Greek pastitsio is the lasagna with no Italian passport - pasta, mince, and a thick layer of béchamel that turns into a golden-brown crust in the oven. Seasoning with cinnamon, nutmeg and clove in the sauce, which doesn't taste like anything else, and which in Greek homes is made for a holiday, not for any old Tuesday.

The history is younger than people think. Béchamel isn't traditionally a Greek ingredient - it was brought into Greek cooking by chef Nikolaos Tselementes in the early 20th century, after he returned from studies in Vienna and Paris. That's also why béchamel, technically French, is today recognised as Greek. Cultural classics migrate.

The recipe for four people is simple. 400g of long hollow pasta (pastitsio no. 2 or bucatini), 500g of mince (beef or lamb), onion, tinned tomatoes, half a glass of red wine. For the spices: half a teaspoon of cinnamon, nutmeg and clove. For the béchamel: 1 litre of milk, 80g of butter, 80g of flour, 2 egg yolks. Cheese on top.

Technique is what separates a good pastitsio from an ordinary one. Akis Petretzikis, the Greek chef with millions of followers, insists: "The béchamel must be thick but pourable and silky, achieved with butter and an egg yolk at the end." Jamie Oliver recommends letting the meat caramelise a little, and a quality red wine. Diane Kochilas, author of the Greek cooking bible, adds a trick: mix the meat sauce with grated cheese and an egg white - the result is clean, firm slices.

For Balkan cuisine, pastitsio is close family. Same logic as our moussaka, just with pasta in place of potato. 180°C, 35-40 minutes, and let it rest before slicing. Don't slice it hot - it falls apart. Don't slice it cold - it loses its gloss. Warm-to-cool, the way grandma slices it - that's the border between a meal and a state of being.