About this episode

This episode explores the cuisine and traditions of the Pontic Greeks, highlighting their cultural heritage and unique food practices.

Hello! *This episode was first released on April 10th 2024* Deep in a mountain in the Pontic Alps, North-East Turkey, there's a monastery reminiscent of Tolkien's Minas Tirith; the seven-walled fortress city built on the spur of a mountain. Nestled in a steep cliff at an altitude of about 1,200 metres (3,900 ft) and facing a beautiful wooded mountain valley is Panayia Soumela Greek Orthodox monastery, dedicated to Virgin Mary. This is the heartland of the Pontic Greeks. And my journey today begun from a church with the same name, near my home town of Veria, in Northern Greece, 1800 Km away from Trabzon, deep in a forested mountain on a similar altitude... The Pontic Greeks lived in the region of northern Turkey roughly in the areas of Trabzon, Samsun and Gerishun, Sinop for about 2 millennia before their forced expulsion and genocide. But their food and culture remains still alive luckily for us, and even their unique Greek language which traces its lineage to ancient Greek! So what did they eat? How they cooked their foods? And how does their cuisine differ from other Greeks, and the similarities with other Black Sea nations around... Some spectacular videos of Panagia Soumela…

People in this episode

Host: The Delicious Legacy

Topics covered

• Pontic Greeks
• cuisine
• food tradition
• cultural heritage
• Black Sea
• Greek language

Keywords

• Pontic Greeks
• cuisine
• food
• tradition
• Black Sea
• Greek language
• genocide
• Panayia Soumela

Mentioned in this episode

Books & works: Tolkien's Minas Tirith

Places: Pontic Alps, North-East Turkey, Panayia Soumela Greek Orthodox monastery, Virgin Mary, Veria, Trabzon, Thessaloniki, Greece, Turkey

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