Home life in Hellas, Greece and the Greeks - eBooks4Greeks.gr

DOMESTIC LIFE 179the Greeks term a blouse. It is not a blouse, buta tunic with a skirt which isa faint echo of thefustanella. It is tight at the waist, pleated in front,made of cotton stuff in a small check pattern ofgrey or blue and white, cheap, useful, and notungraceful. It is universally worn by shoeblacksand the boys in the provision shops, and largelyby the labouring classes. It is better than theshoddy importations, for its small cost allows itto be replaced, so that it is never ragged.The Greek cuisine is nearly identical with thatof Turkey. The nomenclature is the same, withthe addition of a Greek affix pilaf becomes pilafidolma is dolmades. There are a few distinctivelyGreek dishes. Perhaps avgo-lemoni may be consideredas one—eggs beaten up with lemon juice.It makes an excellent and refreshing soup withrice, and it is used as a sauce with dolmades,minced meat and rice rolled up in young vineleaves, and with sundry other dishes. Fish plakemay be another. The fish are baked in a largeshallow dish together with herbs, tomatoes, andgarlic, and sundry other ingredients. The resultis a savoury but rather heavy compound. Practicallythe only fresh meat is lamb.Beef of inferiorquality is to be obtained at Athens and in thelarger towns, and pork in winter, when it is largelymade into sausages, called lakonika. The flocksappear to be composed entirely of lambs, for onenever hears of mutton. It is baked, boiled,stewed, and roasted on the spit, and as a rule it is