Everybody loves pastitsio

Every mother in Greece and Cyprus knows how to make pastitsio. It is something like a national food for the Greek people. And every one of them feels proud about their pastitsio. It is never left behind on Sunday’s family gatherings. You will always find it on the table right next to souvla and koupepia. And all the kids and all the people in the world love pastitsio.
Let’s find out why.

Pastitsio (Greek: παστίτσιο, pastítsio) is a Greek baked pasta dish with ground meat and béchamel sauce with variations of the dish found in other countries of the Mediterranean Sea.

Pastitsio takes its name from the Italian pasticcio, a large family of baked savory pies which may be based on meat, fish, or pasta, with many documented recipes from the early 16th century, and continuing to modern times. Italian versions include a pastry crust; some include béchamel.

The most recent and most popular contemporary variant of pastitsio was invented by Nikolaos Tselementes, a French-trained Greek chef of the early 20th century. Before him, pastitsio in Greece had a filling of pasta, liver, meat, eggs, and cheese, did not include béchamel, and was wrapped in filo, similar to the most Italian pasticcio recipes, which were wrapped in pastry: “he completely changed the dish and made it a kind of au gratin” he

Tselementes version—which is now ubiquitous—has a bottom layer that is bucatini or other tubular pasta, with cheese or egg as a binder; a middle layer of ground beef, or a mix of ground beef and ground pork with tomato sauce, cinnamon and cloves. Other spices like nutmeg or allspice are used in the top layer which is a béchamel or a mornay sauce. Grated goat cheese is often sprinkled on top. Pastitsio is a common dish and is often served as a main course, with a salad.