Taramosalata (ταραμοσαλάτα)

☔️ Hallöchen from a very rainy Berlin. It’s a bit gloomy, but I won’t complain about having a good excuse for a movie night and popcorn.

Favorite Food interviews real people about their favorite food.

“I consider dips and condiments a complete food group."

There’s something extremely satisfying about a good dip. And there is no shortage of tasty dips in Greece.

When artist Marianna Preen mentioned that taramosalata was her favorite food, I was excited to learn more about the fish roe dip that has grown on me over the years.

We met at her house for a full-spread dip feast, featuring both her homemade version and a store-bought version for comparison.

It is taramosalata (ταραμοσαλάτα), a dip made with a mix of fish roe, olive oil, lemon and bread or potatoes. It is pink or white, with the white being the better quality version of fish roe.

I have always been a big fan of strong savoury or sour flavours since I was a kid sucking on lemon slices that I'd first sprinkled with salt. So when it comes to food, I consider dips and condiments a complete food group.

Taramosalata is traditionally eaten on the first day of Greek Orthodox Lent, where we usually go outdoors to have picnics and fly kites. So to me it is associated with blustery early spring days, snacking, and spending leisure time with family and friends.

The garish pink of the more synthetic version was always very visually attractive to me and has accompanied many weird meal combinations. But I've also been known to make a big homemade batch and eat so much that I feel queasy.

The best taramosalata ever is the one served on a beachfront taverna in Aegina (I don't remember the name haha), along with fries to dip into.

The bright pink store-bought taramosalata is due to colouring, which is carminic acid, made from crushed insect powder.

And I am still not put off by this.

Last year my partner asked me to make a batch for his birthday dinner party. Not ever having had it, he went out and bought enough fish roe to make taramosalata for a whole restaurant.

Since it was pretty early on in our relationship, I was anxious to make a good impression, but also not always comfortable asking him where things were around his kitchen. I knew he generally pre-squeezed lemons into a bottle for cooking, so I made an executive decision when I came across a bottle of yellow liquid in the fridge and added it to my mix.

It turned out to be sugary lemonade, and then he had tons and tons of lemonade taramosalata for his party. But I believe in showing who you are early on in relationships ;)

Either you can take the ferry boat to Aegina and go to the beachside restaurant on Marathonas beach, or I can give you my own recipe for homemade taramosalata.

❤️ ευχαριστώ Marianna for the delicious taramosalata dip fest.