Movie Monday: A Touch of Spice

I must confess that much of my interest in spices - and particularly their emotional and physiological effects - came about from a Greek film called 'A Touch of Spice'. It's not particularly new, but it might be new for some of you readers. And it's my Movie Monday choice for the week!

It's a story of a Greek family who were forced to leave their home in Constantinople when the Greeks were all deported from the city. The Greek-language title of the film is 'Politiki Kouzina' (πολίτικη κουζίνα), which is quite a nuanced play on words - it could simply mean 'political kitchen' or 'cookery', but in Greek the word 'politikos' or politiki' always implies THE city, Constantinople. Indeed, it still bugs many modern Greeks that the name of the city is now Istanbul.

Throughout the film, it is food, cooking, spices and shared broken bread that brings and keeps families and relationships together. It's very beautifully observed, with great acting, and a beautiful score by Evanthia Reboutsika.

Here's a trailer: