Greece, land of mythological romance and antiquity, bequeathed to the world not only its art and its architecture, but the art of dining and many of the basic principles of cooking... (from the Introduction)

{HISTORY}

A true delight of a vintage cookbook, the recipes in The Art of Greek Cookery were compiled in 1958, by 16 first-generation Greek women who lived in Hempstead, New York and were part of the congregation of St. Paul’s Greek Orthodox Church.

The Church, which was formed in 1944, needed to expand as its membership grew, so the ladies of the congregation formed a recipe committee as part of the church’s social organization known as the Mr. & Mrs. Club. The goal of the committee was to gather traditional recipes from their homeland and compile them into a book for American cooks as a fundraiser for the new building construction. In true Julia Child spirit,  these ladies got to work gathering, testing and adapting hundreds of recipes that were representatives of their Greek culture.  

After two and half years of laboring, they published a simple spiral-bound cookbook entitled, The Grecian Gourmet, which turned out to be a runaway success. Both the New York Times and the New York Tribune published articles about the women and their book project, which caught the attention of people all across the country.  Book orders poured in. The recipe committee was humbled and amazed that their little cookbook had become such a sensation.

The cookbook also caught the attention of New York publishing giant Doubleday and Company, who wanted to republish it under their “Art of ” cookbook series. And so The Art of Greek Cookery was born in 1963.

Containing a wealth of recipes ranging from appetizers to desserts, the cookbook also contains information on Greek wines, traditional feast days, customs, traditions, suggested menus, and a lovely forward by the then pastor, Father George Papadeas. To say that he was not only proud but impressed by the hard work and determination of these women was an understatement.  Just by reading the forward, the preface, and the introduction of this cookbook, you can tell that so much love and good cheer was behind this project. 100% of the proceeds from the book sales went into the church construction fund, which provided the congregation with more than enough money to undertake the expansion.  Both the Church and the recipe club are still going strong today. 

Photographs of some of the members of the original cookbook committee courtesy of stpaulhempstead.org and photograph of St. Paul's Greek Orthodox Church, Hempstead NY  courtesy of rohlfstudio.com

{SPECIAL FEATURES}

• 1963 Book Club Edition 
• 234 pages including detailed index
• Illustrated throughout by beloved American commercial artist and children's book illustrator Art Seiden (1923-2004)
• Contains original dust jacket and decorated coverboards
• Recipes include both traditional Greek names of each dish as well as the English equivalent 
• Interesting recipes include Stuffed Grapevine Leaves, Cocktail Meatballs, Yogurt Dip, Stuffed Mussels, Buttermilk Soup, Chicken with Dill Sauce, Codfish Stew, Chicken Stefado, Roast Lamb with Artichokes, Fresh Ham Macaronada, Moussaka ( 3 versions!), Pastichio (also 3 versions!), Stuffed Cabbage Leaves, Zucchini Souffle, Squash Fritters, Rum Cake a la Grecque, Ravani, Butter Cookies, Halvah, Caramel Custard, Eggplant Preserves and Quince Puree

{CONDITION}

In lovely vintage condition, this cookbook contains no cooking spots or stains and is clean and bright throughout. The dust jacket has been reinforced with patterned archival paper to reinforce some chippy areas along the top spine. There is mild tanning on the front endpaper. The coverboards are clean and a beautiful bright green color. The spine is tight and all pages are intact. Please see photos. 

{SIZE]

Measures 8.5" inches (length) x 5.75" inches (width) x .75" inches (thickness) and weighs 14 oz.