We’ve been using Cavender’s Greek Seasoning since the 80s at least, and the artwork on the label has not changed in all that time. The chef appears to be sticking a fork in the steak with his left hand and shaking on seasoning with his right. It’s anybody’s guess what those white things are on the grill; hopefully they are not folds of his jacket.
Cavender’s Greek Seasoning is something we always have in our kitchen. Although it’s advertised as the only seasoning you need, we mainly use it on grilled meats, especially steaks. An ideal prep will have Cavender’s on one side of the steak, Burger House Seasoning Salt on the other.
So what is this versatile stuff? It comes not from Greece but from a remote corner of the Ozarks. And, though the artwork makes it look like it’s been around forever, in fact it was introduced a mere 50 years ago. Spike Cavender grew up in Texas and Oklahoma and loved to hunt wild game; he developed this mix as a seasoning for his bounty. He and his wife moved to the Ozarks to take advantage of the outdoor environment and started producing it for sale in 1969.
The ingredients in order are salt, black pepper, corn starch, garlic, MSG, oregano, flavor base seasoning (hydrolyzed soy protein, sugar, onion powder spice extractives), parsley and “five other spices.” The cornstarch is undetectable and you wonder why others (like Burger House) don’t use it to keep their product from clumping. And it’s heartwarming, if you love MSG as we do, to see it as the fifth ingredient. As to the mysterious “five other spices”, our guess is they include a bitter herb (mint or oregano) and thyme, though this copycat recipe adds cinnamon and nutmeg.
Cavendar’s is still a one-product company (unless you count a salt-free version of the seasoning) yet they manage to have nationwide distribution in a way that other specialty products, like Durkee’s, finds challenging. If your local stores don’t carry it, you can order multiple packs from the source or get a single package, enough to last a very long time, for under $5 on Amazon with Prime shipping. It’s well worth checking out, and you might want to try it on vegetables as well as a mix-in for gyro meat (ground lamb or beef or a combination).
I used to use this seasoning all the time. I haven’t used it in years. I wonder if I can find it in local markets in Irvine. Thanks for the reminder.
Let us know whether or not you find it!
I use it all the time but am having a hard time finding it in any stores lately. I thought maybe they had gone out of business.
Just checked and it’s still available at the Amazon link above though it’s no longer under $5 with shipping.
My family loves it on just about everything.We also love it sprinkled on popcorn.It definitely has a flavor all its own. Something my tastebuds crave.
Thank you for that! My downstairs neighbor was making popcorn last night… I could smell it! Wanted some but no kernels on hand. Now I know what I need to get and what to put on my popcorn when I make it.