Lifelong learning is a critical 21st century capacity not only for today’s elementary, high school, and university students, but also for today’s adult generation. Lifelong learning and its process of continuously acquiring new knowledge and skills keeps the mind active and the spirit lively.
Lifelong learning integrates into all parts of an active learner’s life. Learning’s true spirit doesn’t confine itself to traditional academic structures. A self-initiated learning process works well with meaningful immediacy, free of artificial structures. In other words, what do I need to know now? What can I choose to explore today?
Doorways to learning
A good example is diet. We eat every day, and we know it’s important to nourish our bodies. We enjoy comfort foods, but lack of knowledge coupled with fear of the unfamiliar can be obstacles to discovering new cuisines. Choice and curiosity open up exploration. A lifelong learner adventures into ethnic foods and discovers differences grounded in similarities. Amazingly, the new foods connect seamlessly with the familiar as lifelong learners seek meaningful ways to differentiate, categorize, and describe.
Consider making Greek desserts a convenient doorway to a fresh learning adventure. If the idea of making desserts meaningful stimulates hunger and curiosity, no need to book a flight to the Mediterranean. A splendid way to learn about new foods and to enjoy intriguing variations on familiar favorites is to attend local, community festivals.
One of New Jersey’s ethnic festivals
In New Jersey’s rural Hunterdon County, a 2011 Greek Festival hosted by St. Anna Greek Orthodox Church provided a tantalizing window into Greek foods, wines, crafts, music, dancing, cooking demonstrations, wine tastings, and perspectives into Greek specialty items including herbs and oils. And, a major highlight was the accomplishment of that church’s Ladies Philoptochos group in the preparation of a vast diversity of marvelous Greek desserts. Their sweet, culinary delights were available for tasting on-site or for taking home and freezing to make a Greek desserts learning adventure last for weeks!
Opa! Greek Desserts!
Melomakarona catches the eye immediately. This Greek pastry, a honey-soaked cinnamon delight with walnuts on top, was nestled in blue paper that set off its home baked goodness. Although officially a cookie, melomakarona is a little bit cookie, a little bit cake! Both in pronunciation and taste, it’s a mighty mouthful.
Loukoumades is a wonderful, Greek variation on a familiar favorite. These beautiful, round puffs of fried dough are the Greek version of doughnut balls. Loukoumades are served with powdered sugar sprinkled on top followed by a pour of sweet syrup. Crisp on the outside, flakey on the inside, the taste of loukoumades begs for a cup of dark Greek coffee, and the festival fulfills that caffeine-intense craving, too.
Another eye-catching baked good is Kourambiethes. Recommended as a good keeper, these Greek shortbread-like cookies are fully covered in confectioner’s sugar. Their generous roll in powdery sugar makes them lip-smacking good, and their buttery flavor makes them both a wonderfulholiday treat and an everyday sweet. A sure delight to cookie lovers is a combination of powdery kourambiethes and flavorful koulourakia, the traditional butter cookie of Greece!
It’s easy to be attracted to diples, as it’s a Greek pastry with an easy to pronounce name. Just as attractive is its puffed, flakey turnover crust appearance. To create diples, long and wide strips ofdough are cut and fried in a funnel cake manner. Then, to add to its sweet attraction, the fried dough is dipped in a honey-flavored syrup. If desired, a special sprinkling of cinnamon and crushed walnuts provides a delightful topping.
Cakes aren’t overlooked in the pantheon of Greek desserts. Karythopita is a lightly spiced walnut cake, rich and crumbly, and served with honey syrup. It’s a favorite Christmas treat, and the optional, traditional holiday ingredient of brandy always is a tasty enhancement.
Baklavais claimed by many ethnic groups , and the Greeks have their honey-rich, flakey version. Although its true origins, argued back to the Byzantine empire and earlier, remain a debate, what is inarguable is the delicacy of layers of phyllo dough used in Greek baklava. In the Greek language, phyllo means leaf, and thin layers of phyllo leaves are tiered with crushed nuts, cinnamon, and honey. Versions of baklava are many, but the ultimate result always is a multi-layered, wafer-like cake, rich with the moistness of honey and nuts. If phyllo is a culinary passion, be sure also to seek out galatoboureko, a delicious pastry of rolled phyllo leaves filled with custard.
Slideshow
Accompanying this article, a culinary slideshow of raditional Greek pastries integrates with images taken from personal travel to Athens, Meteora, and Crete.
Delightful lifelong learning
Genuine lifelong learning opens up the mind and heart. An adventure into Greek desserts is an exploration that excels in the way of all the best learning experiences. Discovering the wonder of Greek desserts delights the tongue, eyes, mind, heart, and soul. Reach for a rewarding taste of wonder, for in the words of Socrates, the ancient Greek philosopher, “wisdom begins in wonder.
