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Kalliopi's KitchenGreek food recipes

Spices

Cinnamon

Κανέλα · Kanela

Cinnamon sticks and ground cinnamon used in Greek cooking
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Cinnamon's presence in savoury Greek cooking, most recognisably in the meat sauce under moussaka and pastitsio, is a detail that surprises people encountering the cuisine from outside it, since most Western food traditions keep cinnamon strictly on the dessert side of the kitchen. Greece, sitting on old Byzantine and later Ottoman trade routes that carried spices from further east, never drew that line as firmly.

A cinnamon stick, rather than ground cinnamon, is the more common form in a savoury braise, added whole to a simmering pot of stifado or a tomato sauce and fished back out before serving, in the same way a bay leaf is. Ground cinnamon is reserved more for baking, where Christmas cookies and syrup-soaked cakes use it generously.

The quantity in a savoury dish is meant to be a background warmth rather than a dominant flavour, present enough that its absence would be noticed but not so much that the dish tastes sweet. Getting that balance right is one of the more common places a home cook either undersells or oversells a classic Greek braise.

Recipes with cinnamon

58 recipes on the site use it. Here are 36 of them.

A tray of Greek moussaka with a browned bechamel top, one square lifted outMoussakaMousakas ΜουσακάςMain Courses · 1h 55m · serves 8A slice of pastitsio showing distinct layers of pasta, meat sauce and golden bechamelPastitsioPastitsio ΠαστίτσιοMain Courses · 1h 40m · serves 8Diamond-cut baklava pieces glossy with honey syrup, studded with walnuts and a cloveBaklavaBaklavas ΜπακλαβάςDesserts · 1h 45m · serves 24A bowl of golden loukoumades glossy with honey, dusted with cinnamon and chopped walnutsLoukoumadesLoukoumades ΛουκουμάδεςDesserts · 45m · serves 6A square of galaktoboureko showing thick yellow custard between crisp golden phylloGalaktobourekoGalaktoboureko ΓαλακτομπούρεκοDesserts · 1h 30m · serves 12Oval honey-soaked Greek Christmas cookies topped with chopped walnutsMelomakaronaMelomakarona ΜελομακάροναDesserts · 1h 5m · serves 30Squares of bougatsa custard pastry dusted with icing sugar and cinnamonBougatsaBougatsa ΜπουγάτσαBreakfast Recipes · 1h 10m · serves 8A pot of Greek beef stifado with whole small onions in a dark cinnamon-spiced sauceStifadoStifado ΣτιφάδοMain Courses · 3h · serves 6Grilled Cypriot sheftalia sausages wrapped in caul fat with charred edgesCypriot Sausages in Caul FatSheftalia ΣεφταλιάMain Courses · 45m · serves 6Cypriot Clay-Pot Lamb and RiceTavas ΤαβάςMain Courses · 2h 55m · serves 6Golden fried Cypriot koupes bulgur shells on a plate with lemonCypriot Bulgur Shells Stuffed with MeatKoupes ΚούπεςMeze and Appetisers · 1h 40m · serves 8A tray of Cypriot baked macaroni with a golden halloumi toppingCypriot Baked MacaroniMakaronia tou fournou Μακαρόνια του φούρνουMain Courses · 1h 35m · serves 8A golden spiral tahinopita bread dusted with sesame seedsCypriot Lenten Tahini Spiral BreadTahinopita ΤαχινόπιταBreads and Pies · 1h 10m · serves 8A plate of Corfu pastitsada, beef in spiced tomato sauce over pastaCorfu Beef and Pasta in Spiced Tomato SaucePastitsada ΠαστιτσάδαMain Courses · 3h · serves 6Greek giouvetsi baked beef and orzo in a clay dishGiouvetsiGiouvetsi ΓιουβέτσιMain Courses · 2h 55m · serves 6Curled crisp Greek diples pastry ribbons drenched in honey and walnutsFried Honey PastryDiples ΔίπλεςDesserts · 1h 15m · serves 10A slice of Greek karydopita walnut syrup cake on a plateWalnut Spice CakeKarydopita ΚαρυδόπιταDesserts · 1h 5m · serves 12A tray of Greek portokalopita orange phyllo cake soaked in syrupPortokalopitaPortokalopita ΠορτοκαλόπιταDesserts · 1h 15m · serves 15Golden Cretan kalitsounia cheese hand pies drizzled with honeyCretan Sweet Cheese Hand PiesKalitsounia ΚαλιτσούνιαDesserts · 1h 10m · serves 8A sliced Greek fanouropita spice cake, dusted with cinnamonEggless Spice Cake for Saint FanouriosFanouropita ΦανουρόπιταDesserts · 1h 5m · serves 12Diamond-cut pieces of Rhodes melekouni sesame honey sweetRhodes Sesame and Honey Wedding SweetMelekouni ΜελεκούνιDesserts · 40m · serves 16A pot of Greek rakomelo, warm spiced raki with honeyWarm Raki with Honey and SpicesRakomelo ΡακόμελοDrinks · 13m · serves 4Cycladic Octopus Braised in WineHtapodi krasato Χταπόδι κρασάτοMain Courses · 1h 35m · serves 4Tinos and Mykonos Cured PorkLouza Tinou Λούζα ΤήνουMeze and Appetisers · 30m · serves 10Kefalonia kreatopita meat pie in golden phyllo, slicedKefalonia Spiced Meat PieKefalonitiki kreatopita Κεφαλονίτικη κρεατόπιταBreads and Pies · 2h · serves 8Greek papoutsakia stuffed aubergine boats topped with golden bechamelStuffed Aubergine "Little Shoes"Papoutsakia ΠαπουτσάκιαMain Courses · 1h 30m · serves 6A stack of Greek tiganites pancakes drizzled with honey and walnutsPancakes with HoneyTiganites me meli Τηγανίτες με μέλιBreakfast Recipes · 35m · serves 4Golden Greek frigania fried bread slices drizzled with honeyFried Bread with HoneyFriganya ΦρυγανιάBreakfast Recipes · 22m · serves 4A pot of Greek arni kokkinisto lamb braised in red tomato sauceLamb Braised in TomatoArni kokkinisto Αρνί κοκκινιστόMain Courses · 2h 5m · serves 6A slice of Greek milopita apple phyllo pie showing layered crisp pastryApple Pie in PhylloMilopita ΜηλόπιταDesserts · 1h 20m · serves 10A whole roasted Greek galopoula turkey stuffed with chestnut rice fillingTurkey Stuffed with ChestnutsGalopoula gemisti me kastana Γαλοπούλα γεμιστή με κάσταναMain Courses · 5h · serves 12Cretan Rabbit Stew with OnionsKouneli stifado Κουνέλι στιφάδοMain Courses · 2h · serves 6A plate of Greek ladokouloura olive oil cookies dusted with sugarVegan Olive Oil CookiesLadokouloura ΛαδοκούλουραDesserts · 50m · serves 10A tray of Greek halvas simigdalenios semolina halva with cinnamon and walnutsSemolina HalvaHalvas simigdalenios Χαλβάς σιμιγδαλένιοςDesserts · 40m · serves 10Unripe Walnut Spoon SweetKarydaki glyko Καρυδάκι γλυκόDesserts · 3h · serves 16A slice of Sifnos melopita honey cheesecakeSifnos Honey CheesecakeMelopita Sifnou Μελόπιτα ΣίφνουDesserts · 55m · serves 8

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