Obama Speaks & Eats Greek at White House

Greece Is | April 7th, 2016

Archbishop Demetrios takes the podium as a representative of the Greek community in the US

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U.S. President says “Zito i Ellas” before digging into his spanakopita at Greek Independence Day dinner

US President Barack Obama greeted hundreds of prominent Greek Americans at the 30th Annual White House Greek Independence Day dinner which took place on April 4. Addressing the Greek community, he welcomed guests to the Lefkos Ikos (White House). He emphasized the relationship between Greece and the United States that is deeply rooted in history.

“Our cultures are deeply connected,” he said. “Michelle is constantly filling our refrigerator with Greek yogurt.” On a more serious note, his speech focused on the bonds that bind both countries as allies, ending with the phrase, Zito i Ellada! (Long Live Greece).

Greek-American ties were sealed with mouth-watering food prepared by Filipino-American chef Cristeta Comerford, who has been the White House chef since 2005. On the menu were numerous meatless offerings, bearing in mind the fact that the meal was held during the Greek-Orthodox Lent period and attended by high-ranking Greek Orthodox officials as well as a large number of guests who follow the 40-day fast.

The White House Chef Cristeta Comerford prepared a rich buffet featuring traditional Greek delicacies.

© Gregory Pappas (www.pappaspost.com)

Guests sampled the best of Greek cuisine including moussaka and spanakopita (spinach pie).

© Gregory Pappas (www.pappaspost.com)

Dolmades (vine leaves stuffed with minced lamb and rice)

© Gregory Pappas (www.pappaspost.com)

Guests sampled the best of Greek cuisine with moussaka, spanakopita (spinach pie), dolmades (vine leaves stuffed with minced lamb and rice), Cretan-style skordalia (garlic dip) with beetroot, crab and zucchini cakes and a host of other scrumptious traditional recipes.

The three desserts on offer included pasta flora (sweet tart), galaktoboureko (custard in filo pastry) and traditional Greek baklava.

White House Greek Independence Day dinner trivia

The first Greek Independence Day White House dinner took place during Ronald Reagan’s Administration in 1986.
Only two countries get a special dinner in their honor at the White House – Ireland and Greece.
In the past, numerous Greek celebrity chefs have prepared the dinner. These include New York City’s Michael Psilakis, chef Cat Cora, and Maria Loi.
Baklava has pretty much been a staple of the Greek menu since the Baklava wars kicked off in 2012 when New York-based Greek chef Maria Loi prepared the menu. Back then, she had stated that Obama “loved baklava”, which an angry Turkish press took as a claim to the desert being of Greek origin.