A Bite of the Mediterranean

I think my understanding of the Greek culture was developed through the following things in order:

1. one of the early language translations of the Bible
2. the Olympics, the Olympic torch, and laurel leaf crowns
3. college toga parties inspired by the movie Animal House
4. statistics and math classes in college (μ σ π Σ ΦΒΚ)
5. yet another classic movie, My Big Fat Greek Wedding

Yes, it’s a pitiful list. Yes, I grew up in a barn … well, not literally, but a farm in NW Iowa limits your exposure to worldly cultures (yes, we had electricity and indoor plumbing). Keep in mind we are going back to the late 60’s, 70’s, and 80’s here: no Google, no internet, no computers. You learned the culture of your community and in my case that was Western European and Scandinavian.

How grateful I am to have eventually been introduced to the Greek food culture! Spanakopita, feta, baklava, yogurt, olives, and gyros. The list is much longer but I always seem to gravitate to the gyros. Warm pita bread, tangy tzatziki, crisp vegetables, and that peppery lamb … it’s amazing. End the meal with a crispy, buttery piece of baklava and … Opa!

In my efforts to #makemeatballsgreatagain, the concept of a Gryo meatball was very appealing. Small meatballs that could be layered in a pita for the traditional sandwich or added to a salad with all the veggies and tzatziki sauce or served as an appetizer with olives and tzatziki was something I knew I had to conquer. I browsed through recipes on Pinterest for gyro meatloaf, meatballs, and shredded meat and combined them with my tried-and-true basic recipe (Meatballs 101) to get a thumbs-up approval from my husband.

I like this recipe so much, it makes me wanna throw my head back and … SHOUT!

… a little bit softer now …
… a little bit softer now …

I cannot leave you without the recipe for Tzatziki Sauce: