Cookbook of the Jews of Greece Nicholas Stavroulakis Greek Jewish cooking is the product of Jewish life in four great empires. The Jews have lived in Greece for over 2000 years as one succeeded another:the Alexandrine, the Roman, the Byzantine and the Ottoman. From each they took smething and made it their own. Beginning in the 15th century, Jewish exiles from the expulsions in Spain and Portugal and, later, from the violence of estern Europe, came to Ottoman ruled Greece and created one of the greatest Jewish cities in history. Salonika reigned as “Queen of Israel” for over four hundred years, until it fell victim to the Nazi Holocaust. What remains today in Greece are the memories of survivors from the last generation of SalonikaΆs reign and of 2000 years of Greek life. The recipes from Cookbook of the Jews of Greece were painstakingly gathered from the survivors throughout Greece by the director of the Jewish Museum of Greece. The Cookbook of the Jews of Greece is more than a cookbook, for, in addition to the 287 recipes some unique and others unfamiliar variations on familiar Persian, Arab and Greek dishes, it is lavishly illustrated by the author with over 60 drawings of Jewish life throughout Greece and documented with descriptions of local customs and traditions that were the settings for the rich and varied cuisine. Review: “Mr Stavroulakis is an artist as well as a historian, and his book contains 287 recipes, more than 80 drawings by him, and fascinating tidbits about how Jewish communities co-existed for two millenniums with the people and cultures that have traversed the lands of Greek civilisation.” New York Times Review: “Nicholas StavroulakisΆs Cookbook of the Jews of Greece is a stunning work of art and scholarship in the service of home cookery cherished through the ages. “I canΆt remember finding within the covers of one book so many excellent and refreshingly different recipes... With a wealth of fresh fruits and vegetables to hand and a marvellous array of spices and culinay techniques from east and west. Jewish cooks in Greece developed the arts of blending and seasoning to a fine point. Thanks to Stavroulakis, some of this magnificent melting pot of fine cookery is now accessible to us.” The Capital Times