Date: Wednesday 13th October 1965
Venue: The Midland Hotel, Birmingham
Sponsor: Mr S L Hourmouzios
Menu
Minutes – Modern Greek Dinner
On October 13th 1965, a Modern Greek Dinner was held at the Midland Hotel, Birmingham. Mr. Ernest Atkinson, recently retired from the London Editorship of “The Birmingham Post”, was prevented from sponsoring the dinner, which he had been at great pains to arrange in every detail. His place was most kindly taken by his friend Mr. S.L. Hourmouzios, London correspondent of the leading Athens newspaper “Kathimerini”.
Sundry titbits were served at the reception, including of course Dolmathakia (stuffed vine leaves) and scampi fried in batter, with the universal Ouzu and white Retsina Wine. 57 Members were present. The chairman, Sir Arthur Thomson, presided.
At the table, bidding Mr. Hourmouzios welcome, the chairman observed that the ancient Greeks were among the very first people to take food seriously. As a doctor he could not forget that both Hippocrates and Galen established food as a basis of treatment in medicine.
Mr. Hourmouzios attributed the long Greek tradition about the importance of food to the importance they attached to what went with it – talk. With the exception of certain specialities, he rated modern Greek cooking as pretty low – adding that the same was true of English cooking.
The menu began with Taramosalata, which the Greeks serve before dinner as an appetiser. We kept it till the table in order to savour it the more. It proved to be a luscious paste made of cod’s roe, beaten for hours, the longer the better, with olive oil and other ingredients.
Avgolemono – egg and lemon soup – followed. The sponsor explained that the art of making it was not to add the egg to the soup, but vice versa, little by little, while stirring gingerly; then with luck, the egg would not curdle.
The Hymettus white wine, served so far, was succeeded by Pendeli red both unpretentious and inexpensive. No Retsina wines were served with the dinner.
Next came Kalamarakia. The sponsor confessed to alarm, for instead of being the baby squid to which the name belongs, it was squid without doubt, but no longer very small. Yet his alarm, he said, had been groundless, for it proved to be as tender as any baby squid and was cooked in wine. According to tradition a Greek fisherman must fling his squid or baby octopus down upon a rock 99 times at the very least, so as to tenderise it. Perhaps our not-so-baby octopuses had been beaten many more than 99 times, for he had been most pleasantly surprised to find them so very tender. (Greek cookery seemed to members to involve a lot of beating).
Our quails, the sponsor said, were not served in true Greek fashion. He was glad, for in Greece they were served whole – head, legs, claws, the lot – on their backs, staring up at one, which put one off horribly. The menu erred dangerously, Mr. Hourmouzios said, in describing the stuffed aubergines as Imam Bayaldi, which was the Turkish name – wars had been started for less than that. The Greek stuffing; in addition to raisins and spices, sometimes included pine kernels, which added much to the flavour. As to the stuffed potatoes, they were delicious, but they were not Greek. The Greeks stuffed tomatoes, peppers, aubergines, practically everything except potatoes. Plainly on that night’s evidence, they ought to.
At this stage the Chairman called for, congratulated and toasted the Chef, Mr.Mackie, assuring him, on the Sponsor’s authority, that he had done more than produce an admirable Greek dinner, he had taught the Greeks a thing or two.
The sweet, Loucoumades, Mr. Hourmouzios,said, might be named Doughnuttus Hellenious. It must be light and buoyant, which was achieved by having the olive oil at just the right temperature when one dropped the blob of batter into it. It should be eaten very hot with a little cinnamon and some honey poured over it. Where an
Englishman would drop into a pub, a Greek went to a cake shop for his equivalent of a quick one. In humbler parts of Athens they had places where a Greek would wait till his doughnut was fried for him.
Finally, the sponsor emphasised the importance of drinking-water in Greece, like the importance of wine in France. A village might be celebrated simply for the excellence of the local water. In towns, even at the humblest care, they served iced water at once, unasked.
Thanking Mr. Hourmouzios warmly, the Chairman said that, charming as the Greek meal had been in itself, a great deal of its charm was due to the Greek sponsor.
In reply, Mr. Hourmouzios congratulated the Club on giving to gastronomy the importance and significance it deserved. “Very rarely”, he said, “does one come across a gathering like this, and it does one good”.
The following 57 members attended: Sir Arthur Thomson (Chairman), Prof. A.C. Frazer, C.L. Chatwin, D.H. Buchanan, Dr. Brian Taylor, J.P. Eames, J.P. Nelson, F.E. Pardoe, W.L. Barrows, Col. J.B. Parker, S.V. Lancaster, P.B. Whitehouse, Denison Cockburn, P.A. Hopkins, Bell-Scott, P.A.G. Osler, Dr. J.M. Malins, Dr. C.E Harrold, Harlan Walker, Dr. A.C. Houghton, A.C. Bryant, Richard Hodgkinson, E.F. Briscoe, Prof. Bryan Brooke, Prof. T.J.B. Spencer, Norman Crabtree, H L Barman, Dr. C.F. Hawkins, W.N. Hawkes, Sir Francis Knowles, Prof. Melville Arnott, C.P. Norbury, J .K. Walker, G.J.W. Turner, G. Scott Atkinson, Guy Bartleet, Maurice Newall, G.C. Trentham, E.S. Russell, Dr. S.P.S. Oswald, P.J. Feeny, Dr. A.G.W. Whitfield, D.E. Geode, P.W. Barrows, T.R. Padmore, E.H. Moore, Sir Charles Burman, P.C. Hordern, Michael Horton, C.D.A. Powell, S.T. Walker, Sir Eric Clayson, L. Hargreaves-Beare, R.S. King-Farlow, C.V. Hancock (Hon. Sec.), Michael Clapham, R.E. Threlfall
The menu card, autographed by most of those present, is appended.
(Signed) A.P. THOMSON
16.2.1966.
A copy of the menu appears below: –
Appetisers
Wines
Keftethakia
Garithes Tiganites
Dolmathakia
Ouzo
White Retsina
Menu
Taramosalata
Hymettus White
Avgolemono Soupa
Kalamarakia Me Krassi
Pendeli Red
Ortikia Skaras
Imam Bayaldi
Patates Yemistes
Loucoumades
Iced Water
Cafe
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