WITH Athens hosting the Olympics it's time to start training your taste buds and tuning into Greek food. You'll find dishes bursting with juicy figs, feta cheese, ripe olives, saffron, spices and thick yoghurt, all of which hail from the heart of the Greek kitchen.

If you need some help on using the ingredients and preparing winning dishes, Theodore Kyriakou could be your guide. He's the chef at two award-winning restaurants in London, who's gone back to his roots to reveal some of the best of his country's home-cooked dishes in his new book, The Real Greek At Home, co-written with food writer, Charles Campion.

"For Greeks food is such an integral part of life and culture that a glance at the dishes on the table can be as good as looking at the calendar," he says. "All the big festivals have their special dishes like the rich pork with figs that is often served at Christmas or pastitsada, an awesomely rich, slow-cooked stew that makes any grand occasion even more special."

His authentic recipes are interwoven with anecdotes and potted history and legends of his country. He features a classic Baklava dessert "that traditionally should have 33 layers of filo to reflect the fact that Christ lived on earth for 33 years" as well as one for a definitive moussaka.

The book's also sprinkled with nuggets of cookery wisdom from his mother, who taught him to cook in his childhood home - appropriately opposite the Olympic Stadium.

She gives handy hints in graphic terms - for example Fava, the yellow split peas, should never be washed as that would be like "kissing someone and then wiping your mouth".

THEODORE KYRIAKOU TIPS FOR SUCCESSFUL ENTERTAINING

A meal should be enjoyed slowly - take time over it. Let friends share hospitality and warmth from the host/cook.

GO GREEK

A traditional Greek meze is perfect for a starter or serve as part of a picnic. Enjoy ripe black olives from the Kalamata region; a rich tomato and cannellini bean fassoulia (stew); tender vine leaves (dolmades) filled with rice and herbs; and falafel (chickpea fritters), which are great for dipping.

GREEK WINE

When it comes to expenditure on wine, it's fair to say, the Greeks have few equals.

The average person in Greece drinks 29 litres of wine every year, of which 90 per cent is thought to be of native origin, putting Greece's consumption per head above Australia, New Zealand and the UK.

But at present it's quite hard to find a good selection of Greek wine, although that's likely to change as the nation's producers hope to win Greek wine a wider international audience.

Get the taste with two classics, Retsina Kourtaki, £3.69, and a sweet dessert style wine, Mavrodaphne de Patras, £4.49, both from Sainsbury's.

IMAM BAYELDI

(serves six)

1kg (2 1/4lb) large aubergines (at least 12cm/4 1/2in long, if possible thin rather than fat)

100ml (3 1/2fl oz) olive oil

1kg (2 1/4lb) Spanish onions, thinly sliced

2tsp caster sugar

200g (7oz) plum tomatoes, skinned, seeded, and sliced

3 heaped tbsp finely chopped flat-leaf parsley

3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

salt and pepper to taste

Peel half the skin off the aubergines in long strips so that they look stripy. With the tip of a paring knife, make a deep slash lengthways in each aubergine. Sprinkle them with salt and allow them to stand for 30 minutes, then rinse.

Preheat the oven to 170-180C/325-350F/Gas Mark 3-4.

Gently heat half the olive oil in a frying pan, then add the onions and sugar, and cook very slowly for about an hour until they are completely soft.

Spread a third of the fried onions over the base of an oiled casserole dish. Add a layer of tomatoes and put to one side.

Add the remaining tomatoes and half the parsley to the fried onions in the frying pan. Mix well and cook for 10 minutes.

Add 2tbsp water to the mixture in the frying pan and stir.

Arrange the aubergines on the onion mixture in the bottom of the casserole and using a spoon, stuff the garlic into the slits in the aubergines. Add the tomato and the onion mixture from the frying pan, attempting to work it into the slashes as well. It should overflow!

Season well and pour over the remaining oil. Cover the casserole with a sheet of foil and put the lid on. This should ensure a good seal.

Bake for 40 minutes, or until the aubergines are soft. If you like a thick sauce, remove the lid for the last 10 minutes to allow it to dry off a little.

Allow to cool to lukewarm, then sprinkle with the remaining parsley and serve.

* The Real Greek At Home by

Theodore Kyriakou and Charles Campion (Mitchell Beazley, £20)

l Amazing facts about the Olympic Games. See Books, page 12.