Question to the Greeks

[Philosopher]

According to the Commission, the biodiversity of the land coupled with the special breeds of sheep and goats used for milk is what gives feta cheese a specific aroma and flavor. When needed to describe an imitation feta, names such as "salad cheese" and "Greek-style cheese" are used. The European Commission gave other nations five years to find a new name for their "feta" cheese, or stop production. Because of the decision by the European Union, Danish dairy company Arla Foods changed the name of its white cheese products to Apetina, which is also the name of an Arla food brand established in 1991.

The information above makes no sense Spitfire. If you think about it, the same argument can be made with all products. Why isn't Cretan olive oil trademarked? There is a unique biodiversity of Crete, with special varieties of olives, especially Ierapetra, that are used to make olive oil. The olive oil of Crete is very different than the olive oil from Morocco.

Why isn't Macedonian "sarma" trademarked? It too is a foreign word (Turkish), but it is prepared in a unique way utilizing the unique biodiversity of Macedonia, and the cabbages its soil grows are used to produce a fermented cabbage like no other. And then it is wrapped with rice or minced meat. Why won't the EU recognize this unique food and trademark it?

Spitfire, I understand your argument. However, it appears to me that feta is not Greek. The name itself is of non-Hellenic origin. And the actual origin of the cheese cannot exclusively be Greek.

If you notice what Wikipedia states, Cretans and Vlachs made feta. Crete is in the Eastern Mediterranean. Thessaly, however, is right there in the Balkans. And it is the Vlachs, non-Greeks, who made it. This means feta is not a Greek product. It is a product made by both Greeks and Vlachs in Greece. This ignores the fact that the same cheese was also being made outside of Greece, and probably long before it was made in Greece.

I think Greece seized the opportunity to take another common food in the Balkans and south west Asia and placed its Greek stamp on it. Everywhere I look I see this "4000 years" of Greek culture and unique Greek cuisine. 4000 years! This is madness. Feta is no more Greek than Moussaka or Baklava or Greek yogurt.

[George S.]

there are a lot of unanswered questions.How can the greeks claim 4000 years of greek history when they only been about 2800 years on the greek peninsular.They claim to have classical history.They call minoans and mycenians greek or pelasgians as greeks.These were different people languages etc to the greeks the macedonians were eeons before the greeks.I don't class the greeks even indegenous to the greek peninsular.;matbe just colonists.They took other people's ideas and hellenised them.The food is no mean examp0le.

[Tomche Makedonche]

Well,in my 30 years here I am yet to see Macedonian musaka with rice in it.What area does your family come from in Macedonia?
Most Macedonian musaka as I know has mince,potatoes and eggs (what you suggested as the serbian one above).
I know some people replace eggs with some hopla (neutralna pavlaka,possibly "cream" in English) but this is the first time I heard about rice.

The same. In my family traditions, we use potato and eggplant.

Well obviously your recipes have been greek/serb – asized hehe (se zafrkavam)

My Roda is from Mariovo, the southern most villages (Kajmakchalan area), and during my upbringing, I have only ever known it to be made with those ingredients.

The first time I encountered the recipe with Jajca instead of rice was from a Serbian friend from Nish. Similarly the first time I encountered the Crn Domat recipe was from a Greek friend. We all shared the same confusion regarding the presence or absence of rice from eachothers recipes. I don’t know what else to say, I guess I feel even more special now

[Tomche Makedonche]

I think Greece seized the opportunity to take another common food in the Balkans and south west Asia and placed its Greek stamp on it.

That's pretty much it

[lavce pelagonski]

I'm from Ohrid we make our musaka with oris.

[Tomche Makedonche]

I'm from Ohrid we make our musaka with oris.

Of course you do, cause that's the proper traditional Macedonian recipe hehe

[spitfire]

I think Greece seized the opportunity to take another common food in the Balkans and south west Asia and placed its Greek stamp on it. Everywhere I look I see this "4000 years" of Greek culture and unique Greek cuisine. 4000 years! This is madness. Feta is no more Greek than Moussaka or Baklava or Greek yogurt.

My thesis is that antiquity belongs to antiquity and no one else. And it is so in fact. Let's take the parthenon for instance. Do you think that because it is on greek soil, greece can do whatever it wants to it? Not anymore. These monuments belong to the human kind.

there are a lot of unanswered questions.How can the greeks claim 4000 years of greek history when they only been about 2800 years on the greek peninsular.They claim to have classical history.They call minoans and mycenians greek or pelasgians as greeks.These were different people languages etc to the greeks the macedonians were eeons before the greeks.I don't class the greeks even indegenous to the greek peninsular.;matbe just colonists.They took other people's ideas and hellenised them.The food is no mean examp0le.

2800 years, that's somewhere Homer's time right? Historians use the information they found in the Iliad to come to the conclusion that it spreads over 1200BC, that makes it 3200 years.
Historians do that all the time. This is one way of finding out. And sometimes the archaeologist agree.
As in the Iliad where it was thought of as a depicted story, until they found that it was not. The findings so far can claim 4000 years. Who knows? Maybe in the future this limit will be superseded.

[George S.]

Spitfire the hellenes arrived in greece in 2800 bc so how do you figure 4000 years of existence of the greeks its a lie.But in contrast the macedonians were on the balkans twice as long maytbe more.Also the illiad was NOT uage it was written.I read that it took the greeks a couple of hWRITTEN IN GREEK.IT WAS WRITTEN in PELASGIAN.These are people that prexisted the greeks.The illiad was not understood originally as it wsn't the greek language.It took the greeks a couple hundred years to decipher the illiad.Also thats why pelasgian and macedonian had similar words .If you doubt this have a lok at the youtube compare the original words with todays macedonian.
Also greeks claim 4000 years of history and call it CLASSICAl history.On deeper reading we find the greeks are really appropriating call it missappropriating other people's cultures ,history etc completely different to the greeks.THe greeks never understood their languages.Yret they claim some sort of protogreek no such thing existed for the colonists.
The achaens another name for greek came to greece about 3200 bc
and hellenes came about 2800 bc(trojan war)happened about 2800 bc
also the greeks got their phonecian alphabet at about 2800 bc.So how can you figure 4000 years of greek history.You can't.THey are just lying
if they say it often enough it becomes fact.Spitfire you would have to admit i know my history he he,.

[spitfire]

The Iliad was not understood originally? I can understand the original text to a good degree using my greek. Languages evolve. The more you go back the more difficult it is to understand, this is true, but this is because languages evolve.
For instance, a text written around 500BC, is more easily understood to me than the text of Homer which was around 800BC. Another example, the Bible. It's dead easy.

[George S.]

spitfire i got into a discussion about the word tolumbi.apparently its not a greek word but a turkish word i discovered it means cake.THese particular greeks said they thought it was greek but when they found out they said they won't eat it ever again.There are a lot of things that greeks use or make but they aren't greek.

[spitfire]

Spitfire the hellenes arrived in greece in 2800 bc so how do you figure 4000 years of existence of the greeks its a lie.But in contrast the macedonians were on the balkans twice as long maytbe more.Also the illiad was NOT uage it was written.I read that it took the greeks a couple of hWRITTEN IN GREEK.IT WAS WRITTEN in PELASGIAN.These are people that prexisted the greeks.The illiad was not understood originally as it wsn't the greek language.It took the greeks a couple hundred years to decipher the illiad.Also thats why pelasgian and macedonian had similar words .If you doubt this have a lok at the youtube compare the original words with todays macedonian.
Also greeks claim 4000 years of history and call it CLASSICAl history.On deeper reading we find the greeks are really appropriating call it missappropriating other people's cultures ,history etc completely different to the greeks.THe greeks never understood their languages.Yret they claim some sort of protogreek no such thing existed for the colonists.
The achaens another name for greek came to greece about 3200 bc
and hellenes came about 2800 bc(trojan war)happened about 2800 bc
also the greeks got their phonecian alphabet at about 2800 bc.So how can you figure 4000 years of greek history.You can't.THey are just lying
if they say it often enough it becomes fact.Spitfire you would have to admit i know my history he he,.

I think you mixed up the numbers. Homer wrote in 800BC something that was refering to 1200BC.
It's not 4000BC, It's 4000 years, that's 2000BC.

[George S.]

Spitfire just have a look at the original words of the illiad on youtube compared to macedonian words.So the claim that its classical greek is a false claim or that it was only in greek is false.You aren't serious are you?Greeks claim some absurd things.

[George S.]

Yeah its even worse the greeks hellenes came at 800 bc not 4000 years ago.Its even worse sorry about that.You have been indoctrinated to beleive that everything is greek.hehe

[spitfire]

spitfire i got into a discussion about the word tolumbi.apparently its not a greek word but a turkish word i discovered it means cake.THese particular greeks said they thought it was greek but when they found out they said they won't eat it ever again.There are a lot of things that greeks use or make but they aren't greek.

Tolumbi? Haven't heard of it. I know tolumba or touloumba that looks like this:

[spitfire]

Spitfire just have a look at the original words of the illiad on youtube compared to macedonian words.So the claim that its classical greek is a false claim or that it was only in greek is false.You aren't serious are you?Greeks claim some absurd things.

Youtube? You must understand this. All the words can be explained through the root of their meaning. It is a very long discussion and we are talking about food. I don't need youtube to read the Iliad. I understand the Iliad on my own.