Agora's all about food, marvelous Greek food
Visitors to the Greek Agora Festival can buy paintings, browse handmade jewelry, take a tour of an Orthodox church and watch traditional dancing.
But the main reason people come to the annual four-day celebration is the food -- lots of food.
There's pastitsio (baked pasta with ground beef), moussaka (baked eggplant) and one of the all-time favorites, the gyro (marinated lamb on pita bread with yogurt sauce).
"The gyros are out of this world," said Paul Russoniello, 56, of Haddonfield, who came to the festival during lunch on Thursday. "It's not usually a flavor you get from American food."
The Greek Agora Festival runs through Sunday at St. Thomas Greek Orthodox Church on Mercer Street. More than 20,000 people are expected to attend what's billed as the largest festival of its kind in the Delaware Valley.
Agora means marketplace and that's just what people will find at the festival, said George Horiates, a church volunteer who helps organize the event.
There's a grocery that sells cheese, olives and oils. There are fresh baked goods and wine. Many of the recipes have been handed down from generation to generation.
"It's a virtual tour of Greece," said Horiates, adding that it's a time to be proud of Greek religion, language and culture. "It starts off with food and drink. I enjoy the ability to show off our Greek culture."
One of Horiates' favorite foods is lamb, which is roasted daily. "It's a wonderful thing."
While lamb, chicken and pork dishes abound, there are also dishes that appeal to vegetarians, he said. There's Greek salad with feta, olives, lettuce, tomatoes and onions, as well as spanakopita, a dish made from spinach, herbs and feta cheese baked in a pastry.
"It's kind of hard to not like anything that's here," he said.
Chris Diamantoukos was helping cook gyros and souvlaki. The crew has cooking in the busy area down to military precision.
"It's a lot of work, but it gives you satisfaction," said Diamantoukos, 57. "At the end of the day, it's part of the heritage."
Eve McCance, 44, of Cherry Hill counts the days to Agora.
"It's a great opportunity to explore different kinds of food," she said. "The food is just delicious."
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Courier-Post By MICHAEL T. BURKHART
Εδώ θα δείτε ολόκληρο το άρθρο της εφημερίδας του South New Jersey "Courier-Post" που αναφέρετε στο Greek Festival, το οποίο είναι must κάθε χρόνο για όλους...Έλληνες, Αμερικανούς και όχι μόνο...Στην σελίδα θα δείτε και πολλές φωτογραφίες από το festival, και έτσι βγήκα από τον κόπο να τις τραβήξω εγώ   και μην ξεχάσετε να παρακολουθήσετε και το βίντεο.
Heavy~Metal Angel
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ΦΛΟΓΑ
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