Squid

Kalamari is one of several bloodless creatures that Orthodox fasting rules permit on days when fish itself is forbidden, which is a large part of why squid, cuttlefish, octopus and mussels are so much more central to Greek cooking than they are to most other European traditions. It is eaten year round rather than only during the fasting periods.

The one rule worth knowing is that squid has two cooking times and nothing usable in between them. Rings floured and dropped into properly hot oil for two minutes stay tender, and squid braised in wine and tomato for forty minutes or more turns tender again. Anything in the middle produces the rubbery texture the ingredient is unfairly known for.

Small squid are bought for frying and larger tubes for stuffing, filled with rice, herbs and their own chopped tentacles, then baked in tomato. Cleaning means pulling the head and innards out in one piece, removing the clear quill from inside the tube, and peeling off the speckled outer membrane, all of which a fishmonger will usually do.