The Metamorphosis of Greek Cuisine

Best Mediterranean Food Culture Book in the World

2025 Gourmand World Cookbook Awards Winner

This book, written by our very own Nafsika, is an ethnography of the metamorphosis of rural foods and traditional dishes and of the making of cuisine and identity in contemporary Athens.

Nafsika follows the affluent Athenian middle class through upscale delis and, as a cook herself, into the kitchens of fine-dining restaurants, exploring the connections between cuisine, tradition, memory and identity in Greece. She narrates how in the wake of the financial crisis in Athens in the mid-2010s, forgotten rural foods of the past are transformed into luxurious artisanal foods, while traditional dishes are reinvented in fine-dining restaurants, after decades of obscurity. Through vivid sensory descriptions, Nafsika traces the metamorphosis of contemporary Greek cuisine, showing how chefs, delis and Athenians are rediscovering food traditions that connect the countryside and the city, while bringing together memories, social relationships and identity.

This book will appeal to readers interested in contemporary Greek cuisine and culture.