Connecting to our roots
Physically, I’m back in clinic in Australia but I have left my heart in Greece!
This was the first time my family and I returned to our ‘homeland’. My grandparents emigrated in the 60’s - three of them via a month long ship ride and the other, lucky enough to come by aeroplane. My mothers parent’s never went back, so it was like we were doing the trip for them too.
family tree from one side of the family
To visit a country you have never visited but hold such close ties to was surreal - to walk the ground of my grandparents villages was so special. But one of the best bits? The food.
Limnos compared to the other Islands I visited, had a different feel to it - relaxed, casual, welcoming, and the smell of oregano followed you wherever you went. Most men either work in agriculture or serve the military. We would look out of our windows to farmland that stretched out as far as you can see, goats and other livestock wandering around, the sound of their collar bells chiming as they move along.
When we talk about the Mediterranean diet and lifestyle, we know and understand the basics - olive oil, fruits, vegetables, whole grains etc. Research tells us that this promotes weight loss, is great cardiovascularly and protects against chronic disease.
Gemista - one of my favourite meals, hollowed out veg: eggplant, capsicum, tomatoes or zucchini stuffed with rice and the veg filling
For me, it was so nice to see how nothing goes to waste. My cousin has a large herd of goats, when he heard we were coming, he made fresh cheese for us from his own herd. My uncle had a goat of his that he saved to cook for us, literally the whole goat was used, we added the cheese to it, roasted and served with potatoes, salad from his garden and pita from their own produce too. Any leftovers were saved for the village cats.
Below you can see the meal I describe, with the rice and pita, me feeding the village cats, a traditional dessert dish from Limnos - kind of like gnocchi but different and a bunch of oregano put aside to dry.
On our walks throughout the village and the other surrounding areas, we would see herbs that I was familiar with and use in clinic often.
Mullein - beautiful lung herb
St Johns Wort flowers - used today for mood and as an antiviral
My uncles St Johns Wort oil - topical for wound headling
St Marys Thistle - liver and detoxification
Chaste Tree - often used in female hormone imbalances
A fresh almond we picked from a tree and snacked on - yummy!
It was so nice to see familiar bits of my life and naturopathy from back home in a country that is essentially a second home, the parallels are beautiful.
I guess what I’m trying to get at, is that if the opportunity presents itself where you get to really, truly connect to your family roots, the land where your family comes from - grab it with both hands, you never know what you may find!
The view from my window in Katalakko
