Green pies: The flavonoid rich Greek snack

The health benefits of the traditional Mediterranean diet are universally recognised. However, data on the nutritional and phytochemical content of the traditional foods of the Mediterranean diet is necessary to further elucidate the impact of this diet on health. This work presents the flavonol, flavone and flavan-3-ol content of a Cretan green pie recipe, kaltsounia with greens and cheese, and of the individual greens used in the preparation determined by Reverse Phase HPLC. The fact that the highest contents of the three flavonoid classes studied were found in three different greens, points out the nutritional value in consuming a mixture of greens rather than individual ones. Traditional foods such as green pies are particularly rich in flavonoids, which makes this specific food of the traditional Greek diet a healthy, nutritious, delicious daily snack.