Horta

Horta

When in Greece there are seen groups of women, or sometimes a whole family, clambering over hills, their eyes to the ground, each carrying a large bag. They are looking for a favorite side dish for their dinner: horta. Horta, or edible wild greens, grow all over Greece. There are at least 80 different kinds, depending on the area and season, and can include everything from black mustard and dandelion to wild sorrel, chicory, fennel, chard, kale, mallow, black night shade, lamb’s quarters, wild leeks, hoary mustard, charlocks, etc.
            Also eaten as horta are the fresh leaves of the caper plant. Unlike the capers of Spain, southern France and Turkey, Greek capers are almost always taken from the wild. In spring and summer they grow all over Greece, but are especially abundant in Crete. There you can see mounds of caper buds (they do eat more than just the leaves) drying on the rooftops of houses. While most Greek caper buds are pickled, a few, from Santorini, are prepared using a different method. These are sun-dried to pebble-size and then rehydrated when needed for cooking.