A Food Lover’s Guide of Traditional Greek Food

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With the stunning scenery and magnificent climate, it is easy to see why Greece is a top global destination. And the Greek cuisine raises a visitor’s experience to the next level. Food lovers will look forward to meals each day in Greece.

The first thing to know about Greek food is that, unless you are at an upscale restaurant, sharing all your dishes, including your main course, is perfectly fine. 

Eating out in Greece is an event. Typical meals start with an array of 5-7 appetizers, delicious dips, or salads. There is a substantial risk of filling up on appetizers alone when dining in Greece. Next it’s onto the main course of seafood or meats with fresh seasonal vegetables cooked to perfection in olive oil and garlic, followed by sweet treats. When you eat in Greece, you will never go hungry.

Greek Appetizers

Meze are small dishes for dipping or snacking with pita or bread. Traditional Greek appetizers include melitzanosalata (eggplant dip), saganaki (fried cheese), dolmadakia (stuffed grape leaves), keftedes (Greek meatballs), Kolokithokeftedes (fried zucchini courgette balls) served with tzatziki (yogurt-based dip), ntomatokeftedes (Santorini tomato fritters), fosolada (Greek bean soup), margiritsa (lamb soup), or choriatiki (Greek Salad).

Greek Main Courses

Main courses in Greece are rich in flavor, and traditional dishes are accompanied by pita bread and Greek salad. While in Greece, try these traditional dishes:

Moussaka is a classic Greek dish that is worth trying. It is layers of spiced lamb, fried eggplant, and tomato sauce baked and then topped with béchamel sauce.

Stifado is a slow-cooked Greek beef stew served alongside pasta.

Paidakia is a staple dish when dining out in Greece, and lamb is featured prominently in Greek cuisine. Paidakia are seasoned lamb chops marinated in extra virgin olive oil and grilled.

Pastitsio is a baked pasta dish that is the ultimate Greek comfort food. What sets it apart from regular pasta are the herbs and spices. The most popular version is made with a bottom layer of bucatini (tubular pasta) mixed with cheese. The pasta is layered with ground beef or pork, tomato sauce, cloves, and cinnamon before being topped with béchamel sauce flavored with nutmeg and allspice.

Gyros is arguably the most synonymous with Greek cuisine. Gyros is a popular fast food of grilled meat shaved off a vertical rotisserie. It can be wrapped in pita bread or plated with fried potatoes, vegetables, tzatziki, and lemon.

Souvlaki is small pieces of skewered grilled meat. Like gyros, souvlaki is typically served in a wrap or as a plated portion with potatoes and vegetables.

Seafood – while visiting Greece, you will find fresh seafood dishes made with fish, mussels, shrimp, lobster, squid, octopus, and cuttlefish.

Greek Desserts

A proper meal in Greece is not complete without a scrumptious dessert. Greek cuisine has an abundance of sweet treats to try.

Traditional dessert options include baklava and kataifi, fruit salads with yogurt and honey, bougatsa (custard in filo pastry dusted with cinnamon and sugar), galaktoboureko (custard in filo pastry topped with syrup), portokalopita (orange cake with syrup), loukoumades (fried doughnut balls), and the most intriguing of all, glyka tou koutaliou (spoon sweets).

With all these choices, it is easy to see why a vacation to Greece will include many happy meals.

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