View source for Saganaki

{{Short description|Greek fried cheese dish}}
{{about|the dish|the cheese|Saganaki cheese}}
{{Infobox food
| name             = Saganaki
| image            = File:Grekiska koket 02.jpg
| image_size       = 250px
| caption          = 
| alternate_name   = 
| country          = [[Greece]]
| region           = 
| creator          = 
| course           = [[Hors d'oeuvre]]
| type             = 
| served           = 
| main_ingredient  = 
| variations       = Many
| calories         = 
| other            = 
}}
In [[Greek cuisine]], '''saganaki''' ({{IPAc-en|ˌ|s|ɑː|ɡ|ə|ˈ|n|ɑː|k|i|audio=LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-Saganaki.wav}}; {{langx|el|σαγανάκι}} {{ipa|el|saɣaˈnaci|}}) is any one of a variety of dishes prepared in a small [[frying pan]],  the best-known being an appetizer of [[fried cheese]]. It is commonly [[flambé|flambéed]] in North America.

==Etymology==
{{wiktionary}}

The dishes are named for the frying pan in which they are prepared, called a {{lang|el|σαγανάκι}} ({{translit|el|[[wikt:saganaki|saganáki]]}}), which is a [[diminutive]] of {{lang|el|σαγάνι}} ({{translit|el|sagáni}}), a frying pan with two handles, which comes from the [[Turkish language|Turkish]] word {{lang|tr|sahan}} {{gloss|copper dish}},<ref>Babiniotis, [[Babiniotis Dictionary|Λεξικό της Νέας Ελληνικής Γλώσσας]]</ref><ref>Triantafyllidis, Λεξικό της κοινής Νεοελληνικής ([[Triantafyllidis Dictionary]])</ref> itself borrowed from Arabic {{lang|ar|صحن}} ({{translit|ar|ṣaḥn}}).

==Description==
The cheese used in ''saganaki'' is usually [[graviera]], [[kefalograviera]], [[halloumi]], [[kasseri]],<ref name="gayler1998">{{Cite book|last=Gayler|first=Paul|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UitpbxOZF_cC&q=saganaki&pg=PA16|title=A Passion for Cheese: More Than 130 Innovative Ways To Cook With Cheese|date=1998-09-15|publisher=Macmillan|isbn=978-0-312-19204-4|language=en}}</ref> [[kefalotyri]],<ref name="gayler1998" /> or [[sheep milk|sheep's milk]] [[feta]] cheese. Regional variations include the use of [[formaela]] cheese in [[Arachova]], halloumi in [[Cyprus]], and vlahotiri in [[Metsovo]]. The cheese is melted in a small frying pan until it is bubbling and generally served with [[lemon juice]] and pepper. It is eaten with [[bread]].{{Cn|date=March 2021}}

Other dishes cooked in a ''saganaki'' pan include ''shrimp saganaki'' ({{langx|el|γαρίδες σαγανάκι}}, {{translit|el|garídes saganáki}}), and ''mussels saganaki'' ({{langx|el|μύδια σαγανάκι}}, {{translit|el|mýdia saganáki}}), which are typically feta-based and include a spicy [[tomato]] sauce.{{Cn|date=March 2021}}

===North American serving style===
[[File:Saganaki at the Parthenon Restaurant in Chicago.MOV.webm|thumb|upright=1.2|Saganaki, lit on fire, at the Parthenon Restaurant in [[Greektown, Chicago]]]]
In many Greek restaurants in the United States and Canada, after the saganaki cheese is fried, it is [[flambé]]ed at table (often with a shout of "[[Opa! (Greek expression)|opa!]]"<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20150131105538/http://www.theparthenon.com/history.html History<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>), after which the flames usually are extinguished with a squeeze of [[lemon]] juice. This is called "flaming saganaki" and apparently originated in 1968 at the Parthenon restaurant in [[Chicago]]'s [[Greektown, Chicago|Greektown]],<ref name="parthenon">[https://web.archive.org/web/20150131105538/http://www.theparthenon.com/history.html The Parthenon: History]</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.theparthenon.com/history.html|title=FAMOUS SAGANaKI ... and so much more|website=The Parthenon|access-date=2016-11-08|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161026164910/http://www.theparthenon.com/history.html|archive-date=2016-10-26}}</ref><ref>{{cite web
|url=http://www.uic.edu/depts/chcc/chicago.htm
|title=Exploring Chicago
|publisher=University of Illinois at Chicago
|access-date=2007-09-23 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070911123133/http://www.uic.edu/depts/chcc/chicago.htm <!-- Bot retrieved archive --> |archive-date = 2007-09-11}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |first=Leah A |last=Zeldes |title=How to Eat Like a Chicagoan |url=http://www.chicagorestaurant.com/show_article.php?aID=13 |work=Chicago's Restaurant Guide |publisher=Chicago's Restaurant Guide |date=2002-09-30 |access-date=2002-09-30 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20021001023605/http://www.chicagorestaurant.com/show_article.php?aID=13 |archive-date=2002-10-01}}</ref> based on the suggestion of a customer.<ref>{{cite web| last = Zeldes| first = Leah A.| title = Opaa! Chicago Taste of Greece flies this weekend| work = Dining Chicago| publisher = Chicago's Restaurant & Entertainment Guide, Inc.| date = Aug 27, 2009| url = http://blog.diningchicago.com/2009/08/27/chicago-taste-of-greece-flies-this-weekend/| access-date = Aug 28, 2009| archive-date = May 24, 2016| archive-url = http://arquivo.pt/wayback/20160524005447/http://blog.diningchicago.com/2009/08/27/chicago-taste-of-greece-flies-this-weekend/| url-status = dead}}</ref>

==See also==
{{Portal|Chicago|Illinois|Food}}
* [[Leipäjuusto]]
* [[List of hors d'oeuvre]]
* [[List of Greek dishes]]
* [[Saganaki cheese]]
* [[Smažený sýr]]

==References==
<references/>
{{Cheese dishes}}

[[Category:Culture of Chicago]]
[[Category:Culture of Detroit]]
[[Category:Greek cuisine]]
[[Category:Appetizers]]
[[Category:Cheese dishes]]
[[Category:Flambéed foods]]
[[Category:Articles containing video clips]]