Mount Athos Cuisine

       by Monk Epifanios Mylopotaminos

         (now available in English)

         Accompanying texts:

         Thanassis Georgiadis & Theodoros Ioannidis

         Photos: Giorgos Poupis

         Pages: 264

         Copyright: Monk Epifanios Mylopotaminos

         Published by: Synchroni Orizontes

            One hundred and twenty six recipes, the most characteristic of those usually prepared by the Monks in Mount Athos, whose diet excludes meat, both red and white ones. Athonite monks are fasting for two hundred days a year, therefore their diet is shaped accordingly. The writer, when addressing his readers, underlines that his goal is to make them pay more attention to the traditional Greek cuisine, the so called Mediterranean one, «… to the dishes prepared and consumed by our parents and ancestors. This is the Athonite cuisine, which I have learned to cook for the past thirty three years. The experts call it healthy, Mediterranean, dietary etc. – I would do not know how to call it…. You can call it as you wish – monastic, Athonite or even traditional. What matters is that it most certainly results in lower triglyceride and cholesterol levels, contributes to blood pressure reduction, while at the same time diminishes other health-aggravating effects».

            The fully illustrated book is divided in three parts: a) Fish, b) Legumes and Oily (vegetarian) dishes, and c) Mollusks and Crustaceans. As a preface to the recipes, in the form of an introduction, we find two texts written by Theodoros Ioannidis and Thanassis Georgiadis, followed by an addendum (the Holy Mountain), quite informative for readers unfamiliar with the Garden of the Virgin. Monastic chants, patristic texts, proverbs and other uplifting messages are interposed between the recipes, embellishing them accordingly.

The writer

            The Athonite monk Epifanios o Mylopotaminos, after living for several years in the Holy Monastery of Saint Paul, decided, in 1990, to pursue his monastic life in the Holy Seat of Agios Efstathios - Mylopotamos, a dependency of the Holy Monastery of Megisti Lavra.

            He was fortunate enough to be taught the byzantine chants by earlier Athonite monks and became a good chanter while, at the same time, he took to the ministration of the cook. Today, he is a greatly prized chef.

            In Mylopotamos, assisted by monk Joachim, he undertook the laborious effort of restoring the historic cell, thus infusing new life in it. At the same time, with utmost respect to an age-long tradition, he planted a vineyard and built a wine factory, following the custom of older monks.

            Today, he is living and leading a secluded life in Mylopotamos, Mount Athos, where he occupies himself with cooking and with producing the famous biological wines ‘Mylopotamos’ of Mount Athos.

Excerpt from the author’s epilogue.

            «By my book Mount Athos Cuisine, I would like to convey to you some of the experiences I have gained in thirty-five years of cooking in the Holy Mountain. I never attended any cooking classes, nor do I hold any such degree. Nevertheless, I was taught by elder monks how to sauté onions over a gentle heat, as they used to say that when the onion browns gently, the food is tastier. I have also learned that all dishes need great patience at the end of the cooking process, when we wait over the pan until the excess water is gone.

            Throughout the cooking process, from the supply of the ingredients, the peeling, washing, cutting, salting, cooking and up until the final serving, we must always turn our thoughts to those for whom we are doing all that: the ones we love. Every single thing in cooking is an expression of our love to them, our desire to please them. Because of our love for those we are cooking for, we should not be afraid of mistakes. Our love for others leads us in creating tastier dishes. “I wish that the book you keep in your hands, apart from helping you with the recipes, will help you come even closer to those you love through cooking. Open your house, invite your friends, cook together, set the table, drink some wine and rejoice…. “.

            “Rejoice with those who rejoice” says Apostle Paul. All the happy and joyful moments in our life are accompanied by good food and by a nice meal. Further on, the blessed Paul says “weep with those who weep” – have you ever considered the satisfaction that a sick person feels by a bawl of hot delicious fish soup, made by your hands? St John of the Ladder says that, while cooking, the cook must bear in mind that he serves the angels … he is cooking for those praying that all may be one.

Pray,

Monk Epifanios