Greek cuisine is full of meat, vegetables and barbecue – you’ve likely had some of them already, though they’ll certainly taste much different when made by actual Greeks. Today, we’ll go over some of our favourite items from the Greek menu that we think are most worth a try. Let’s take a look!
What’s Greek cuisine like?
What to try in Greece?
What characterises Greek cuisine? One thing is certainly its variety, different from the likes of Italian cuisine, for instance. You may have a bit of a cultural shock when entering a restaurant, as menus can get very extensive. There are plenty of starters, meats, fish and, of course, Greek desserts to choose from. The basics mostly revolve around meats and vegetables, though. Otherwise, Greek cuisine is full of olive oil, yoghurt-based dips, lemons, beard and, of course, wine. For meats, you’ll find pretty much everything here. As for desserts, there’s lots of nuts, filo pastry and honey.
Be warned that portions tend to be quite large in taverns away from the tourist centres – if you take a starter, a main course and a dessert, it may simply be too much for a non-Greek mortal to consume. Greek cuisine had much influence on both Italian and Ottoman cuisine – which can still be seen today. You may also want to check out cuisine on Cyprus, as there’s overlap there too.
Souvlaki
Greek skewers
Souvlaki are pieces of seasoned meat baked on long skewers, usually eaten straight from one. It’s often served with pita bread, some sauce and, often, baked potatoes. It’s basically Greek fast food. You’ll find them in most taverns in Greece.
The price of Souvlaki in a restaurant is around €10.
Saganaki
Grilled cheese
Here’s another great Greek staple. Saganaki is a dish prepared in a small pan, usually with graviera, kefalograviera or kefalotyri cheese. It’s basically just cheese fried with olive oil. There are many versions of it – with vegetables, seafood, or meat – though, by default, it’s a vegetarian dish. It’s commonly served with pita bread.
Moussaka
Greek casserole
Greek Moussaka is a traditional layered casserole with minced meat, aubergines, tomato sauce and bechamel. Unlike in other countries, Greek casserole is served warm.
How much does Moussaka cost in Greece? Usually between €8-10 per portion.
Tzatziki
Greek dip
Tzatziki is a very famous Greek dip and sauce – you can find it in many other countries too, often Middle Eastern. If you’re not familiar, it’s effectively salted yoghurt with cucumbers, garlic, salt and olive oil. It’s often served as either a stand-alone appetiser or one of a few dips in a set.
The price of Tzatziki in a restaurant is around €4.
Horiatiki Greek Salad
A salad known world-wide
You’ve likely had the ‘Greek Salad’ before, though it’s likely it was different from the actual Horiatiki served in Greece. Traditionally, Horiatiki consists of tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, feta cheese, olive oil and spices. It’s typically served with pita bread in Greece. In restaurants, you may have an option to buy one large bowl for a group.
Meze
An assortment of starters
Though meze is not Greece-exclusive, it’s certainly well known as a staple of Greek cuisine. A meze is a set of small appetisers – it’s often ordered for a minimum of two people and restaurants commonly serve it in batches. You can find versions with meat, fish and no meat at all. What can you actually expect in a meze, though?
Small portions of Greek meat or seafood, little croquettes, stuffed mushrooms, Greek olives, dips, grilled feta, olive oil, the list could go on. Every region will have its own variation of it anyway, so just go wild and see for yourself.
The price of a meze in a taverna is around €18 per person.
Dolmathakia
Greek stuffed cabbage
These are basically Greek cabbage rolls, only they’re wrapped in grape leaves – these give the rice inside a very distinctive flavour. You can find dolma in many Middle Eastern countries, as it’s simply the traditional form of wrapping meat/rice there. It’s often served as an appetiser in restaurants.
Loukoumades
Greek dessert
These tiny doughnut balls are typically served soaked in honey in Greece, sometimes also sprinkled with cinnamon. As in other Middle Eastern countries, Greek loukoumades have quite a few variations depending on the region. In Athens, you can even find dedicated patisseries serving only loukoumades topped with all sorts of toppings (you can find out more at https://www.lukumades.com/)
Gyros
A fierce competitor in the Kebab war
In Greece, Gyros is made mainly of pork and chicken – the meat is served from a curly vertical spit. It’s then served with a pita, tomatoes, lettuce, onion and tzatziki. The word ‘gyros’ actually means ‘to turn’, like the turning of the meat on the spit.
Koulouri
A Greek snack
Koulouri are basically Greek bread rings coated in a LOT of sesame seeds. They’re often served with a dip, like tzatziki. Koulouri is most known in the city of Thessaloniki where you can buy the truest sesame rings. Though, if that’s out of the way for you, you can also find some great Koulouri in Athens, at Karaiskaki 23.
Baklava
Greek Dessert
Baklava is probably the most famous Greek dessert. You can find it in restaurants or just buy it in a supermarket. What’s a Baklava? It combines all the staples of Greek desserts – honey, nuts and filo pastry. Cinnamon is also sometimes added. It differs from, for instance, the Turkish baklava in that here, it’s based on nuts and honey – in Turkey, it’s pistachios and sugar syrup.
The price of Baklava in a restaurant is around €5.
Seafood in Greece
Popular Greek seafood
A country with such a significant portion of its area made up of coasts must have a cuisine based on seafood too. You’ll find most seafood on Greek islands, like Crete, Rhodes and Corfu. What can you expect? Octopi, squids, prawns, Greek mussels and lobsters are all popular. Often, you’ll find variants of other dishes, otherwise based on meat or vegetables alone, in a seafood version.
Greek Challah bread
Easter sweet bread
Though Challah did not originate in Greece, you can find a variant here too. It’s commonly baked during Greek Easter. You can find it in many supermarkets and bakeries all across the country.
Greek vegetarian cuisine and vegetarian dishes
Despite the plethora of meats and fish, you can also get by as a vegetarian in Greece. You have plenty of salads, grilled cheeses, aubergines, croquettes, dolmas and stuffed mushrooms. You can also find some popular dishes offered in a vegetarian version, like meze. Of course, unless you find a dedicated vegetarian/vegan restaurant, it’s still not really there yet.
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