We sincerely hope you enjoy it!

If you have a suggestion, an idea or a request, you can ask me, John Krontiras, by simply replying to this email. Periodically we will have a drawing from the email addresses in our system and we will offer various gifts, i.e. free dinner, items from Nabeel's® Market, and from our new Café Capri.

Note: In most cases we have not kept the actual name/address of an individual to mail the winning Gift Certificate and as a result we mail the winner, the Certificate to their e-mail address. When you receive the e-mail, it will have a subject: Nabeel's Gift Certificate You need to open the file and save it in Microsoft Word under "My Documents". Print the document, tear the Gift Certificate out, and bring to Nabeel's to redeem it. If you live outside of the Birmingham area, please forward this e-mail (gift certificate) to nabeels@nabeels.com and a gift will be mailed to you.

Any traveler, no matter how many places or cities he has visited throughout the entire world, and no matter how many of life's experiences he has tasted, would not be satisfied if he does not see Athens and Attica!

Attica and Athens is a place where the sun shines 300 days a year and the sea enters deep in the land to form incredible formations. But, leaving all of that aside, Athens is the place where philosophy and ideas were born, the place of the human touch to the Gods and incredible mankind achievements.

Athens has many obvious highlights of the ancient Classical Greek City:

The Acropolis

The rock of the Acropolis rises up in the middle of the Athenian basin. 156 meters above sea level, with a length of 300 meters and a width of 150 meters. The rock of Acropolis, with the ruins of the Parthenon above it , is the ultimate image of the western culture. Its position is of particular strategic importance because of the view It affords of all the surrounding areas, (north, south, east, west). Many temples were built on the Acropolis and were dedicated to heroes and spirits. Also were many offerings to Gods take place in these temples. Of these offerings the most impressive was the bronze statue of goddess Athena. The statue was nine meters high and was dedicated to Athina Promachus (Athena the Champion). It was created by the famous Sculptor Pheidias as a symbol of the Athenian's victory at the Persian wars.

Parthenon

Seen from the Propylaia (the entrance doors Pro=before, Pylaia=doors). The Acropolis is dominated by the Parthenon, that is set on the rock's highest ground. The Parthenon is one of the world's stunning sites and one of the remaining Seven Wonders of the World. The erection began in 447 BC and the inauguration was in 438 BC during the celebration of the Panathenaic Games. The sculptural decoration was completed in 432 BC The architects of the Parthenon were Iktinos and Kalikratis.

Panathenaic Stadium

Was built in 330 BC by Lycourgos. In 140 AD it was renovated, by Herod Atticus, adding marble everywhere seats and all, and a majestic Propylaia. The track has a length of 204 meters, and a width of 33.36 meters. The course was marked out by herms, not ordinary distance markers, the herms were square columns with busts of Dionisios and Appolon. Today still remain four of them. I hope they'll use them in the 2,004 Olympics. In 1896 with the revival of the Olympic Games, the first games were held here some 1,500 years after the final Olympic games. Soon, in 2004, Panathenaic Stadium will be the starting point for the Olympic Games in Athens with the ceremony of the "holy flame". Athens is a modern Metropolis of approximately five million people.

This time the Olympic Games will be returning to Greece, their original place where they started in 776 BC. Indeed, there is no doubt that returning the Olympics to the country that gave birth to the Olympic ideal could be something special and spectacular.

Imagine, yourself strolling the narrow alleys of Plaka drinking your coffee and dreaming.

Imagine, yourself in a hot summer night watching a ritual performance of Ancient Greek Tragedy in the same place where theater and tragedy were born 2,500 years ago.

Imagine, watching a romantic sunset over Cape Sounion.

Imagine, yourself walking up towards the Acropolis and finally step up where the cradle of civilization stands. The PARTHENON!

Imagine, standing in the same Stadium, The Panathenaic, where thousands of years ago athletes competed.

Imagine, being there during the 2,004 Olympics, and witnessing the Marathon Race; standing on the same place and land that some 2,600 years ago Pheidipides ran the course to announce a great victory to the Athenians, that the Greeks had won the battle against the Persians, a victory from the seafront battlefield in a place called Marathon that change the course of the Western civilization.

I am ready! take a look at my Alabama tag! ATHNS04 (Athens 2004). Am I ready or not?

Imagine, imagine and imagine there is no other place in the world like Greece.
So, go there and stop imagining!

Christians all over the world celebrate Easter every year. Catholics, Orthodox, Protestants, Anglicans, etc. However there is something concerning the date that Easter is celebrated, that many people including Christian Orthodox, that do not know that most of the years, if not all, the dates that Easter is celebrated is different. For example this year (2002) The Orthodox Easter (celebrated by over 300,000,000 people around the world) is on May the 5th. Why?

I gave a brief explanation in my radio program, The Greek Hour, on WYDE TALK 850 AM, on Western Easter Sunday, April 31.Here is a more detailed explanation:

First, how did Easter get its name?
The Name "Easter" is usually attributed to Eostre (also spelled Eastre), the great mother Goddess of the Saxon people in Northern Europe. Her name derives from the ancient word for spring, "eastre"

Why would a Christian holiday be named after a pagan goddess?
This can be attributed to the work of the second century Christian missionaries eager to convert the Tutonic tribes north of Rome to Christianity. They realized that interfering with the pagan tribes' customs would make it impossible to convert them. But, quietly transform pagan customs and harmonized them with Christian doctrines. The name Eastre was eventually changed to its modern spelling, Easter.

Another indication of the antiquity of Easter is the date that is celebrated . It is determined by the lunar calendar system, which places it on the first Sunday after the first full moon on or following the Vernal Spring Equinox. We can thank the Romans (for good or for bad, even though they got most of their information from the Greeks and the Babylonians). Originally the Romans numbered years ab urbe condita meaning "from the founding of the city", of Rome of course, where much of the character of the modern world has its beginnings. Had this old calendar remained in use, 2002-01-14 would have been New Year's Day in the year 2755 a.u.c.(ab urbe condita).

Following the conquest of Egypt in 48 BC Julius Caesar consulted the Greek astronomer Sosigenes about reforming the existing calendar. The calendar that Julius Caesar adopted in 709 a.u.c. (what we now call 46 BC) was identical to that of another Greek astronomer Aristarchus devised in 239 BC and consisted of a solar year of 12 months and 365 days, and an extra day every four years.

The system of numbering years A.D. (for "Anno Domini") was instituted in 527 A.D. by a Roman abbot Dionisius Exiguus who said that the Incarnation had occurred on March 25 in the year 754 a.u.c. with the birth of Jesus occurring nine months later (on December 25th). So, year 754 a.u.c. was designated by him as 1 A.D.

The average length of a year in the Julian Calendar is 365.25 days (one additional day added every four years). The "mean tropical year" is 365.2422 days and the "vernal equinox year" is 365.2422. The difference of the Julian Calendar from the length of the real solar year is 0.0078 days (11.23 minutes or 0.0076 (10.94 minutes).

Pope Gregorius XIII after reviewing several proposals for calendar reform and decided on the one by physicist Christopher Clavius. On 02-24-1582 he issue a papal decree for the adaptation of this calendar, called after his name the Gregorian Calendar. The vernal equinox year during the last 2000 years is 365.2424 where the Julian length of the year is 365.25 a difference of 0.0076 days So, 1582*0.0076=12.02 days. So, why did Pope Gregorius only removed ten days from the old calendar instead of twelve? It had a lot to do with the First Council of Nicea (present Turkey) in 325 AD. One of the matters settled by this council was to method of determining the date of Easter (which should occur around the vernal equinox). It is believed that ten days were removed from the old calendar as a compromise, because it made it easier to correct old dates by simply inserting an X (the Roman numeral for "10").

The entire matter is not simple and it gets more complicated and confusing. Bottom line, the Eastern Christians follow the old Julian Calendar where the Western Christians follow the Gregorian Calendar. In 1923 the Eastern Orthodox Churches adopted a modified version of the Gregorian Calendar in an attempt to render the calendar more accurate. So, October 1, 1923 in the Julian Calendar became October 14, 1923 in the Easter Orthodox calendar, a difference of 13 days. Between 326 AD and 1582 AD, Christianity determined Easter by the formula approved by the Church in the Council of Nicea, with equinox defined as March 21, and even after the Schism (when the Orthodox and Catholic Churches split) through 1582 both celebrated Easter at the same day.

Although the Orthodox and Catholics are discussing using the same formula to determine Easter, the Orthodox Easter falls on different dates from the Western Christian Easter. Orthodox Easter (Greek) tends to occur only after Passover, but only since 1000 AD. The Gregorian Easter on the other hand does not track Passover. While there are different algorithms used, it is also the case that the Julian, Gregorian and Jewish calendars are slipping relative to each other.

Orthodox Easter dates based on the Julian Calendar, converted to the equivalent date in the Gregorian Calendar now in use:

So, had the Gregorian reform not take effect in 1582, and we were still using the Calendar devised by Julius Caesar in 46 BC, Easter would have been celebrated, as the tables above show April 22, 2002, by Christianity across the world!

I know it is confusing and sometimes difficult to follow or understand, but the information above that I have researched and talked about it in the Greek Hour Program should give the reader a pretty clear picture of why there are differences in the dates that the Orthodox and the Catholics Christians celebrate Easter at different times. More information is coming in future Newsletters.

Focaccia is not some trend bread introduced to the mass markets by some famous chef. Focaccia is the ancient ancestor of pizza, the American import that Americans can't live without.

It was at least 1,000 years ago that Italians first began to bake rounds of dough on rocks under mounds of hot ashes. After they were cooked fresh herbs were strewn over them. But here comes the catch! The Greeks were the first to put herbs and spices on the flat bread before it was cooked 2,00 years ago.

So, the Greeks invented Pizza!

The Romans improved it and gave its present name (foh-KAH-chee-a) a Latin word meaning hearth. Focaccia was especially popular in Naples, Italy, the birthplace of the modern pizza. It was there that tomatoes , first, adorned the dough. Unlike pizza, which is often loaded with toppings you can't taste or see. Modern focaccia, like it was in Ancient Greece, is brushed with extra virgin olive oil, sprinkled with coarsed salt, and coarsely chopped herbs (parsley, sage, basil and oregano and other toppings).

How did I get this information? And why I believe that it is true? Because it was giving to me, from my wife's and my uncle Sergio Sciancallepore, a real Italian and very well versed in historical facts. Thanks gio Sergio. So, if an Italian says it, it has to be true!

Why not take a look at our menu!

Have you ever wondered why so many cough syrups and lozenges are wild cherry flavored? At the turn of the century, most cough syrup was extracted from the bark of the wild cherry tree.

Honey and lemon

There is a reason everyone tells you to drink tea with honey and lemon when you get a cold. They're soothing, and calming agents that heal up inflammation. Coughs are usually dry tickles. Honey and lemon can help lubricate the throat and produce saliva, reducing the dry tickle.

Lemon balm

This herb has been found to have some antiviral properties. It is also calming and helps to soothe the stomach.

Thyme

Thymari as it is called in Greece, and it grows wild. Its properties may help the upper respiratory system.

Greeks consume more olive oil per person than anyone else on earth.

The Crete and Peloponnese are not only the largest oil producers but also produce the best olive oil in the world! That is where TSITALIA extra virgin olive oil comes from. From the olive tree groves of the island of Crete. Consumers, particularly those of us in the U.S.A, are in difficult position, in selecting the correct extra virgin olive oil. What you want is an oil that gives you pleasure, that you can use with abandon, instead of an expensive luxury that you are afraid to dispense each drop.

Olive oil is a commodity meant to be generously pour over salads, cooking meats, fish, poultry, etc. Therefore you need an oil that is reasonably priced and that is excellent in taste and aroma. TSITALIA® Oil gives you all of that; the aroma, the taste and a price that you can't beat.

For the next three months we are offering this exclusive Extra Virgin Olive Oil, TSITALIA, for $16.95* a 3 litter tin container. It is a product you can trust because it is brought to you by George Sarris of the Fish Market Restaurant and is available at Nabeel's International Market. * This offer is only good at Nabeel's® ® through April 31st 2002

George Sarris imports this oil directly from Greece and specifically from the island of Crete, where the first olive tree was planted some 4,500 years ago. George named the oil TSITALIA to honor his birthplace, a town in the eastern part of Peloponnese.

Only $3.59 per bottle!

You can savor the difference with Nabeel's® GLORIA Classic Greek Dressing.

GLORIA a household name for over 30 years was my father's business name in Patras, Greece. GLORIA™ Chocolatier. We use the GLORIA™ name, to honor my father, and also the person, my father, that gave this recipe to my wife, even before I got myself involved in the restaurant business and I was still in the corporate world. It came very handy we believe!

A Birmingham prominent artist, Suzan Oliver, designed the label which depicts freshness, simplicity, and taste. It is still made by hand, just like the first time, using only the finest and freshest ingredients. Just one taste and you will experience the difference. Excellent for salads and any type of grilling, whether it is meat, fish or chicken.

Try the recipe, which appears on the bottle, for the Peasant Greek Salad, dip the bread in the salad juices and enjoy a meal on its own that has been enjoyed for centuries in Greece, and is beautiful in its simplicity and wholesomeness! available at Nabeel's® Market and also at Western Supermarkets, Piggly Wiggly, and V.Richards Markets.

Click here to order now!

Visit the recipes section of our website for ideas!

If you'd prefer that we do the cooking, take a look at our menu.

Most of our recipes are recipes that we use at home, either from my family (Krontiras), or my wife's family (Mastropasqua) This one is from my wife's uncle Cosmo, that lives in Toms River New Jersey. Thank you zio Cosmo, everyone loves it!

Ingredients

8 grouper filets (about 6-8 ounces each)
10 plum tomatoes, cut in cubes
3 cloves of garlic chopped
8 oz. capers drained (*)
4 bunches of parsley leaves (not stems)
1 ˝ cups of extra virgin olive oil TSITALIA® (*)
3 large onions chopped
Salt and pepper to taste

* these items available at Nabeel's® International Market

Preparation

Take all of the ingredients, tomatoes, garlic capers, parsley, onions and put in a pot and mix real well. Pour in the extra virgin olive oil on them. Sprinkle salt and pepper to taste. Let all of these ingredients simmer, on medium heat, for about 25-30 min. and right before it comes to a boil remove from the heat and let it cool down. Place fish fillets in a baking pan and pour the vegetable mixture, evenly over the fish. Cover with aluminum foil, and bake at 400° F. for 35 minutes.

Serve hot in plates with plenty of mixture over the fish and serve with crusty Italian bread.

This dish is very popular at Nabeel's® Café every Friday for dinner. Fresh and full of flavor is something our customers rave over it. ZIO COSMO, do you have another one that you brought with you from Molfetta?

Enjoy many other fine Nabeel's recipes here!