Any time I travel somewhere new, I'm curious about the local food. Food can reveal much about a culture: the ingredients used, the customs associated with it, and the historical roots of a meal all offer unique insights. So, when I arrived in Greece and heard that παστίτσιο (pastitsio) was a well-loved dish, I decided that I had to start there, and I'm glad I did!
I tried παστίτσιο (pastitsio), which is sometimes likened to a "Greek lasagna," although this doesn't exactly get it right. It consists of flat sheets of lasagna, layered with macaroni noodles and ground beef, and topped with bechamel sauce. In Greece and throughout the Mediterranean, bechamel, a white sauce made with butter, flour, and milk, is flavored with nutmeg, which gives it a distinctly sweet flavor.
My first impression was that, while one of a kind, παστίτσιο (pastitsio) was somewhat familiar. I knew that I liked pasta dishes, and, as revealed by its name that shares a Latin root with "pasta," this is fundamentally a Greek spin on pasta. This connection helped me feel less overwhelmed by being in a new place, as I could slowly branch into new discoveries, starting with what I knew.
