Myth: Hephaestus, the god of fire and forge, inventor of the first robot, the wings of Hermes, the girdle of Aphrodite and several other usefully magic items, also invented a machine that sliced dough into strips. Myth: based on a relief dating from the fourth century BC depicting a knife, a board, a flour sack and a pin, the Etruscans invented pasta. Neither of these myths have any historical basis.

What is known is that the ancient Greeks ate a kind of broad noodle called laganon. However, this noodle was roasted as opposed to boiled, making it more akin to pizza than anything else. As far as that other, ubiquitous myth, noodles were clearly being eaten well before Marco Polo returned from China in 1295 AD.

The first recorded (Western) mention of a noodle appeared in the Jerusalem Talmud, written in the 5th Century AD. The book called it itriyah, and debated whether the eating of it was kosher. The word itriyah is probably derived from the Greek, itrion, a flat bread used in religious ceremonies. By the 10th Century, several Arabic sources mention itriyah, describing it as a dried noodle to be purchased from a street vendor. Both the Greeks and Italians refer to some types of dried noodles as makoronia/macaroni; these names are both likely derived from the Greek ‘makar’, meaning blessed.

Whatever the origins of dried noodles, they are now one of the world’s most popular ingredients. In Greece, each region has a special or several special pastas, differing in shape and ingredients. Some, for example, use olive oil and some are made with milk or yogurt instead of water. Here are a few of the many varieties, with recipes to match. A final recipe appears on page 78.

Trahanas is made from a mixture of hard or cracked wheat that is fermented with yoghurt and then dried and sieved into tiny pellets. Traditionally, chunks of dough are first set out in the sun or in ovens to dry.
Next the dough is rubbed back and forth over the screen of a sieve, called a koskino. The resulting small pieces are then set out to dry some more. If done by hand, the entire process will take several days.

There are two varieties of trahanas: sweet and sour.
The sweet trahanas are made out of semolina wheat, milk and butter. The sour version is made with fermented milk or yogurt, which gives it a tart flavor. The fermentation process generates lactic acid which creates the tartness while the low ph levels during the drying process ensures the milk proteins are not destroyed. Greece’s answer to chicken soup is trahanas soup with milk, made for any ailment. Besides soups, trahanas are also used in stews, in baked dishes or are eaten as a breakfast dish in western Macedonia.

Ingredients
¼ (6 cl) cup olive oil
2 shallots, chopped finely
3 medium tomatoes, chopped finely
4 cups (96 cl) of broth (chicken or vegetable)
½ (12 cl) cup dry white wine
1 bay leaf
1 cup (24 cl) dried trahanas (sweet or sour)
4 ounces (120 gr) (or more, to taste) crumbled Feta
1 handful of flat leaf parsley, chopped
Salt and pepper, to taste – beware: the Feta is salty

Preparation
Place the oil and the shallots in a heavy bottomed medium sauce pan. Bring the heat to medium and sauté the shallots until they are soft and translucent. Add the chopped tomatoes and sauté until they break down. Add the broth, the wine and the bay leaf and bring to a boil. Add the trahanas and boil, stirring occasionally, for 20 to 25 minutes. Remove from heat and add the Feta and the parsley.

One of the more unusual of the Greek makaronia, Siron is a sort-of Greek version of matzo balls, in that it is often added to soup. Except, it is more fun. First the dough is rolled out and cut into wide strips. Then it is curled over and over itself into a circle shape and baked, twice. It does not require boiling; only dampening with boiling water. When the water hits it, it expands, like a magic trick, into a bigger circle in a circle.

Ingredients
1 Lb (500 gr) Siron
2 cup (475 ml) boiling, salted water
4 tablespoons (60 gr) strained Greek yogurt
¼8 tablespoons (125 gr) fresh butter
1 clove garlic, center removed and chopped finely
1 small handful flat leaf parsley, chopped finely

Preparation
Place the Siron in an oven-proof pan. Pour the boiled water over the pasta and let it rest for 15 minutes, covered with a cotton towel. Heat fresh butter or olive oil in a pan and pour it over the Siron. Cut the yogurt with some hot water and add garlic. Pour the mixture over the pasta and serve. Note: instead of yogurt, a cheese such as Kefolotyri may be grated and added to the dish.

A specialty of the Eastern Aegean island of Chios, Aftoudia is a light, egg-less in which little squares are pinched to together to make an ear shape.

Ingredients
1 Lb (500 gr) Aftoudia
½ cup of extra virgin olive oil
7 oz (200 g). Cretan Graviara cheese, cut in cubes
3 oz (90 gr) sun-dried tomatoes,cut into strips
3 red sweet Florina peppers, cut in slices
2 tablespoons (30 gr) capers
4 tablespoons (60 gr) black Kalamata olives,
sliced into rounds
1 small handful flat leaf parsley, minced

Preparation
Cook the Aftoudia (these may be substituted with
pasta shells) in plenty of boiling water for 12 minutes. Rinse the makaronia in cold water and drain well.
Mix together the peppers, capers, sun-dried tomatoes, olives and olive oil. Pour mixture over pasta, add Graviera cheese cubes as well as parsley and mix well.

Hilopites are an egg makaronia, sometimes appearing as long strips, but more often cut into tiny pieces.
Often used in soups, hilopites are also lovely cooked with meat in a tomato based sauce.

Ingredients
2 lbs (1 kl) boneless, skinned chicken breasts
1 lemon
Salt/pepper
2 tablespoons (3 cl) olive oil
1 medium sweet onion, chopped finely
2 cloves garlic, sliced thinly
1 8 oz (240 gr) can crushed tomatoes
1 cup (24 cl) dry white wine
2 stalks celery, chopped
2 tablespoons cilantro, chopped
1 bay leaf
½ Teaspoon cinnamon
1 lb (500 gr) hilopites
1 ½ cups (35 cl) grated Graviera cheese

Preparation
Wash the chicken breasts and pat dry. Sprinkle breasts with lemon juice, salt and pepper, cover and let sit for 30 minutes. Heat oil in heavy - bottomed skillet and brown chicken. Remove chicken, reserving for later. Add more olive oil and cook the onion and garlic until tender. Add the tomatoes, wine, celery, cilantro and bayleaf, cooking over medium heat for about five minutes. Return the chicken to the pan and cook, uncovered, over low heat until the chicken is tender (about 30 minutes). Meanwhile, pre-heat the oven to broil and bring water to a boil, add salt and cook the hilopites. They should be al dente. Drain the hilopites and arrange in a casserole. Mix in one cup of the cheese. When the chicken is tender, pour the tomato sauce over the hilopites, arrange the chicken pieces on top, dot the chicken pieces with butter and sprinkle on the remaining cheese. Place in the oven, under broil, for four minutes, or until the cheese has melted.