with Greek Key and Floral Motif (13mm)
Sterling Silver Men's Bracelet - Square Greek Key Links (12mm)

Sterling Silver Men's Bracelet - Square Greek Key Links (12mm)
Sterling Silver Bracelet - Phaistos Discs (14mm)

Sterling Silver Bracelet - Phaistos Discs (14mm)
Sterling Silver Men's Bracelet - 2 Sided with Greek Key and Floral Motif (9mm)

Sterling Silver Men's Bracelet - 2 Sided with Greek Key and Floral Motif (9mm)
Sterling Silver Men's Bracelet - Greek Key Links (9mm)

Sterling Silver Men's Bracelet - Greek Key Links (9mm)
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My New First Greek Laptop 4+

My New First Greek Laptop 4+
Disney Baby's First Greek Laptop, Ages 2+

Disney Baby's First Greek Laptop, Ages 2+
Greek ABC Talking Cards (speaks Greek), Ages 3+

Greek ABC Talking Cards (speaks Greek), Ages 3+
Eksipnoulis (Genius) Electroning Greek Reading and Writing, Ages 5+

Eksipnoulis (Genius) Electroning Greek Reading and Writing, Ages 5+
Eksipnoulis (Genius): Electroning Game for learning the Animals in Greek, Ages 3+

Eksipnoulis (Genius): Electroning Game for learning the Animals in Greek, Ages 3+
Eksipnoulis (Genius): First Greek Phrases Educational, Ages 5+

Eksipnoulis (Genius): First Greek Phrases Educational, Ages 5+
Eksipnoulis (Genius): Electroning Vocubulary builder, Ages 5+

Eksipnoulis (Genius): Electroning Vocubulary builder, Ages 5+
Eksipnoulis (Genius):  Learning the Animals - Moms and Babies, Ages 3+

Eksipnoulis (Genius): Learning the Animals - Moms and Babies, Ages 3+
Eksipnoulis (Genius):  Learning the Greek Alphabet, Ages 3+

Eksipnoulis (Genius): Learning the Greek Alphabet, Ages 3+
Eksipnoulis (Genius):  Learning the Time in Greek, Ages 5+

Eksipnoulis (Genius): Learning the Time in Greek, Ages 5+
Eksipnoulis (Genius): Learning the Numbers in Greek,  Ages 3+

Eksipnoulis (Genius): Learning the Numbers in Greek, Ages 3+
Eksipnoulis (Genius): Learning the Professions in Greek,  Ages 3+

Eksipnoulis (Genius): Learning the Professions in Greek, Ages 3+
Eksipnoulis (Genius): Learning Greek Spelling, Ages 4+

Eksipnoulis (Genius): Learning Greek Spelling, Ages 4+
Eksipnoulis (Genius): Learning Greek Geography Puzzle, Ages 5+

Eksipnoulis (Genius): Learning Greek Geography Puzzle, Ages 5+
Eksipnoulis (Genius): Learning the Months and the Seasons in Greek, Ages 5+

Eksipnoulis (Genius): Learning the Months and the Seasons in Greek, Ages 5+
Eksipnoulis (Genius):  Little Words in Greek, Ages 4+

Eksipnoulis (Genius): Little Words in Greek, Ages 4+
  Greek Almanac & Calendar Refills
  Books in Greek
I simfonia ton oneiron, by Nikos Themelis (In Greek)

I simfonia ton oneiron, by Nikos Themelis (In Greek)
I ginaika tou Farou, by Pashalia Travlou (In Greek)

I ginaika tou Farou, by Pashalia Travlou (In Greek)
O episkeptis tou Oneirou, by Eleni Tsamadou (In Greek)

O episkeptis tou Oneirou, by Eleni Tsamadou
(In Greek)
Epistrofi stin Smirni 1: I thalassa mas, by Evaggelos Mavroudis (In Greek)

Epistrofi stin Smirni 1: I thalassa mas, by Evaggelos Mavroudis (In Greek)
Epistrofi stin Smirni 2: ITTIHAT VE TERAKKI, by Evaggelos Mavroudis (In Greek)

Epistrofi stin Smirni 2: ITTIHAT VE TERAKKI, by Evaggelos Mavroudis
(In Greek)
Stous Pente Anemousm by Marina Petropoulou (In Greek)

Stous Pente Anemousm by Marina Petropoulou
(In Greek)
I Zoi mou me ton Sadam, by Parisoula Lamsos (In Greek)

I Zoi mou me ton Sadam, by Parisoula Lamsos
(In Greek)
 Erotas ypo Eresi, by Nikos Papandreou (In Greek)

Erotas ypo Eresi, by Nikos Papandreou (In Greek)
Gyrismos / Return by Victoria Hislop (In Greek)

Gyrismos / Return by Victoria Hislop (In Greek)
Eat, Pray, Love, by Elizabeth Gilbert (In Greek)

Eat, Pray, Love, by Elizabeth Gilbert (In Greek)
Skilisies Meres, by Kostas Bostantzoglou (In Greek)

Skilisies Meres, by Kostas Bostantzoglou (In Greek)
Min Pairnesi Kai Orko ston Erota, by Katerina Papanikolaou (In Greek)

Min Pairnesi Kai Orko ston Erota, by Katerina Papanikolaou (In Greek)
Agapw tha pei hanomai, by Rena Rossi-Zairi (In Greek)

Agapw tha pei hanomai, by Rena Rossi-Zairi (In Greek)
Lefki Orhidea, by Kaiti Economou (In Greek)

Lefki Orhidea, by Kaiti Economou (In Greek)
O Kipos me tis Mouries, by Kaiti Economou (In Greek)

O Kipos me tis Mouries, by Kaiti Economou (In Greek)
To Kima tou Erota, by Giannis & Maria Alexandrou (In Greek)

To Kima tou Erota, by Giannis & Maria Alexandrou (In Greek)
Agapi se meres vrohis, by Katerina Mbozoni (In Greek)

Agapi se meres vrohis, by Katerina Mbozoni
(In Greek)
Ena Gramma gia Sena Mitera, Mimika Makrigianni (In Greek)

Ena Gramma gia Sena Mitera, Mimika Makrigianni (In Greek)
Stavroforoi Horis Stavro, by Stavros Ligeros (In Greek)

Stavroforoi Horis Stavro, by Stavros Ligeros (In Greek)
I Istoria tis Sychronis Elladas 1941-1974 (Modern History of Greece 1941-1974), (In Greek)

I Istoria tis Sychronis Elladas 1941-1974 (Modern History of Greece 1941-1974), (In Greek)
I Apagorevmeni Istoria tis Elladas (The Forbidden History of Greece), (In Greek)

I Apagorevmeni Istoria tis Elladas (The Forbidden History of Greece),
(In Greek)
       
  Books in English
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  Greek Music
Anepanorthoti Zimia, Alekos Zazopoulos

Anepanorthoti Zimia, Alekos Zazopoulos
Mono Newo Sti Riza, Hristos Thivaios

Mono Newo Sti Riza, Hristos Thivaios
Evesthiti h logiki, Peggy Zina

Evesthiti h logiki, Peggy Zina
I Megales Epitihies LIVE , Katerina Stanisi (2CD)

I Megales Epitihies LIVE , Katerina Stanisi (2CD)
Mihalis, Mihalis Hatziyiannis

Mihalis, Mihalis Hatziyiannis
Live + 8 Nea Tragoudia , Nikos Makropoulos (2CD)

Live + 8 Nea Tragoudia , Nikos Makropoulos (2CD)
I agapi ine eleftheri , Glykeria

I agapi ine eleftheri , Glykeria
I Eleni Tsaligopoulou Sti Lira , Eleni Tsaligopoulou (2CD)

I Eleni Tsaligopoulou Sti Lira , Eleni Tsaligopoulou (2CD)
Ma Pou Na Pao - Oles I Epitihies , Themis Adamantidis (3CD)

Ma Pou Na Pao - Oles I Epitihies , Themis Adamantidis (3CD)
Zondani Epafi LIVE , Yiannis Poulopoulos

Zondani Epafi LIVE , Yiannis Poulopoulos
Arrosto Pathos , Dimitris Kondolazos (CD Single)

Arrosto Pathos , Dimitris Kondolazos (CD Single)
Rixe Kati Pano Sou , Lefteris Pandazis

Rixe Kati Pano Sou , Lefteris Pandazis
Apo Ton Tsitsani Ston Hadjidaki , Manolis Mitsias (2CD)

Apo Ton Tsitsani Ston Hadjidaki , Manolis Mitsias (2CD)
To Kalokeri Mou , Mihalis Hatziyiannis (CD Single)

To Kalokeri Mou , Mihalis Hatziyiannis (CD Single)
Pame San Alote, Collection of 1936 - 1957 Greek Retro Hits (2CDs)

Pame San Alote, Collection of 1936 - 1957 Greek Retro Hits (2CDs)
A Tribute to El Greco, Vangelis

A Tribute to El Greco, Vangelis
Erotokritos: I Ekdohi Tis Sitias , Nikou Mamagkaki & Various Artists (2CD)

Erotokritos: I Ekdohi Tis Sitias , Nikou Mamagkaki & Various Artists (2CD)
Erofili , Nikou Mamagkaki & Various Artists (2CD)

Erofili , Nikou Mamagkaki & Various Artists (2CD)
Erotokritos , Nikou Mamagkaki & Various Artists (2CD)

Erotokritos , Nikou Mamagkaki & Various Artists (2CD)
Ta Konserta tou Nikou Mamagkaki

Ta Konserta tou Nikou Mamagkaki
  Greek Snacks
  Ancient Greek Costumes & Jewelry
  Vintage Greek City Photo & Advertisement Posters
Vintage Greek Advertising Posters - Kithara Threads (1958)

Vintage Greek Advertising Posters - Kithara Threads (1958)
Vintage Greek Advertising Posters - Kolynos Toothpaste (1964)

Vintage Greek Advertising Posters - Kolynos Toothpaste (1964)
Vintage Greek Advertising Posters - 22 Cigarettes (1964)

Vintage Greek Advertising Posters - 22 Cigarettes (1964)
Vintage Greek Advertising Posters - MEZ Lozenges and Mints (1958)

Vintage Greek Advertising Posters - MEZ Lozenges and Mints (1958)
Vintage Greek City Photos Attica - City of Athens, Plaka (1917)

Vintage Greek City Photos Attica - City of Athens, Plaka (1917)
Vintage Greek City Photos Attica - Attica, City of Athens, Parthenon (1964)

Vintage Greek City Photos Attica - Attica, City of Athens, Parthenon (1964)
Vintage Greek City Photos Attica - Attica, City of Athens, Ermou Street (1912)

Vintage Greek City Photos Attica - Attica, City of Athens, Ermou Street (1912)
Vintage Greek City Photos Attica - Attica, City of Athens, Constitution Square (Syntagma) (1907)

Vintage Greek City Photos Attica - Attica, City of Athens, Constitution Square (Syntagma) (1907)
Vintage Greek City Photos Attica - Attica, City of Athens, Constitution Square (Syntagma) (1902)

Vintage Greek City Photos Attica - Attica, City of Athens, Constitution Square (Syntagma) (1902)
Vintage Greek City Photos Attica - City of Athens, Omonia Square (1932)

Vintage Greek City Photos Attica - City of Athens, Omonia Square (1932)
Vintage Greek City Photos Attica - Attica, City of Athens, Parthenon view (1930)

Vintage Greek City Photos Attica - Attica, City of Athens, Parthenon view (1930)
Vintage Greek City Photos Eastern Aegean Islands - Ikaria, Agios Kirikos beach (1935)

Vintage Greek City Photos Eastern Aegean Islands - Ikaria, Agios Kirikos beach (1935)
Vintage Greek City Photos Eastern Aegean Islands - Ikaria, Agios Kirikos Port (1955)

Vintage Greek City Photos Eastern Aegean Islands - Ikaria, Agios Kirikos Port (1955)
Vintage Greek City Photos Eastern Aegean Islands - Ikaria, Evdilos / Pera Gialos (1934)

Vintage Greek City Photos Eastern Aegean Islands - Ikaria, Evdilos / Pera Gialos (1934)
Vintage Greek City Photos Eastern Aegean Islands - Ikaria, Evdilos (1900)

Vintage Greek City Photos Eastern Aegean Islands - Ikaria, Evdilos (1900)
Vintage Greek City Photos Eastern Aegean Islands - Ikaria, Agios Kirikos (1920)

Vintage Greek City Photos Eastern Aegean Islands - Ikaria, Agios Kirikos (1920)
Vintage Greek City Photos Eastern Aegean Islands - Ikaria, Ikarian immigrants in America (1985)

Vintage Greek City Photos Eastern Aegean Islands - Ikaria, Ikarian immigrants in America (1985)
Vintage Greek City Photos Macedonia - Salonica, Thessaloniki White Tower (1900)

Vintage Greek City Photos Macedonia - Salonica, Thessaloniki White Tower (1900)
Vintage Greek City Photos Macedonia - Salonica, Thessaloniki Kamara - Apsida Galeriou (1930)

Vintage Greek City Photos Macedonia - Salonica, Thessaloniki Kamara - Apsida Galeriou (1930)
Vintage Greek City Photos Macedonia - Salonica, Thessaloniki White Tower Port view (1902)

Vintage Greek City Photos Macedonia - Salonica, Thessaloniki White Tower Port view (1902)
Vintage Greek City Photos Macedonia - Salonica, Lefkos Pirgos White Tower (1955)

Vintage Greek City Photos Macedonia - Salonica, Lefkos Pirgos White Tower (1955)
Vintage Greek City Photos Macedonia - Salonica, Waterfront - Leoforos Nikis - White Tower (1925)

Vintage Greek City Photos Macedonia - Salonica, Waterfront - Leoforos Nikis - White Tower (1925)
Vintage Greek City Photos Macedonia - Salonica, Leoforos Nikis view from White Tower (1904)

Vintage Greek City Photos Macedonia - Salonica, Leoforos Nikis view from White Tower (1904)
Vintage Greek City Photos Macedonia - Salonica, White Tower Lefkos Pirgos (1934)

Vintage Greek City Photos Macedonia - Salonica, White Tower Lefkos Pirgos (1934)
Vintage Greek City Photos Peloponnese - Arcadia, Tripolis, St. Basil Church (1920)

Vintage Greek City Photos Peloponnese - Arcadia, Tripolis, St. Basil Church (1920)

Keep a close eye on the Greek Poster Section as it continues to expand. We are in the process of adding hundreds of Vintage City Photos and Vintage Advertisement Posters.  Above you can find a selection from the city of Athens in the Attica region, Eastern Aegean Islands and Macedonia.

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  Featured Destination: Cyclades (part 1 of 22)


The Cyclades, the pearl of the Aegean, is an archipelago of some 56 islands, large and small, stretching out to the south of Attica and Euboia. Comprising a separate Prefecture, the capital of which is Hermoupolis, Syros they may be divided into four major units; the Western Cyclades (Kea, Kythnos, siphnos, Seriphos, Kimolos, Melos), the Central (Syros, Paros, Antiparos, Naxos), the North and Northeast (Andros, Tenos, Mykonos, Delos, Rheneia) and the Southern and Southeast (Thera, Amorgos, Anaphi, Pholegandros, Los, Sikinos and the Lesser Cyclades). Concerning their name, there is a plethora of explanations and traditions. One relates that the islands were named after the nymphs Cyclades, whom Poseidon transformed into rocky islets, another that the name derives from the word Kyklos (circle or cycle), since the strong winds force boats to go round in a circle. However, the most popular tradition is that associating them with the sacred isle of Delos, around which they form an imaginary circle. According to geologists, the Cyclades were formed as a result of successive disturbances to the landmass which at one time united Greece and Asia Minor. They acquired their present form as a consequence of earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and tectonic movements of the earth's crust. the majority are mountainous, the ranges being interrupted by small plains, hardly extensive enough for cultivation. Their climate is mild and the cooling effect of the northeast winds in the summer, the Meltemia (Etesian winds), ensures good weather throughout the year. The islanders are mainly involved in farming (cereals and the vine) and fishing. There is industrial development on some (Syros, Melos). Marble is quarried on Tenos, Naxos and Paros, while large quantities of pumice and pozzuolana are exported from Santorini.

Finds from excavations (Kimolos, Kephala, Kea, Saliagos) indicate that the islands were already inhabited in the Mesolithic period (7th millenium BC). Towards the end of the 4th millennium BC and throughout the 3rd, a splendid and distinctive civilization, the Cycladic civilization, divided into three periods: Early Cycladic 3200-2100 BC, Middle Cycladic 100-1550 BC and Late Cycladic 1550-1100 BC, developed here, which produced unrivalled works of art, not least the famous Cycladic figurines. Around 2000 BC the Cyclades were subject to Minoan influences from Crete and the eruption of the Thera volcano (1500 BC) was the death knoll for the Cycladic civilization and the islands came under Mycenaean domination shortly afterwards. By 1100 BC Ionian colonizers had settled in most of the Cyclades, with the exception of Melos and Thera which were occupied by the Dorians. In historical times their development was virtually independent and they took part in the hostilities between the Greeks and Persians. they were members of the Athenian League, centered on Delos (478 BC) and supported Athens during the Peloponnesian War. In the ensuing centuries they were pawns in the expansionist ambitions of the Macedonians, Egyptian Ptolemies, Rhodians and Romans. In Byzantine times they belonged to the Thema of the Aegean and were the victim of innumerable piratical raids, particularly by Arabs during the 7th, 8th and 9th century. When Constantinople fell to the Franks in 1204, the Cyclades were ceded to the Venetians, comprising the Duchy of Naxos or the Archipelago, which was apportioned into smaller Baronies and Counties assigned to several noble families, such as the Sanudi and Crispi. As a consequence of the long duration of Venetian rule the inhabitants of some islands embraced the Catholic faith. Between 1537 and 1538 the islands were sacked by Khayr ad-Din Barbarossa and by the middle of the 16th century the majority were under Turkish rule, some being granted special privileges (Naxos, Andros, Tenos inter alia). For a brief interval (1770-1774) Russian ships, under the command of admiral Orloff, were anchored on several islands and almost all participated in the 1821 revolution. The diverse conquerors who passed this way all left their mark, yet the islands still maintained their traditions. Each has its own tale to tell and each has its own, instinctive charm. With their brilliant white houses, narrow cobbled streets, countless churches and chapels, monasteries, castles, windmills and antiquities, they are not only special within the Aegean area, but in the Mediterranean in general.

Next month: The Islands of the Cyclades - Kea (Part 2 of 22)


 November 2010 Greek Orthodox Calendar

Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday
  1
Cosmas & Damianos the Holy Unmercenaries & their mother Theodota

David the Righteous of Evia
2
Tuesday of the 7th Week

Akindynos, Pegasios, Aphthonios, Elpidephoros, & Anempodistos of Persia

Domnina, Domna, & Kyriaki, the Martyrs
3
Wednesday of the 7th Week

Acepsimas the Bishop, Joseph the Presbyter, & Aeithalas the Deacon, Martyrs of Persia

Dedication of the Temple of the Holy Great Martyr George in Lydia
4
Friday of the 2nd Week

The Feast of the Holy Skepi of the Theotokos

Ananias, Apostle of the 70
5
Friday of the 2nd Week

The Feast of the Holy Skepi of the Theotokos

Ananias, Apostle of the 70
6
Paul the Confessor, Patriarch of Constantinople

Bishop Raphael Hawaweeny of Brooklyn
7
7th Sunday of Luke

33 Martyrs of Melitene

Lazarus the Wonderworker
8
Synaxis of the Archangel Michael & the other Bodiless Powers: Gabriel, Raphael, Uriel, Salaphiel, Jegudiel, & Barachiel
9
Tuesday of the 8th Week

Nektarios the Wonderworker, Bishop of Pentapolis

Onesiphoros and Porphyrios of Ephesus
10
Wednesday of the 8th Week

Erastos, Olympas, Herodion, Sosipatros, Quartus, Tertios, Apostles of the 70

Holy Father Arsenius of Cappadocia
11
Thursday of the 8th Week

Menas of Egypt

Saint Victor and Stephanie
12
John the Merciful, Patriarch of Alexandria

Nilus the Ascetic of Sinai

Saint Martin, Bishop of Tours
13
John Chrysostom, Archbishop of Constantinople
Damaskinos the New Martyr of Mount Athos
14
8th Sunday of Luke

Philip the Apostle

Gregory Palamas, Archbishop of Thessaloniki
15
Monday of the 9th Week

Gurias, Samonas, & Avivos, Martyrs & Confessors of Edessa

Thomas, Archbishop of Constantinople
16
Matthew the Apostle & Evangelist
17
Wednesday of the 9th Week

Gregory the Wonderworker & Bishop of Neo-Caesarea

Gennadios I, Patriarch of Constantinople
18
Thursday of the 9th Week

Plato the Great Martyr of Ancyra
Holy Martyr Romanus
19
Friday of the 9th Week

Obadiah the Prophet

Barlaam of Caesarea
20
Saturday of the 9th Week

The Forefeast of the Presentation of the Theotokos into the Temple

Gregory the Righteous of Decapolis
21
The Entrance of the Theotokos into the Temple
22
Monday of the 10th Week

Archippus the Apostles,Philemon the Apostle & his wife, Apphia, Onesimos the Disciple of Paul

Holy Martyr Cecilia and Those with Her
23
Tuesday of the 10th Week

Amphilochios, Bishop of Iconium

Gregory, Bishop of Agrigentum
24
Wednesday of the 10th Week

Our Holy Father Clement, Pope of Rome

Peter, Archbishop of Alexandria
25
Katherine the Great Martyr of Alexandria

Apodosis of the Presentation of the Theotokos into the Temple

Mercurios the Great Martyr of Caesarea in Cappadocia
26
Friday of the 10th Week

Alypios the Stylite of Adrianopolis

St. Nicon Metanoeite
27
Saturday of the 10th Week

James the Great Martyr of Persia

Nathaniel of Nitria & Pinouphrios of Egypt, the Righteous
28
13th Sunday of Luke

Stephen the New

Irenarchos & his Companion Martyrs at Sebaste
29
Monday of the 11th Week

Paramonus, Philumenus, and their 370 Companion Martyrs in Bithynia

Our Righteous Father Nicholas, Archbishop of Thessolonica
30
Andrew the First- Called Apostle
Froumentios, Archbishop of Abyssina
       


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