Saganaki

Saganaki

Saganaki (Greek σαγανάκι lit. 'little frying-pan') is a Greek appetizer of fried cheese.

The cheese used is usually Kefalograviera, Kasseri, Kefalotyri, or sheep's milk Feta cheese. Regional variations include the use of Formaella cheese in Arachova and Halloumi cheese in Cyprus.

The cheese is melted in a small frying-pan until it is bubbling, and generally served with lemon juice and pepper. It is eaten with bread.

In some United States, Canadian and Australian restaurants, after being fried, the saganaki is flambéed at the table (typically with a shout of "opa!") and the flames then extinguished with a squeeze of fresh lemon juice. This practice reportedly originated in the 1960s at The Parthenon restaurant in Chicago's Greektown.^[1][2][3]

Other, unrelated, dishes also prepared in a single-serving frying-pan may be called 'saganaki', including shrimp saganaki (Greek γαρίδες σαγανάκι) and mussels saganaki (Greek μύδια σαγανάκι), which are typically Feta-based and include a spicy tomato sauce.

Etymology

The word saganaki is a diminutive of sagani, a frying pan with two handles, which comes from the Turkish word sahan.^[4]

References

1. ^ "Exploring Chicago". University of Illinois at Chicago. http://www.uic.edu/depts/chcc/chicago.htm. Retrieved on 2007-09-23. 
2. ^ Zeldes, Leah A (2002-09-30). "How to Eat Like a Chicagoan". Chicago's Restaurant Guide (Chicago's Restaurant Guide). http://web.archive.org/web/20021001023605/www.chicagorestaurant.com/show_article.php?aID=13. Retrieved on 2002-09-30. 
3. ^ The Parthenon: History
4. ^ Babiniotis, Λεξικό της Νέας Ελληνικής Γλώσσας