Poor in (animal) fat, high in nutricion, the Cretan diet is based on pulses, bread and olive oil, and an enormous variety of green vegetables, salads and fruits. It is one of the healthiest dietsin the world. The benefits of this diet upon the good health nad long life span of Cretan is videly known. It is healthy, but it is also delicious, as you can see in the many detailed recipes contained in this book.
Nicholas Stavroulakis has made a fascinating investigation of Cretan cuisine, retracing the history of each dish and comparing the local variations. His often funny presentaion describes the atmosphere of this unique island where many communities - Roman, Jews, Venetians, Ottomans, and Modern Greeks have flourished on this bitter yet extravagantly nourishing land.
Nicholas Stavroulakis was born in England to a family from Hania in Crete. He was educated in the United States and England and received an MA in Islamic Art from the University of Michigan. In the late 1950s he taught in Athens while pursuing careers in printing and painting. His work has been in numerous solo and group exhibitions in Greece and abroad.
He taught Byzantine and Ottoman art and architecture at the University of Tel Aviv (1968-1972) and was director of the Jewish Museum in Athens (1977-1993).
Since 1993 he has been living in Hania where he is director of the reconstructed Etz Hayyim Synagogue, which is dedicated to bringing together different religions and cultures.
His study of the Greek culinary tradition has produced several conference papers and three books: Cookbook of the Jews of Greece, Salonika: A Family Cookbook, and West Cretan Cooking.
In English
Cookbook of the Jews of Greece. Athens, Lycabettus Press, 1986. 280pp.
The Jews of Greece. Athens, Talos Press, 1990. 128pp.
Sephardi and Romaniote Jewish Costumes in Greece and Turkey. Athens, The Jewish museum of Greece, 1986.
Jewish sites and Synagogues of Greece. Athens, Talos Press, 1992. 312pp.
The Jews of Greece. Athens, Talos Press, 1990. 128pp. ISBN: 960-7459-00-8
Jewish Sites and Synagogues of Greece. Athens, Talos Press, 1992. 312pp. ISBN: 960-7459-01-6
Salonika, A Family Cookbook. Athens, Talos Press, 1997. 240pp. ISBN: 960-7459-05-9
Salonika, Jews and Dervishes. Athens, Talos Press, 1993. 84pp. ISBN: 960-7459-02-4
