A book about cooking as well as about the people of Lefkada, written by a lefkadian author, for this land of azure light, of the olive tree and cypress, of emerald seas. Evi Voutsina returns to her roots in writing this book, after having roamed around the whole of Greece for at least twelve years, researching and recording the country’s gastronomic culture. Her search does not stop at writing down recipes. She is interested in the techniques of food preparation, the conditions of life, the human aspect and all the ‘little touches’ that give each dish its particular taste: everything that constitutes the ethos of food. In the end result, while collecting recipes and listening to the stories around them, Evi Voutsina’s work is also folklore: the axis of her books is the turning seasons, the rhythms and harmony of nature; the leading role is the essence of Greek cooking (and more broadly, Mediterranean cuisine), which is the measure of it all. Pre-eminently, however, the protagonists are the people, those who are willing to share their memories with us, who will tell their charming stories of the past, with which in simplicity, yesterday is bridged to today.

**Evie Voutsina’s book “The Cookery of Lefkada” was awarded the 2008 GOURMET Prize in the category of ‘Book of Gastronomy by a Greek author’ **