Asia Minor and Pontic Recipes | Kalliopi's Kitchen

Greek food is regional to a degree that surprises people who know it only through taverna menus. Mountain villages cook nothing like island ports. Areas under Venetian rule for four hundred years ended up with a completely different pantry from those under Ottoman rule. Refugee populations arriving in the 1920s brought spicing that had never existed on the mainland.

Dishes on this page include Baklavas, Bougatsa, Dolmades, Soutzoukakia, Peinirli and Politiki salata. Where a recipe belongs clearly to one place I have said so, and where a dish is claimed by several regions at once I have said that too.

Regional labels in Greek cooking are honest approximations rather than strict boundaries. Recipes travelled with people, and most dishes have a version in every part of the country.

Every recipe on Kalliopi's Kitchen carries the dish's Greek name and a pronunciation, its region where that is meaningful, ingredient quantities in both metric and imperial, and an honest note on what commonly goes wrong. Nutrition figures are calculated estimates and are labelled as such.

Asia Minor and Pontic Recipes

17 recipes on the site so far.

Diamond-cut baklava pieces glossy with honey syrup, studded with walnuts and a clove

BaklavaBaklavas ΜπακλαβάςDesserts · 1h 45m · serves 24

Squares of bougatsa custard pastry dusted with icing sugar and cinnamon

BougatsaBougatsa ΜπουγάτσαBreakfast Recipes · 1h 10m · serves 8

Rolled stuffed vine leaves arranged in a dish with lemon wedges and olive oil

DolmadesDolmades ΝτολμάδεςMeze and Appetisers · 1h 50m · serves 8

Greek soutzoukakia oval meatballs in a rich tomato sauce

Smyrna-Style Cumin Meatballs in Tomato SauceSoutzoukakia ΣουτζουκάκιαMain Courses · 1h 10m · serves 6

A Pontic Greek peinirli boat-shaped cheese bread fresh from the oven

Pontic Boat-Shaped Cheese BreadPeinirli ΠεϊνιρλίBreads and Pies · 2h · serves 4

Constantinople-Style Cabbage SlawPolitiki salata Πολίτικη σαλάταSalads · 20m · serves 6

Greek anginares a la polita braised artichokes with potato and carrot

Constantinople-Style Braised ArtichokesAnginares ala polita Αγκινάρες αλά πολίταMain Courses · 1h 20m · serves 4

Pontic Greek manti dumplings served under garlic yogurt sauce

Pontic Greek Dumplings in Yogurt and GarlicManti pontiako Μαντί ποντιακόMain Courses · 1h 50m · serves 6

Fried aubergine slices topped with garlic yogurt and paprika butter

Aubergine in Yogurt SauceMelitzanes se saltsa giaourtiou Μελιτζάνες σε σάλτσα γιαουρτιούMain Courses · 55m · serves 4

Sliced pastourma cured beef coated in red fenugreek and paprika paste

Cured Spiced Beef from Asia MinorPastourmas ΠαστουρμάςMeze and Appetisers · 40m · serves 10

Anatolian-Style Bulgur PilafPilafi me pligouri Πιλάφι με πλιγούριSide Dishes · 30m · serves 4

Strings of Greek soutzouki walnut and grape must candy hanging to set

Walnut and Grape Must CandySoutzouki ΣουτζούκιDesserts · 2h · serves 10

A pot of Pontic Greek keskek wheat and meat porridge

Pontic Greek Wheat and Meat PorridgeKeskek ΚεσκέκMain Courses · 4h 30m · serves 8

Hunkiar begienti, lamb in tomato sauce over smoked aubergine puree

Lamb on Smoked Aubergine PureeHounkiar begienti Χουνκιάρ μπεγιεντίMain Courses · 2h 20m · serves 6

Slices of Greek lakerda, salt-cured bonito, with raw onion and olive oil

LakerdaLakerda ΛακέρδαMeze and Appetisers · 45m · serves 10

Greek tas kebap, spiced beef stew in a thin sauce served over rice

Politiko Spiced Beef StewTas kebap Τας κεμπάπMain Courses · 2h 20m · serves 6

A glass of Cypriot ayrani, cold salted yogurt drink with mint

Cypriot Salted Yogurt DrinkAyrani ΑϊράνιDrinks · 5m · serves 4

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