Cultures from Around the World

Greece

Staff Member: Euan Downward

Hello and welcome to the first edition of Cultures Around the World. Here is how it works: we mention a random and unique culture from around the world in each new edition of the newspaper and talk about it (this is for fun and not a super deep dive into the culture we mention). This section is organized as follows: overview, values, language, and cuisine. This world we live in is so unique and wondrous; I just want to talk about all of it, but I cannot possibly do that in one section of a newspaper, so I’m going to do it one culture at a time.

So to start, the culture to be mentioned this month is the Greeks, known for their momentous achievements in law, philosophy, mathematics, and science. Many famous and well-known people originated from Greece; philosophers like Plato and Socrates asked critical questions about our existence and the nature of us and this world, and people like Hippocrates changed people's perception of anatomy and the body. Or Archimedes, who made many famous inventions, like the Archimedes screw, which is still used today. So, for an overview, they made many breakthroughs in science and math.

There are many values for Greek culture, but none are as important as family. A child of someone may live with their parents well into adulthood. Age also translates to respect for the family member; people usually hold high respect for their grandpa and grandma. Families are almost always together. Strangers are usually welcomed to a household with open arms. The Greeks also highly value education for their children. They prize education because it leads to better paths in life for their children.

The Greek language is one of the oldest recorded languages in Europe, as it is over 3400 years old. About 13 to 14 million people use this language worldwide. Up to 5% of the English language is Greek. It was also the first language to use dedicated vowels. And the language of science is about 90% Greek Roots. The longest word in Greek literature is 171 letters long, first used to describe a massive fictional food dish from a playwright made by Aristophanes in 391 BCE.

Greek cuisine is world-renowned for its freshness and herbs. For example, a gyro, which is meat (usually chicken or pork) with fresh tomatoes and red onions, served with French fries inside a warm pita bread. Or moussaka, which is fried eggplant with a meat sauce and béchamel (a white sauce made of butter and flour cooked with whole milk). And there is spanakopita, which is spinach/herby pie. It has many ingredients, including phyllo dough for the crust, a little bit of nutmeg, and spinach with herbs (including dill, mint, and parsley).

That's my little take on Greek culture. I had a blast making this, and goodbye!