Mediterrean Dishes

Are you looking for new recipes to try for dinner? Try traveling the world from your kitchen! There are many savory dishes that are served around the world. Have you tried Pesce Spada, a Sicilian style swordfish dish, or Abbacchio, a Roman Lamb dish? We will a short look into some international dishes that could expand your dinner ideas.

The first dish we will look at is Pesce Spada, which is a Sicilian- style swordfish dish that contains swordfish steaks topped with oregano, bread crumbs, salt and pepper, olive oil and other ingredients depending on the variation. Historically the swordfish, whose average size can exceed 110 pounds, were harpooned by Sicilian and Calabrian fishermen. The fisherman would set sail while calling out to the fish in an ancient Greek tongue that they believed would attract them to the m to the boat. Many fishermen still practice this tradition today.   

The next dish is called Abbacchio. This is a Roman style cooked lamb that is one of the exemplary spring dishes in Rome.  It includes lamb chops basted in olive oil, garlic, anchovy, rosemary, vinegar, salt and pepper. In Italy, ranchers take their sheep and goats to the green meadows to graze. The rich meadows serve as an excellent place to raise the young sheep for meat, cheese and milk.  The well nourished milk fed sheep is one reason why the Abbacchio dish is so well known in Italy.

In western Turkey, a well known dish that is rolled in grape, cabbage or chard leaves is called Yaprak Sarma. The leaves are stuffed with meat, rice, onions, pepper, parsley, fill, tomato paste, olive oil and a hint on lemon. The lightly boiled leaves that surround the ingredients fill them with a wonderful flavor. Yaprak Sarma make a great picnic snack or appetizer. 

The word Ladhera can be translated, “Foods cooked with a lot of olive oil”. This Cretan dish comes in many different varieties but includes a mix of baked or stewed vegetables soaked in an abundance of olive oil. Because Ladhera does not include meat, it is one of the main dishes served during the religious fasts of the Orthodox people.

Finally, many wonderful dishes are served with a glass of wine. Traditionally, many cultures worldwide offer toasts before drinking. In Greece, the people often toast with the well known phrase, “Ya Mas”, which means “to your health”. Each of these dishes can include a wonderfully complementing wine. Before you start your new delicious dinner you could bring a Greek tradition to your home and raise your wine glass with a toast to Ya Mas!