cooking the book

The above book was written by Sophia Skoura* in 1960. It’s a treasure. In addition to its simple, unsophisticated recipes for all the staples of Greek cuisine, it includes chapters on how to set an everyday table or a formal one, how to invite guests and seat them, and how to behave -- as a hostess (“She serves certain foods at the table, and when someone has finished his food, she asks him if perhaps he’d like some more, without, however, insisting. She herself must eat rather slowly, watching her guests, so as to finish last”) or a guest (“While the food is being served, they must neither choose nor show that they don’t like a food. If they like a food very much, they can be served a second time, but not a third… If they happen to spill something, they must apologize to the hostess and express their sorrow. If they drop a fork or a knife, they must not bend down to pick it up; the servant will do that, and rush to bring another one. After the meal, they are not permitted to fold their napkins…. After coffee, they wait 15-30 minutes, and after saying thank you, leave”) or a servant (“The person who will serve must have a flawless appearance and wear light footwear”).

My favorite chapter is called “What a good housewife must have.”



Needless to say, I own nothing on the list.


*professor of Home Economics at the Arsakeion Pedagogic Academy of Psychiko and the Arsakeion School of Family and Social Conduct; former headmaster of the Rhodes School of Domestic Science