Kalliopi's KitchenYIAYIA'S GREEK FOOD RECIPES

Fruits

Orange

Πορτοκάλι · Portokali

Fresh oranges used in Greek baking and desserts

Orange plays a role in Greek cooking that leans almost entirely towards the sweet side of the kitchen, in clear contrast to lemon's dominance of the savoury side. The Peloponnese in particular grows oranges in real volume, and its cooking reflects that with orange zest and juice running through cakes, festive breads and syrups far more than the rest of the country's baking does.

Portokalopita is the clearest showcase: torn, dried-out phyllo pastry folded into a batter built almost entirely around orange zest and juice, then soaked in an orange-based syrup once baked. Vasilopita, the New Year cake, and tsoureki, the Easter bread, both lean on orange zest for their characteristic aromatic lift as well.

Candied orange slices baked on top of a cake, caramelising under the oven's heat until the peel turns translucent and slightly bitter against the sweet flesh, is a specific and recognisable finishing technique in Greek baking, seen most often on portokalopita itself.

Photo: Orange-Fruit-Pieces.jpg by Evan-Amos, CC BY-SA 3.0.

Recipes with orange

23 recipes on the site using it.

Oval honey-soaked Greek Christmas cookies topped with chopped walnuts Greek DessertsMelomakarona Μελομακάρονα · 1h 5m · serves 30 A pot of Greek beef stifado with whole small onions in a dark cinnamon-spiced sauce Greek Main CoursesGreek Stifado Στιφάδο · 3h · serves 6 Cypriot mahalepi milk pudding topped with rose syrup and crushed pistachios Greek DessertsMahalepi Μαχαλεπί · 30m · serves 6 A golden braided Greek tsoureki Easter bread with a red egg tucked in Greek Breads and PiesTsoureki Τσουρέκι · 1h 30m · serves 12 Twisted golden Greek koulourakia Easter cookies on a baking tray Greek DessertsKoulourakia Κουλουράκια · 1h · serves 30 A golden Greek vasilopita New Year cake dusted with icing sugar Greek DessertsVasilopita Βασιλόπιτα · 1h 10m · serves 12 Curled crisp Greek diples pastry ribbons drenched in honey and walnuts Greek DessertsDiples Δίπλες · 1h 15m · serves 10 A slice of Greek karydopita walnut syrup cake on a plate Greek DessertsKarydopita Καρυδόπιτα · 1h 5m · serves 12 A tray of Greek portokalopita orange phyllo cake soaked in syrup Greek DessertsPortokalopita Πορτοκαλόπιτα · 1h 15m · serves 15 Mani syglino cured and smoked pork with orange peel and fennel Greek Main CoursesSyglino Maniatiko Σύγκλινο Μανιάτικο · 2h · serves 8 A sliced Greek fanouropita spice cake, dusted with cinnamon Greek DessertsFanouropita Φανουρόπιτα · 1h 5m · serves 12 Diamond-cut pieces of Rhodes melekouni sesame honey sweet Greek DessertsMelekouni Μελεκούνι · 40m · serves 16 A sliced Greek yiaourtopita yogurt cake dusted with icing sugar Greek DessertsYiaourtopita Γιαουρτόπιτα · 1h · serves 10 A glass of Greek portokalada fresh orange drink with ice Greek DrinksPortokalada Πορτοκαλάδα · 10m · serves 4 Greek Breads and PiesFogatsa Kerkyras Φογάτσα Κέρκυρας · 1h 40m · serves 12 Greek DessertsKoulouria Rodou Κουλουράκια Ρόδου · 1h 5m · serves 10 A plate of Greek ladokouloura olive oil cookies dusted with sugar Greek DessertsLadokouloura Λαδοκούλουρα · 50m · serves 10 A slice of Greek ravani semolina syrup cake dusted with coconut Greek DessertsRavani Ραβανί · 1h 5m · serves 12 A round Greek Christopsomo Christmas bread with a decorative dough cross Greek Breads and PiesChristopsomo Χριστόψωμο · 1h 45m · serves 12 Greek loukaniko sausage braised in red wine sauce Greek Main CoursesLoukaniko Krasato Λουκάνικο κρασάτο · 50m · serves 4 A jar of Greek nerantzi glyko candied bitter orange peel Greek DessertsNerantzi Glyko Νεραντζάκι γλυκό · 2h 30m · serves 16 Greek amygdalota almond macaroons dusted in icing sugar Greek DessertsAmygdalota Αμυγδαλωτά · 50m · serves 12 A tray of Greek moustokouloura grape must ring cookies Greek DessertsMoustokouloura Μουστοκούλουρα · 50m · serves 16

More fruits

LemonFigPomegranate