In
Greek cuisine, saganaki () () is any one of a variety of dishes prepared in a small
frying pan, the best-known being an appetizer of
fried cheese. It is commonly
flambéed in North America.
Etymology
The dishes are named for the frying pan in which they are prepared, called a (), which is a
diminutive
A diminutive is a word obtained by modifying a root word to convey a slighter degree of its root meaning, either to convey the smallness of the object or quality named, or to convey a sense of intimacy or endearment, and sometimes to belittle s ...
of (), a frying pan with two handles, which comes from the
Turkish word , itself borrowed from Arabic ().
Description
The cheese used in ''saganaki'' is usually
graviera,
kefalograviera,
halloumi,
kasseri,
,
or
sheep's milk
Sheep milk is the milk of Sheep, domestic sheep. It is commonly used to make cultured Dairy product, dairy products, such as cheese. Some of the most popular sheep cheeses include feta (Greece), pecorino romano (Italy), Roquefort (France) and Ma ...
feta
Feta ( ; ) is a Greek brined white cheese made from sheep milk or from a mixture of sheep and goat milk. It is soft, with small or no holes, and no skin. Crumbly with a slightly grainy texture, it is formed into large blocks and aged in brin ...
cheese. Regional variations include the use of
formaela cheese in
Arachova
Arachova (, also Αράχοβα) is a mountain town and a former municipality in the western part of Boeotia. Since the 2011 local government reform it is a municipal unit, part of the municipality Distomo-Arachova-Antikyra. It is a tourist de ...
, halloumi in
Cyprus
Cyprus (), officially the Republic of Cyprus, is an island country in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Situated in West Asia, its cultural identity and geopolitical orientation are overwhelmingly Southeast European. Cyprus is the List of isl ...
, and vlahotiri in
Metsovo
Metsovo (; ) is a town in Epirus (region), Epirus, in the mountains of Pindus in northern Greece, between Ioannina to the west and Meteora to the east.
The largest centre of Aromanians, Aromanian (Vlach) life in Greece, Metsovo is a large regio ...
. The cheese is melted in a small frying pan until it is bubbling and generally served with
lemon juice
The lemon (''Citrus'' × ''limon'') is a species of small evergreen tree in the ''Citrus'' genus of the flowering plant family Rutaceae. A true lemon is a hybrid of the citron and the bitter orange. Its origins are uncertain, but some ...
and pepper. It is eaten with
bread
Bread is a baked food product made from water, flour, and often yeast. It is a staple food across the world, particularly in Europe and the Middle East. Throughout recorded history and around the world, it has been an important part of many cu ...
.
Other dishes cooked in a ''saganaki'' pan include ''shrimp saganaki'' (, ), and ''mussels saganaki'' (, ), which are typically feta-based and include a spicy
tomato
The tomato (, ), ''Solanum lycopersicum'', is a plant whose fruit is an edible Berry (botany), berry that is eaten as a vegetable. The tomato is a member of the nightshade family that includes tobacco, potato, and chili peppers. It originate ...
sauce.
North American serving style
In many Greek restaurants in the United States and Canada, after the saganaki cheese is fried, it is
flambéed at table (often with a shout of "
opa!"), after which the flames usually are extinguished with a squeeze of
lemon
The lemon (''Citrus'' × ''limon'') is a species of small evergreen tree in the ''Citrus'' genus of the flowering plant family Rutaceae. A true lemon is a hybrid of the citron and the bitter orange. Its origins are uncertain, but some ...
juice. This is called "flaming saganaki" and apparently originated in 1968 at the Parthenon restaurant in
Chicago
Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...
's
Greektown,
[The Parthenon: History](_blank)
/ref> based on the suggestion of a customer.
See also
* Leipäjuusto
Bread cheese ( or ''juustoleipä'' ; ; or ''brödost''), sometimes known in the United States as Finnish squeaky cheese, is a Finnish fresh cheese traditionally made from colostrum, cow's colostrum. In America, cow's milk is generally used but ...
* List of hors d'oeuvre
This is a list of notable hors d'oeuvre, also referred to as appetizers or starters, which may be served either hot or cold. They are food items served before the main courses of a meal, and are also sometimes served at the dinner table as a part ...
* List of Greek dishes
* Saganaki cheese
* Smažený sýr
References
{{Cheese dishes
Culture of Chicago
Culture of Detroit
Greek cuisine
Appetizers
Cheese dishes
Flambéed foods
Articles containing video clips