Eleni Georgiou

My yiayia came to Athens from Smyrna in 1922 with nothing except her recipes, and those recipes are still what I cook every Sunday: soutzoukakia with cumin, pies with wild greens, and the cinnamon rice pudding she made whenever anyone was sad. I was a food journalist for a Greek newspaper for ten years and I have eaten in more Athenian tavernas than is healthy. My food walks go through the Varvakios market, where the butchers shout and the fishmongers splash you, into the spice shops on Evripidou, and through Psyrri for meze with ouzo or tsipouro. We try koulouri, the sesame bread ring Athenians eat on the way to work, loukoumades with honey, and a proper souvlaki, the pork kind, wrapped in pitta. I lived in Lyon for three years and speak French. The first stop is a lot of cheese. You can now join my walks through Athens live on video, from any device, and ask me questions as we go.