GREECE Capital city: Habitants: EU member since: Official language:
Athens 11,123,806 (2015) 1st January, 1981 Greek
KALA CHRISTOUYENNA St Nicholas is important in Greece as the patron saint of sailors. According to Greek tradi on, his clothes are drenched with brine, his beard drips with seawater, and his face is covered with perspi‐ ra on because he has been working hard against the waves to reach sinking ships and rescue them from the angry sea. Greek ships never leave port without some sort of St Nicholas icon on board. Christmas Trees in Greece are not tradi onal but are becoming more popular. Instead most houses will have a shallow wooden bowl with a piece of wire suspended across the rim. A sprig of basil wrapped around a wooden cross hangs from the wire. Some water is kept in the bowl to keep the basil alive and fresh. Once a day, someone, usually the mother of the family, dips the cross and bas‐ il into some holy water and uses it to sprinkle water in each room of the house. KOURABIEDES Greek bu er cookies. INGREDIENTS: 500g unsalted bu er 1 large egg 2 ½ tsp almond extract 8 tbsp powdered sugar ⅛ tsp baking soda 5 cups flour Pinch of salt INSTRUCTIONS: Preheat oven to 180⁰C. Beat bu er in a stand mixer on medium high speed for 20 minutes. Add egg and almond extract, mix un l combined. Si powdered sugar and baking soda together in a small bowl. Add to bu er and egg and beat for another 10 minutes. Si 5 cups of flour and salt in a large bowl. With low speed, add flour a li le bit at a me un l completely corporate. TO FORM: Roll about 2 tbsp of dough into crescents and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake for 15‐20 minutes un l pale brown and cooked through.
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