Jump to ratings and reviews
Rate this book

Мед, маслини, октопод

Rate this book
Вдъхновен от любовта си към Гърция и подкрепен от богатите си познания за нея, Кристофър Бакън се впуска в забележително проучване на една от най-подценяваните кухни в Европа. Той изследва традициите и историята на осем елемента от гръцката кухня – маслините, хляба, рибата, сиренето, варивата, виното, месото и меда – и обикаля в търсене на най-добрите образци от тях. Бере маслини на Тасос, пече хляб на Крит, яде мед от мащерка на Китира и научава защо Наксос е най-хубавото място за производство на сирене на Цикладите. На страниците на тази увлекателна книга Бакън изразява своята почит към разговорите, приятелството и церемониите на масата, развивали се в продължение на хиляди години. "Мед, маслини, октопод" е лирично описание на най-красивата страна на Гърция и истински празник за сетивата.

240 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2013

Loading interface...
Loading interface...

About the author

Christopher Bakken

7 books11 followers

Ratings & Reviews

What do you think?
Rate this book

Friends & Following

Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!

Community Reviews

5 stars
65 (34%)
4 stars
71 (37%)
3 stars
38 (20%)
2 stars
13 (6%)
1 star
3 (1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 34 reviews
Profile Image for Richard Derus.
3,169 reviews2,095 followers
February 16, 2024
Rating: 4* of five

The Publisher Says: Combining the best of memoir, travel literature, and food writing, Christopher Bakken delves into one of the most underappreciated cuisines in Europe in this rollicking celebration of the Greek table. He explores the traditions and history behind eight elements of Greek cuisine―olives, bread, fish, cheese, beans, wine, meat, and honey―and journeys through the country searching for the best examples of each. He picks olives on Thasos, bakes bread on Crete, eats thyme honey from Kythira with one of Greece’s greatest poets, and learns why Naxos is the best place for cheese in the Cyclades. Working with local cooks and artisans, he offers an intimate look at traditional village life, while honoring the conversations, friendships, and leisurely ceremonies of dining around which Hellenic culture has revolved for thousands of years. A hymn to slow food and to seasonal and sustainable cuisine, Honey, Olives, Octopus is a lyrical celebration of Greece, where such concepts have always been a simple part of living and eating well.

I RECEIVED A DRC FROM THE PUBLISHER VIA EDELWEISS+. THANK YOU.

My Review
: Recipes galore...one per chapter...and lush descriptions of the author’s extensive travels around the foodie paradise that is Greece.

The entire read was a fever dream of drooling and craving and meal-planning, then scrapping the plans because no one else wants this cuisine where I am. The ways that food is entwined into Hellenic culture no matter where it finds itself rooted make me think that the whole Hellenic world is onto something all of us would do well to attend to: center the glorious gifts of food culture in your daily life, do not stop being aware of what and how you are eating, use food and its rituals to strengthen your ties to others with pleasant, ongoing memories.

Bakken bring us with him on a journey in space, as well as time, delineating the cultural origins of the food rituals he brings to us. He is careful to offer his gleaned knowledge as an eager amateur, not a native expert, which sensitivity made me trust his insights more than a more learnèd, academic approach would have. I was a little afraid I would find him more on the Subject Matter Expert side, seeing as this is a book from a university press, but that was never for a moment his authorial stance.

What else would you ask for? Inquiring mind eats his way around one of the West’s oldest cultures, brings us at home his findings, and shares a trained mind’s obervations. All the way around it is a win!
Profile Image for Madhulika Liddle.
Author 14 books455 followers
April 4, 2021
Christopher Bakken, across what seem to have been several trips to Greece (not to mention countless other, earlier trips to the country), delves deep into different elements of Greek cuisine. He goes fishing for red mullet, he learns how to hunt and prepare octopus. A cheesewright teaches him how to make cheese, and her husband, a bee-keeper, takes Bakken on a tour of his hives. He helps pick olives. He visits two village bakers and learns the intricacies of their local bread.

And in between, there is plenty more. There are impromptu picnics, parties, quick lunches, leisurely meals... a veritable procession of Greek food.

I enjoyed this book a lot. I learnt a lot of things I hadn't known, and the descriptions of food, even of the very simplest of dishes, made my mouth water. There were moments when, reading late into the night, I had to exercise a lot of will-power to stop myself going and getting a snack of bread, feta, olives and olive oil. Or something; anything even slightly Greek. And of the recipes that come after each chapter (one per chapter), there are several I am certainly going to try.

Along with the food, Bakken does a wonderful job of evoking Greece itself: not just the antiquity of it, but the spirit of it, the warmth and generosity, and also to some extent the ability to live in peace with the land. The people who inhabit this book (and whose photos crop up here and there) come across as inspiring people, people who live close to the land, who understand it and are able to utilise it to its most optimum.

Highly recommended, for an understanding of both Greek food and of the people who make it what it is. The ethos of the cuisine shines through very vividly here.
Profile Image for Emanuella.
251 reviews58 followers
July 24, 2017
Препоръчително е да я четете в Гърция. При мен вървеше бавно и трудно, защото постоянно ми се искаше да правя това, което авторът прави в момента - например да бера маслини, да меся хляб, да релаксирам в бара, да се гмуркам и да обикалям островите... Голям дразнител! :) Шегата настрана, но има много интересни истории, факти и тънкости, които той е научил от местните. Наистина ми беше любопитно и приятно да ги прочета. И вече ми се ходи на море в Гърция! ;)
Profile Image for Denz.
38 reviews18 followers
September 29, 2015
Когато прочетеш половината на рандъм гръцки плаж (без излишни пари за храна, и все пак) и после в рандъм бар разказваш на рандъм непознат за книгата и методите да обезвредиш рандъм октопод и той се сеща, че познава преводачката. ах.
Profile Image for Emil Gotsev.
60 reviews10 followers
January 3, 2017
Нужната доза Гърция през цялата есен и половината зима, с любезното съдействие на "чича ни" Кристофър, който ги разбира нещата. И освен това е поет, та в тая книга всичко е точно толкова поетично, колкото е в действителност за хората, които наистина усещат Гърция. Защото не, там няма само добро обслужване и хубави плажове.
Profile Image for Allison.
Author 1 book220 followers
December 25, 2012
Not only will this book make you hungry for the flavors or Greece, you will also feel the need to pack a bag and catch the next flight to Greece. These chapters pack an immense amount of information from the chemistry of bread yeast to the caramelization of onions in revithia (and who doesn’t love a chickpea!) to the viscosity of thyme honey. Dispensed between the main chapters (which are enlightening and memoir-esque) are little recipe vignettes that are more narrative than how to guides (but are also very user friendly if you want to follow the recipes). But what is most wonderful about this book is the way that Bakken captures the people of Greece; his cast of characters not only teach him about the foods of Greece, but also unveil the essence of life in Greece . Reading this book gives you a sense of what it is like to be in a culture that centers “being” on the moment when everyone is communed together to break bread. As a very dear Greek friend told me once: Without the people, this place is just rocks. Bakken captures this sentiment without ever expressing it directly, because it’s just understood. This book is fabulous. Everyone should join the table, and come hungry.
Profile Image for Emily Boerner.
104 reviews
November 29, 2013
Didn't finish this one... Felt I had to read it because of my personal ethnic Greek lineage, and love of olives, octopus and honey (I am now keeping bees). The book was an disorganized expose about food, history, culture, and all other things Greek. If you have something to identify with in this book, it may entertain you. But I have been to Greece fifteen times. I have to admit I feel guilty for not appreciating this book... But it was disjointed and a bit flat.
Profile Image for Matthew.
Author 1 book6 followers
February 23, 2013
Should come with a warning label: you will now crave olives, Greek wine, ouzo, and Thyme honey.
Profile Image for Bookmaniac70.
540 reviews102 followers
July 16, 2015
Книгата със сигурност ще се хареса на хората, които обичат да четат за храна и кулинарни пътешествия. Много приятна и разпускаща.
Profile Image for Alexander.
5 reviews
February 8, 2023
Купих си книгата, защото отивах на почивка и имах нужда от нещо свежо, лесно за четене и което да ми достави удоволствие. Обичам Гърция, обичам храната и виното, обичам да чета - по всички критерии тази книга нямаше причина да не ми хареса. За съжаление, не се получи точно така.

От една страна, основна причина книгата да не ме грабне беше преводът - прекалено буквално използване на американски термини и изкази, което на български звучи, ако не спънато, то направо безсмислено. От друга страна, дори да превъзмогнем превода, то самият начин на писане на автора също е леко... тромав (което се потвърждава и от рецензиите тук). И доколкото обичам морска храна и октопод, то кръвожадността му в описанията за лова на окотоподи беше прекалена на места (да доубиеш уловения октопод като го захапеш между очите, за да не се мъчи - не). Съгласен съм, че ако ще ядем месо, то е редно поне веднъж да убием създанието, което ще сготвим след това, така че истински да разберем какво означава да отнемеш живот. Но при описанията на Кристофър Бекън в цялата книга има прекалена доза удоволствие от това, към което той не спира да се връща и да повтаря, което също ме отблъсна.

Да, Гърция е преркасна, да, храната там е великолепна, да, традициите им са живи и вълнуващи, но за мен тази книга не успя да ме грабне и пренесе по един увлекателен и приятен начин там.
Profile Image for Ипек Гюнай.
76 reviews15 followers
November 16, 2022
🇬🇷“Мед, маслини, октопод” е едно кулинарно приключение, но на малко по-различно ниво, защото ставаме свидетели на бране на маслини и на грозде, ловуване на барбун и октопод, събиране на мед от мащерка и правене на ципуро, обикаляне по безброй таверни и винени изби.
🗺Историята не бих казала, че ме грабна и някак ми напомни на пътеписа “До Чикаго и назад”, който ненавиждах 😅
⛵️Хубавото тук е че читателят се пренася в Гърция и обикаляйки всички градове, села и островчета, докосвайки се до бита, традициите и живота на местното население всъщност се влюбва в тази страна, а за любовта към Гърция може да се говори много.. Гърция несъмнено те пленява със своята кухня, безкрайните плажове, скритите заливчета, невероятно красивите залези и остава в сърцето ти завинаги 💙💙💙
🌊“..слушам вълните, разбиващи се в скалите долу, след което потъвам в сънища, в които се търкалят милиард маслини”
“Дай ми вино да отмия всичките петна от грижи”
“Никое същество няма силата на пчелата да хвърля мост между царствата отвъд границитена възприятията: напада планинските цветове, за да напълни пити с шестоъгълни килийки, донася нектар на земята, за да му се наслаждават смъртните.”
Profile Image for Kris.
354 reviews6 followers
April 29, 2020
Автобиографична история или по-скоро пътепис и то не толкова за път, колкото за няколко отделни посетени места из Гърция в търсене на гастрономически удоволствия "от кухнята" или даже от дървото - авторът, както пише и в анонсите "бере маслини на Тасос, пече хляб на Крит, яде мед от мащерка на Китира и научава защо Наксос е най-хубавото място за производство на сирене на Цикладите.".
Като човек, който обожава да път��ва/морето/сиренето/маслините/меда/Гърция/да чете... книгата ми даде идеи за места, където да отида, за да изям нещо покрай плуването и печенето и разходките.
Но не очаквайте история. Няма такава. Има храна и Гърция. :)
(Октопод няма да ям, обаче. Може да са вкусни, ама са толкова интелигентни животни, че съм ги изключила от менюто)
Profile Image for Abby Mapel.
98 reviews
January 21, 2022
This book is almost impossible for me to rate. If nothing else, it reconnected me with Greece, which I find myself missing more and more the longer I’m away.

Things I liked:
•Bakken’s poetry showed through. The man is a lyricist!
•Sometimes he comes across as so heartfelt, genuine, and passionate.

Things I didn’t like:
•He comes across as SOOOO arrogant sometimes!!
•That’s really it. It made this book difficult to read for me. I know this was his way of showing appreciation for Greece, but it often came across as boring, fetishized, or caricatured.

I’m glad I read it once, but I definitely won’t be reading it again.
July 10, 2019
Цяла зима отлагах тази книга, чаках знойно лято, море, плаж, Гърция... Разходих я до там и обратно, само я разгръщах, без един прочетен ред, оставих се на собствените си осезания и рецептори. Вече у дома я прочетох със задоволство, удължавайки удоволствието си от почивката и като че ли си мисля, това съвсем не е лятно четиво, "когато сняг забръска", дните станат едни такива малки, сиви, недружелюбни, защо да не поемеш тогава една доза Гърция със слънце, тюркоазено море, октопод, калмари, узо, ципуро , маслини...спокойствие и нега, която те отпуска и стопля, забравяйки студ и мрак.
Profile Image for Hristina Ivanova-Petrova.
327 reviews26 followers
January 21, 2021
If I could give this book a milion-star rating, I would! Definitely one of my most favourite books of all time.
Such a lovely, dreamy read and s writing style which immerses you in such a way that you feel immediately transported to Greece. I loved every word of every page and I wish Bakken would write a thousand more books of prose so that I can read them all.
I'm sad I finished it (evidently I stretched this as much as possible spreading the 200 pages across 3 weeks) and will definitely reread it in a few years, when the details have escaped my memory.
Profile Image for Claudia.
25 reviews
May 18, 2022
A great culinary primer before a trip to Greece. I appreciated the author's passion for Greece and his respect for the people who preserve the nation's "slow food" traditions. This travelogue focuses on food, but weaves in other adventures.
Profile Image for Amy Lajiness.
32 reviews1 follower
June 6, 2018
I absolutely loved this book. If you want to be utterly transported to Greece every time you crack open a book, you should pick this one up 😊
Profile Image for Annabelle.
71 reviews
July 22, 2021
An engaging travel/food memoir written with tremendous love for the people, land, and food of Greece
June 10, 2022
Не успя да задържи интереса ми, въпреки обещаващото начало.
Profile Image for Steven.
Author 1 book41 followers
April 4, 2020
A love letter to Greece through its food. Bakken's explorer's spirit shows the central role that food plays in Greece, both as a connection to the land (each chapter highlights a signature ingredient linked to a specific place in Greece) but also as the glue between people. Bakken's adventures through Greece, his deep love of the country, and his encyclopedic knowledge of Greek cuisine are on virtuosic display. Can't wait to try out some of his thoroughly researched and hard-won recipes!
Profile Image for Darren.
1,193 reviews55 followers
February 15, 2013
A difficult book to categorise, with it being a mixture of food writing, travelogue, memoir and general humorous reading, here the author takes a light-hearted, yet serious look at Greek cuisine and what goes on at table.

Eight key elements of Greek cuisine, namely olives, bread, fish, cheese, beans, wine, meat and honey are investigated, examined and reported in the book's 18 chapters, wrapped and mixed up together. This book is a journey or experience, if one pardons the travel metaphor, akin to a long, intense high-end restaurant tasting menu. It is not a quick "grab and go" snack or takeaway hamburger. To get the most out of the information you need to immerse yourself within the book, rather than quickly look up a specific ingredient or take out a recipe.

That said, there are a few recipes within the book, but they are more for example rather than being a collection of recipes with a bit of writing tacked on at the side. Books of this nature are horrendously difficult to review because it relies so much on the perceived requirements, interests and prejudices of the reader. You may either love it, hate it or remain stony-faced neutral. Personally this reviewer prefers books of this kind to be more on the factual side of things than prosaic, novel-like. More of a travel guide with cold hard facts than an illuminated travelogue. However, the book manages to be engaging, charming and interesting without being burdened down by the author's character taking over. The author, whilst central to the story, remains still in the shadows and the subject is allowed to shine.

This book won't be for everyone. This is a book you need to focus on as it is mostly textual in nature. The style encourages you to think and consider rather than just passively consume - and that is rather a good thing overall. You are certainly left wanting more, without feeling short-changed, and you do feel that your brain cells have received a fair load of information that might even be retained, rather than a more mundane stream of filler material.

The price tag might rule this book out from being a mainstream holiday read but for those with an open mind to matters might still consider it a worthy investment for a rather different, unique kind of book!

Honey, Olives, Octopus: Adventures at the Greek Table, written by Christopher Bakken and published by University of California Press. ISBN 9780520275096, 256 pages. Typical price: USD34.95. YYYY.



// This review appeared in YUM.fi and is reproduced here in full with permission of YUM.fi. YUM.fi celebrates the worldwide diversity of food and drink, as presented through the humble book. Whether you call it a cookery book, cook book, recipe book or something else (in the language of your choice) YUM will provide you with news and reviews of the latest books on the marketplace. //
Profile Image for K.
785 reviews3 followers
March 28, 2021
Re-read (for a bookclub) March 2021: This book did not improve on second reading. Bakken's true love for his twin subjects (food and Greece) are the only saving grace in a book that would otherwise be, for me, an impenetrable series of too-long descriptions of what exactly what Bakken is eating. That said, those two loves are enough to make you want to be friends with all of Bakken's Greek friends, which is not nothing.

Original review:
2.5 stars. I love Greece, and Bakken clearly loves Greece, and so despite our disagreements on some of the particulars (Why would you ever dislike Athens?) we have that in common. This is the kind of book that talks about the differing mouthfeel of a variety of cheeses, though, and while I love Greek food, I am just not foodie enough to appreciate that.

Points for the best description of Tsipouro ("It's ouzo's evil cousin.") I have read to date, though.
Profile Image for B. Rule.
861 reviews38 followers
October 10, 2013
This book is truly evocative of Greece and is at times quite striking in its language. The author is a poet but the text wears its poetic motifs lightly. You really get a sense of the rhythms of Greek village life from the author's accounts of his time there, and the descriptions of the food will make you salivate. My only complaint is that the author frankly seems a bit obnoxious. There are a few places where he describes the awe of some Greek villager at hosting A VERY IMPORTANT SCHOLAR AND POET, A GREAT MAN! and it is just ridiculous. He comes off as a pompous ass and I can sense the annoyance (and patience) of his Greek "friends" through the text. If you can ignore the ego monuments he erects along the way, this book is a pleasant journey around Greece.
Profile Image for Vasko Genev.
304 reviews71 followers
June 28, 2019
След толкова време от прочита на тази книжка, считам че съм я порязал с две звезди. В крайна сметка не мога да имам кой знае какви очаквания за лека книжка. Пък и не е толкова зле, нищо че по сухарски начин разказва за гръцките благини.

Имаше страхотно начало...
Описани са страхотни места, интересни хора, невероятна храна, но сякаш само се пишеше за вдъхновението, а самото то отсъстваше. Непрекъснато усещах професионалната амбиция на автора да пише вдъхновено, да цитира, да сравнява по някаква схема на творческо писане.
Profile Image for Leah.
23 reviews8 followers
June 25, 2015
Excellent book. Be forewarned: while reading it (and after) you will want to visit Greece to taste all the flavors for yourself!
Reread in June 2015 on Thasos. Still a great book but now that I have seen Greece and met all the interesting people, my reading of it is even better.
Profile Image for Jamie Outlaw.
24 reviews2 followers
March 19, 2014
A beautiful book... I wasn't able to visit Greece this year, but this book took me there. If you love Greece, you will love this book.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 34 reviews

Can't find what you're looking for?

Get help and learn more about the design.