One aspect of Greek cuisine that doesn’t get enough attention is charcuterie – yes, cured meats are a part of our cuisine. Mani and Messinia have Siglino and Pasto (smoked pork), the Cretans have Apaki (smoked porn loin), Corfu has Nouboulo (cured pork), Zamponi in Naxos. This is list is just off the top of my head!

Don’t forget the many regional sausages from all over the country: sausages with pork from the Peloponnese and spicy leek sausages in the north. I could list more regional sausages but I’m not going to be a slave to SEO.

The charcuterie for today is pastourma, spiced beef that is salted, air-dried, applied with a spice paste with garlic, fenugreek (and other spices) and allowed to further cure. It’s thinly sliced, served as a meze, made part of a phyllo pie with cheeses and often served with eggs.

Greeks love having eggs for dinner and I love it with slices of pastourma. Back in Greece, most producers are Armenians who have lived there for generations and in my opinion, they make the best pastourma.

Here in Toronto, Middle Easter, Turkish and some Greek spescialty shops with carry pastourma. Try Adonis in Scarborough.

This post is almost a none-recipe but more about introducing you to the combo of eggs and pastourma. It’s one of my faves!

Eggs with Pastourma

(serves 1)

2-3 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

sea salt and fresh ground pepper

sweet paprika 

1 Tbsp. chopped fresh chives (or scallions)

4-5 slices of pastourma

1. Place a skillet or non-stick pan on your stovetop over medium heat. Add the olive oil and once oil has heat up, add your cracked eggs.
2. Sprinkle with a bit of salt, some ground pepper and cook for a couple of minutes.
3. Place the cover on the pan (I like the glass ones) and cook until whites are cooked but yolks still yellow.
4. Slice the eggs onto your plate, arrange pastourma on top of eggs, garnish with a sprinkle of paprika, chives and serve with toast or crusty bread.