Greek Hospitality

Become a part of the tradition at the 31st annual St. George Greek Festival in Hamilton with homemade food, music and fun.

By: Megan Sullivan
   Like a honey-kissed square of baklava or a savory slice of spanakopita, Greek culture is remarkably rich. The southern European country has produced countless contributions to philosophy, astronomy, science and the arts. But filoxenia, or hospitality, is one cultural component Greeks find just as important.
   In celebration of their culture, members of the St. George Greek Orthodox Church in Hamilton will share the traditions, music and cuisine of Greece at the 31st annual Greek Festival May 18 to 21.
   Aside from authentic homemade Greek food and pastries, visitors can enjoy live Greek music and folk dancing. "I feel that non-Greeks who come here feel the warmth projected from the Greeks," says Hope Armenti, a festival organizer.
   While a majority of the food is prepared fresh the day of the festival, a few of the more complicated dishes are prepared in advance. On a recent afternoon, a mouthwatering aroma permeated St. George’s gymnasium, which will be decorated like a Greek courtyard. Inside the adjacent church kitchen, the room was buzzing with Greek women filling container upon container with fresh-made meatballs. "This is the soul of the festival, this group right here," Ms. Armenti says of the food crew.
   In making the meatballs, more than 100 pounds of onions had to be chopped and ingredients such as mint, parsley, egg, oregano, wine and lemon juice added to the ground sirloin. "They’re a lot different from Italian meatballs," Ms. Armenti says. The women store the meatballs away in freezers so they will be ready to cook in homemade sauce during the festival. "The important thing is that everything is absolutely fresh and made with the best ingredients," she says. "We don’t skimp on the cost of ingredients."
   A couple of days earlier, the women tackled diples, a fried pastry made in a rose-like shape. These sweet treats also were packed and frozen, and will be dipped in honey and walnuts during the festival. Preparations for items such as baklava, with its many thin layers of filo dough, also have to be made in advance.
   "With things like baklava, it’s very labor intensive," says pastry coordinator Mersini Ginis, who moved to the U.S. from Greece about 25 years ago. "We can’t just do it a day before."
   Other homemade items that will be featured at the "pastry shop" include galatoboureko (filo dough filled with custard), kourambiedes (butter cookies with powdered sugar), finikia (cookies dipped in honey) and tsourekia (holiday bread).
   With the many delicious desserts available, it might be tempting to skip dinner. But it’s important not to forget about the array of classic Greek dishes being offered. These entrées include moussaka (baked eggplant with meat filling), pastitsio (baked macaroni with meat filling), lemon chicken, spanakopita (filo pastry with spinach and cheese), fish plaki (baked fish), souvlakia (filet mignon shish kebob), arni psito (roast lamb) and shrimp tourko limano (shrimp with Feta cheese).
   Other features of the festival include outdoor grills with souvlaki and gyros; the Taverna, a Mezedakia Bar with hors d’oeuvres such as Feta cheese, stuffed grapevine leaves, meatballs and sausage; the Agora, a flea market; and a tour of the St. George Church, an example of Byzantine architecture. One thousand raffle tickets also will be sold for a 2006 Mercedes Benz C240 4-Matic luxury sedan.
   The Greek Festival started in 1975 as a small fundraiser organized by church parishioners, and has grown significantly since then. "It was a wonderful idea when it started," Ms. Armenti says, "and now I think we’re the oldest and largest among the Greek festivals in New Jersey." As St. George’s biggest fundraiser, the festival’s proceeds provided funding for the construction of classrooms where religious education and Greek language and dance lessons are held.
   While the festival has changed over the years, the much-loved authentic recipes have not. "We’ve been using them the last three decades," Ms. Armenti says. "Why change a good thing?"
The 31st annual St. George Church Greek Festival will take place at St. George Greek Orthodox Church, 1200 Klockner Road, Hamilton, May 18-21. Hours: Thurs. 5-10 p.m., Fri.-Sat. 11 a.m.-midnight, Sun. noon-8 p.m. Evening admission costs $2. Takeout is available during the festival by calling (609) 890-9792. For information, call (609) 586-4448. St. George Church on the Web: www.stgeorgetrenton.nj.goarch.org