For many of us, Athens is inseparable from ancient—towering colonnades blinding white in the Mediterranean sun, rowdy crowds packed into massive amphitheatres, then those same crowds dispersing into balmy evenings washed in golden light, the 195 The Honest Magiría and Its Humble Chickpea Soupsmell of olive oil and roasted chickpeas drifting through the air.

But what about the Athens of the last eighty years? The last thirty or ten? A city shaped by occupation, migration, rebuilding, prosperity and globalization, then crisis and austerity?

Today’s guest, Diane Kochilas, has written a cookbook that does what I now consider essential for any cookbook I recommend: it is a book only she could have written. Part memoir and part modern history of her adopted city, Athens, she writes with the authority of the food journalist she once was, sharing dishes from over 100 Athenian restaurants (and modern home kitchens). The book contains the fresh recipes of today’s Athens, shaped by new arrivals and new ideas.

But in this episode, as in her cookbook, Diane honors Diporto—a restaurant that has steadfastly weathered all of these changes, remaining a constant for every class and community in Athens. And we celebrate Diporto’s simple five-ingredient soup made from  those staples of ancient Athenian cuisine, chickpeas and olive oil. It’s a dish that reminds us again of the power of food to connect every version and every iteration of a city into one continuous and beautiful story.

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Diane's Storied Recipe: Simple Classic Greek Chickpea Soup (Revithia)

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Connect with Diane Kochilas and Her Work

Diane's Website: www.DianeKochilas.com

Buy her latest book Athens

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