literally ‘egg-lemon’, the Greek name of a characteristic E. Mediterranean sauce. The name in Arabic (tarbiya) and Turkish (terbiye) literally means ‘treatment; improvement’. Avgolémono may be used either as a sauce for fish, lamb, or vegetables (particularly artichoke) or as a flavouring in various casserole dishes and soups (which it also thickens).
The recipe is simple. Lemon juice is whisked into beaten egg and then hot cooking liquid (e.g. fish broth) is whisked into the mixture. The temperature of the added liquid must be well below boiling point, so that the egg will not coagulate. In some versions of the sauce cornflour is added. Sometimes the sauce is made with only yolks of eggs.
Alan Davidson was a distinguished author and publisher, and one of the world's best-known writers on fish and fish cookery. In 1975 he retired early from the diplomatic service—after serving in, among other places, Washington, Egypt, Tunisia, and Laos, where he was British Ambassador—to pursue a fruitful second career as a food historian and food writer extraordinaire. Among his popular books are Seafood of South-East Asia, North Atlantic Seafood, and Mediterranean Seafood. In 2003, shortly before his death, he was awarded the Erasmus Prize for his contribution to European culture.
