Nikólaos Tselementés (Νικόλαος Τσελεμεντές) (1878 – 2 March 1958) was a Greek

chef A chef is a trained professional cook and tradesman who is proficient in all aspects of food preparation, often focusing on a particular cuisine. The word "chef" is derived from the term ''chef de cuisine'' (), the director or head of a kitche ...

and cookbook author of the early 20th century. He is considered one of the most influential cookery writers of modern Greece, specialising in both Greek and French cuisine.

Biography and career

He was born in Exampela ( el, Εξάμπελα), a village on the island of

Sifnos Sifnos ( el, Σίφνος) is an island municipality in the Cyclades island group in Greece. The main town, near the center, known as Apollonia (pop. 869), is home of the island's folklore museum and library. The town's name is thought to come f ...

and grew up in Athens, where he finished High School. At first, he worked as a notary clerk, then he started cooking, working at his father's and uncle's restaurant. He studied cooking for a year in Vienna and, on his return to Greece worked for various embassies. He became initially known with the magazine ''Cooking Guide'' (Odigos Mageirikis) that he began publishing in 1910, which included – in addition to recipes – nutritional advice, international cuisine, cooking news, etc. In 1919, he became manager of hotel "Hermes", while the next year he left for America, where he worked in some of the more expensive restaurants of the world, while also following higher studies in cooking, confectionery and dietetics. In 1930, he published the influential cookbook Οδηγός μαγειρικής και ζαχαροπλαστικής, ''Cooking and Patisserie Guide''. He returned to Greece in 1932, founded a small cooking and confectionery school and brought out his well-known book of recipes, which, being the first complete

cookbook A cookbook or cookery book is a kitchen reference containing recipes. Cookbooks may be general, or may specialize in a particular cuisine or category of food. Recipes in cookbooks are organized in various ways: by course (appetizer, first cour ...

in Greek, had over fifteen official reprints during the following decades. In 1950, he published his only book in English, ''Greek Cookery''. Influenced by French cuisine, he had been the moderniser of Greek cuisine as, thanks to him, the Greek housewives learned of béchamel sauce, pirozhki and bouillabaisse. He created also the modern versions of mousaka, pastitsio and anginares (artichokes) ''alla polita''. This, according to some, was equal to bastardization of the Greek cuisine with European elements.Food, greek revival, Jonathan Reynolds, NY Times
/ref> His name (Tselementés) is today in Greece a synonym of "

", and is also used in jest about someone who can cook very well.

Bibliography

Aglaia Kremezi Aglaia Kremezi (Αγλαΐα Κρεμέζη) is a Greek food writer and journalist, often considered "one of Greece's foremost cooking authorities". She lives on the island of Kea (island), Kea, Greece, where she runs a cooking school. Bibliograp ...

(1996). "Nikolas Tselementes". In Walker, Harlan (Ed.) (1996)
Cooks and Other People (Proceedings of the Oxford Symposium on Food and Cookery">Cooks and Other People (Proceedings of the Oxford Symposium on Food and Cookery
, 1995) Totnes: Prospect Books. . pp 162–169

References

---- Translated from Νικόλαος Τσελεμεντές in the Greek Wikipedia {{DEFAULTSORT:Tselementes, Nikolaos Greek food writers">:el:Νικόλαος Τσελεμεντές">Νικόλαος Τσελεμεντές in the Greek Wikipedia {{DEFAULTSORT:Tselementes, Nikolaos Greek food writers Greek chefs 1958 deaths 1878 births People from Sifnos Cookbook writers Greek male writers 20th-century Greek writers 20th-century Greek male writers