#stamatakis

A new documentary about the ancient Lavrio mines, which were so rich in minerals that their exploitation made possible the rise of Athens as a naval power, shows the labyrinth of underwater tunnels in their now-flooded shafts.

When author Stella Stamatakis was asked to choose a cherished recipe to share, it wasn’t hard to pick.

“My mother’s avgolemono (egg and lemon) soup; it’s an emotional choice for me,” she explains. “Something that is meaningful, that she makes for her grandchildren happily.”

The dish has developed into somewhat of a family custom, that signifies reunion. When yiayia Eleni touches down in Melbourne from Adelaide, even in the summer, the first thing that goes into the pot is a chicken.

For Stella, it’s a special experience to have her mother cook for her children the recipes she herself ate growing up; one she has documented in her recently released children’s book What’s a yiayia?