A few years ago, Myrsini Lambraki wrote a book about edible greens, which became the bible for many housewives. She not only initiated the return to traditional cuisine in Greece, but also spread the fame of Greek olive oil to countries across the globe.
In between presentations of her latest book, she spared some of her precious time to talk to the Gourmed team about the one thing that she loves most in all the world: cooking.
1. Although you studied Political Sciences at Athens Law School, you ended up professionally devoted to cooking instead. How did this dramatic career change occur?
I think that two things pushed me towards cooking. On the one hand, I was part of an extensive family tradition. My great-grandfather and my uncle were both magnificent cooks, and in fact the latter was in the Royal Military School of Athens. But on the other hand, I would say my cooking tendency was always there. From the moment I left my family environment and lived alone in Athens as a student, I started meddling in the kitchen. Of course, several years passed by before I realized that this was actually going to be my profession.
2. You have articles in newspapers and journals to your credit, appearances on television, and a list of several books. How did this relationship with the media start out?
In about 1996, the newspaper "Kathimerini" asked me by chance to write an article about Cretan cuisine. The article made a good impression and a little while later they asked me to write another, about parrot fish. This is how my collaboration with the newspaper "Kathimerini" began, lasting for about four years. Of course, it was a time when cooking was not rally in fashion and the newspapers and magazines did not dedicate much space and ink for such matters.
3. Have you thought of opening your own restaurant?
This proposition has been made to me several times, but I continue to refuse because I believe it would become a great obstacle to my research. Cooking is a domain to which one must fully dedicate himself, whether as a chef or as a researcher. Being a chef restricts you to one place and does not allow for traveling. On the other hand, traveling is an essential part of research, which will bring you in contact with new cuisines and people. You can’t research without traveling. You can’t open a restaurant and travel.
4. Your book about olive oil has already been published in England, Germany, Holland, Romania, and Korea. Do you believe that countries where olive oil is not produced and not part of the local culture, will be able to integrate it into their customs?
Only if they treat olive oil as an exotic product, or as a medicine. It is simply not possible for them to fully integrate it into their culture, first of all due to its price. Furthermore, we are dealing with cuisines which are not so accepting of olive oil’s extensive use. If we see the matter realistically and not completely romantically, we will realize that it is not possible to suddenly flood the universe with olive oil.
5. Many people abroad think that Greek cuisine consists solely of tzatziki, souvlakia, and mousaka. What should be done to change this?
That is exactly what we are trying to do. Change this situation. Many of my colleagues- other chefs, researchers, journalists- have already gone abroad, endeavoring to educate people regarding the true essence of Greek cuisine. Greek wine producers, for example, have done an excellent job conveying this important message over the past few years. The Greek culinary experience has many more dimensions to it than tzatziki and souvlaki.
Daring to speak on behalf of my colleagues as well, I believe that the qualified institutions have not been involved enough in this matter. We should have, for example, the assistance of the National Tourist Office, the Ministry of Commerce, as well as that of the Ministry of Culture, because cooking is for the ultimate good of the culture. It is produced from culture and at the same time it produces culture. I believe that all the above institutions have not yet developed the mechanism to promote our cuisine.
6. Could you describe the character of Cretan cuisine? What does it consist of and how is it different from typical Greek cuisine?
Here, we must say that what most people do not know is that the base of Mediterranean cuisine is that of Crete. Cretan cuisine differs from Greek cuisine most notably in its more extensive use of olive oil. I believe this simply because the olive tree is more widespread in Crete than the rest of Greece. Because there is such an abundance of olive oil, Cretan cuisine whole-heartedly embraces olive oil in any dish. It would simply not be logical to expect that somebody from Crete would use the same quantity of olive oil as somebody from Northern Greece. But then again, we see that Cretans use even more olive oil than the people of the Peloponnesus or Corfu, both of which are areas where olive oil is ubiquitous. The second element in which Cretan cuisine differs from that of Greece has to do with the use of edible greens. In Crete, villagers use great amounts of greens, herbs, and legumes. Much more than in the rest of Greece. At this point, I must say that I strongly oppose the homogenization of regional cuisines. It is a great mistake to strangle local cooking traditions under the general name of traditional ethnic cuisine. On the contrary, we should project and promote each one separately.
7. As a researcher then, how do you foresee the future of traditional cuisine?
I am generally optimistic. First of all, we must say that nine years ago, when I started getting involved systematically with traditional cuisine, very few recipes or traditions had been either gathered or recorded. Now, however, there are records of almost everything, which means that even the more obscure recipes and customs are never going to be lost. What is left for us to do now? We must integrate these customs into both family cuisine and restaurant practice. But even in this area we are doing well. I don't think that ten years ago a restaurant owner would dare serve bulbs or pies with tsigarides. But today, people see that as interesting. Therefore, we are now on the same course that the French were a few years ago, and that is good.
8. What other ethnic cuisines attract you?
The cuisine of North Africa, of the Middle East, and also that of Japan- but that has nothing to do with the current sushi trend enveloping the young. Such cuisines espouse totally different philosophies, making researching them very interesting and fascinating.
9. In December 2002, you collaborated with Engin Akin to produce the book "Greece-Turkey at the Same Table, A Gourmets Guide to Both Countries." How did this idea occur?
Our relationship was strictly professional, as we belong to the same domain, went to the same conferences. We have a lot of common interests. We got to talking about the similarities and differences between Greek and Turkish cuisine, and quickly discovered that we had enough material to write a book.
10. Do you plan on continuing your collaboration with Engin Akin?
Yes, we plan on writing a new book. The book "Greece-Turkey at the Same Table" did very well, in fact a month ago in the Cook Book Award, in Barcelona, it won the first prize as the best book in the world about Mediterranean cuisine.
11. What are your future plans?
Aside from my new book with Engin Akin, some guides in collaboration with the newspaper "Kathimerini."
