OPA！SAVOR THE FOODS OF GREEE

　　品尝希腊食物

　　Imagine that you are at a Greek tavern.Your waiter sprinkles brandy on a pan of sizzling cheese. Lighting it, he shouts, "Opa!" Flames flare and then die down. Opa, or hooray, indeed. Welcome to the world of Greek food.

　　The flaming fried cheese is saganaki. You might enjoy it as a snack or as part of a light evening meal of appetizers. Other appetizers include crispy fried squid, spicy meatballs, and Kalamata olives.

　　Greeks' main meal comes during the early afternoon. A good starter is egg- lemon soup, avgolemono. Greek bread is very crusty. Instead of being spread with butter, it is dipped in olive oil.

　　Olives also show up in salads, along with tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, scallions, and feta cheese. Feta cheese is made from goat's milk.

　　With the Mediterranean Sea so close, fish is a favorite main course. There is haddock, lobster, crab, eel, snapper, mullets, shrimp, and even squid.

　　Sheep thrive on Greece's mountainsides, so meat dishes often contain lamb. Chicken is popular, too. Pork and beef are used sparingly.

　　Besides roasts, Greek cooking features creative casseroles. Moussaka combines meat, eggplant, potatoes, tomatoes, and custard. Pastitsio is a baked casserole dish of meat, macaroni, and sauce.

　　For more casual meals, gyros are sandwiches of sliced meat inside a pita. Souvlaki is chunks of meat cooked on a skewer and served with a pita.

　　Vegetable choices go all the way from artichokes to zucchini. Dolmades are stuffed grape leaves. Stuffed zucchinis look like “little shoes”. Spanakopita is a flaky pastry filled with spinach and feta cheese.

　　Roast lamb anchors most Greek holiday meals. Special sweet breads are made at Christmas and Easter. And the bread for New Year's Day (also called St. Basil's Day) has a special surprise. Tradition says that whoever gets the coin inside enjoys good luck all year.

　　Ice water with lemon accompanies every meal. Many people enjoy strong coffee or tea, too. Adults may drink Greek wines, or sip ouzo, a colorless liquor.

　　Fruit and cheese often end the meal. Or, Greek diners may head to a bakery for honey- dipped cookies, nut cakes, puddings, or other desserts. For a special treat, honey-laced baklava is finger-licking good.

　　想象一下，你在希腊的一个小酒店用餐，服务生为你在滋滋作响的一盘奶酪上洒上白兰地，“啊，着了！”他叫着，火焰在奶酪上跳跃着，然后熄灭。啊，太棒了！欢迎你享用希腊的美食。

　　火烤奶酪叫saganaki 。你可以把它作为快餐或清淡晚餐的开胃食物。其他的开胃食物包括脆脆的炸鱿鱼、辣肉丸子和卡拉马塔橄榄。

　　希腊的主餐时间在下午早些时候。大家喜欢的开胃菜是鸡蛋柠檬汤和柠檬蛋黄鸡汤。希腊的面包很硬，是用橄榄油而不是黄油蘸的。

　　沙拉里面也有橄榄，还有西红柿、黄瓜、甜椒、韭葱和羊奶制作的奶酪。

　　由于离地中海很近，鱼是希腊人很喜欢的主菜，有鳕鱼、龙虾、螃蟹、鳗鱼、笛鲷、鲱鲤、虾和鱿鱼。

　　希腊的山坡羊儿成群，所以肉菜里常见羊肉，鸡肉也很普遍。但猪肉和牛肉食用不多。

　　希腊烹调除了烤制外，有特色的是焙盘菜。做碎肉茄子蛋，用肉、茄子、土豆、西红柿和蛋奶沙司。Pastitsio是一种用肉、通心粉和沙司烤制的焙盘菜。

　　比较常见的食物是gyros，这是一种夹有切成薄片肉的皮塔三明治。人们经常将皮塔饼和用烤肉叉和肉烤制的烤肉串一起吃。

　　常吃的蔬菜各色各样，从洋蓟到绿皮密生西葫芦。羊肉大米菜叶包是用葡萄叶做的。切开的绿皮密生西葫芦形状像小鞋。Spnako皮塔饼是一种包有菠菜和羊奶奶酪的酥皮馅饼。

　　烤羊肉是大多数希腊人的节日佳肴。圣诞节和复活节吃特殊的甜面包，新年（也称圣巴息勒斯节）面包会给人们带来特别的惊喜，传统习俗认为谁吃到面包里的硬币，谁就会幸运一年。

　　每餐都要有加柠檬片的冰水，许多人也喜欢喝浓咖啡或浓茶。成人可以喝希腊葡萄酒或无色的大茴香烈酒。

　　餐后有水果和奶酪。有些人也去饼屋买加蜂蜜烤制的甜点、果仁蛋糕、布丁或其他的甜食。款待贵客的蜜糖果仁千层酥味道好极了。