But of all the horta, my favorite is called kritamo. Otherwise known as samphire, it grows only in-between the sea-sprayed rocks and steep crevasses of the Aegeancoast. Traditionally gathered by fisherman, it is hard to come by and therefore pricy. It may be served fresh, lightly steamed, or parboiled and preserved in vinegar.

The most desired spice
Also pricy is saffron (krokus kozanis), a spice not generally associated with Greece. Yet saffron is the triploid form of a species found in Eastern Greece, Crocus Cartwrightianus; it was probably first cultivated in prehistoric Crete. Certainly it was known to the Minoans: frescos dating to the 15th century BC have been found on Santorini that celebrate its (often medicinal) usage.
Though it can still be found in small quantities throughout the Aegean, today Greek Red Saffron is grown commercially only in the northern Macedonia region of Kozani. Eight tons, or about 4.5% of world production, is harvested there each year. As an aside, the "red" part is important. Saffron is rated, as set by ISO, by its color quality because color strength relates to aroma and taste. Greek saffron has a very high rating relative to other producers. Unfortunately much of it is exported to Spain – which generally produces saffron with a lower color rating – to be processed (read: diluted) and packaged as Spanish saffron.

Hippocrates’ herbs
Saffron is not the only flavoring to grow in Greece. Herbs like oregano, thyme, winter savory and sweet marjoram run wild and are commonly used in Greek cuisine. Another category of herb all together comes from Greece’s mountainous regions, especially Crete. Four from this category are of particular note: Malotira "Mountain Tea" (Sideritis Syriaca); Tilio Flamouria (Tilia Europea); Faskomilo (Salvia Triloba L.) and Diktamo Erondas (Origanum Distamnus). These plants are generally gathered by shepherds who dry them in the sun and then break them into small pieces. These pieces are then boiled in water to produce a sort of tea. Each tea has a special property – good for colds, good for a sinus infection, good for stomach ailments, etc. These special properties were well-known to the Minoans as well as to Hippocrates, who used, for example, Diktamo – which only grows in Crete – to treat the diseases of the stomach and the digestive system as well as rheumatism and arthritis.

Diktamo is not the only plant to grow solely in Greece. Another grows specifically on one side of a medium-sized island called Chios and is used to produce Masticha gum. An ancient remedy and baking aid, Deborah Rothman Sherman covers the amazing properties of this resin elsewhere in this magazine.

Sweet things
Another baking, and in general cooking, aid is petimezi, known in ancient times as siraos. A complex and flavorful sweetener made in Greece from concentrated grape must, it is the essential ingredient in Moustokouloura, a semi-sweet cookie popular here as a breakfast food. Honey is also often used in Greece in lieu of cane sugar. Legend has it that Homer was suckled by a priestess from whose breasts flowed honey. Whether or not that’s true, apiculture has existed in Greece since prehistory. It is still an important part of the Greek diet today; Greeks consume more honey per capita than any other people on earth. The most famous variety is wild thyme honey from Attiki, but the wide range of flora in Greece (more diverse than any other area in Europe with the exception of the Iberian Peninsula) allows for a large assortment of honeys.

Honey is also one of the central ingredients in the Greek version of Turkish Delight called loukoumi. This wildly popular treat is a chewy candy dusted in powdered sugar made from gelatin or cornstarch, sugar, honey and fruit juice or jelly, to which nuts of some variety are frequently added. Another popular sweet treat is hypovrihio. This stuff, which comes in a jar, is a sort of sweetened masticha. It is eaten by taking a large spoonful and dipping it into a glass of water. You can either mix it with the water and drink it, or let the water harden the sweet to the spoon and lick it up like a lollypop.

And let us not forget baklava, that famous Greek sweet of Turkish origin. The actual pastry it is comprised of is, however, ubiquitously Greek: phyllo. Phyllo, paper-thin sheets of stretched dough – phyllo means ‘leaves’ – is used throughout Greece for the making of pita, or pies. Many non-Greeks are familiar with these cheese and greens-filled items, especially the spinach and feta version found in Greek diners throughout the United States. One of the nicer pitas comes from the island of Crete, where instead of feta, sour myzithra (a soft cheese) and spearmint are used. It takes some practice to work with phyllo; those not so inclined can sometimes find authentic pitas ready-made by Greek firms in a supermarket’s frozen food section.