polítiki kouzína

Πολίτικη Κουζίνα (Polítiki Kouzína) means Constantinople-style dishes. For Greeks, their medieval capital was simply known as the City, the Polis, and their expression stin polis 'in the city' was the origin of the current name of Istanbul.

In the turmoil of the 20th century, when many Istanbuli Greeks were forced to move to Greece, they brought along the city’s style of cooking. It was sophisticated than the simple local fare. Some dishes have spread across the country such as hunkiár begendí, imám bayildí and Itslí kefté, along with a whole range of syrup sweets. Thessaloníki is a great place to try there: Chatzis makes most of them.

A πολίτικη σαλάτα (polítiki saláta) is an attracktive mix of thinly sliced red and white cabbage, celery, garlic and grated carrots in olive oil and vinegar. Also known as πικάντικη σαλάτα (pikántiki).

Πολίτικη Κουζίνα (Polítiki Kouzína) is also the name of a nostalgic 2003 film (translated in English as A Touch of Spice) made by Tassos Boulmetis, himself a Greek from Istanbul whose family was exiled in the upheavals of the 1960s.