The bottom layer consists of some type of tubular pasta. The middle layer is a mixture of flavorful ground meat, usually beef, cooked in a tomato sauce with cinnamon and cloves. Creamy bechamel sauce tops the dish and it is baked in the oven until it achieves the perfect golden-brown crust.
This delicious and traditional food in Greece comes from the breathtakingly beautiful island of Santorini. The rich volcanic soils of Santorini are said to give Greek fava its delicious flavors.
Beyond Santorini, Greek fava is popular throughout the country. A simple dish, Greek fava is essentially a yellow split pea puree. At first glance, the mashed puree looks similar to hummus. But fava has a finer taste and fuller texture than the chickpea dip.
This mouthwatering dish is made with fava or yellow split peas. It is topped with extra virgin olive oil, slices of onion, olives and freshly squeezed lemon juice. We typically had it as a side dish to fish dishes.
However, you will also find this yellow split pea puree served as a part of a meze platter or as a dip. A staple ingredient in the traditional Greek diet are wild greens or horta.
Horta is the term used to describe a variety of wild greens from wild spinach, mustard, nettles, chicory, and more. There are hundreds of wild green species that grow all over the country and they are eaten for their health benefits. The tradition of eating wild greens is part of the ancient Greek diet. The greens are usually foraged from the wild and cooked with olive oil with fresh squeezed lemon juice.
The type of wild greens vary based on seasonality and time of year. While we were in Crete during the winter months, stamnagathi, a variety of wild chicory, was in season. Found in the mountainous areas in Crete, we enjoyed it as a side to Greek dishes or baked into tasty little pies. While the wild greens are unusual, be sure to relish the tastes and health benefits of this unique food in Greece.
Greeks do love their sweets which are conventionally made with honey and olive oil. Honey in Greece is considered some of the best honey in the world. The biodiversity of the flora and the unlimited sunshine yields honey that is tasty and rich in health benefits. During our stay on the island, we visited a beekeeper and discovered the secrets of Cretan honey. When Greek honey is combined with yogurt, it makes for Yiaourti me Meli , a traditional Greek dessert.
Nuts are often added making a nutritious and delectable dessert of Greek yogurt, honey and nuts. Yiaourti me Meli was our favorite snack. You simply take fresh Greek yogurt, douse it with honey and sprinkle walnuts on top. Make it a part of your breakfast platter or eat it as a dessert to satisfy your sweet tooth. Halva is one of the most fascinating Greek foods we discovered during the Lent period.
This no-dairy, no-butter and egg-free dessert was especially delightful. In Greece, this dessert is made with sesame seed paste or tahini, olive oil, sugar, including nuts and dried fruits. Being in Greece during the Lent period, we saw and sampled many different kinds of halva.
The most common was the semolina halva with raisins, nuts and either honey or sugar. There is the Farsalon Halva from Farsala, made with caramel syrup, corn flour, and toasted almonds. And, a Macedonian Halva made with either tahini or ground nuts like almonds and pistachios, and blossom honey. Dense and sweet, you cannot eat too much halva in one sitting. One of the oldest recipes recorded in Greek history and dating back to B. C is Loukoumades. A beloved Greek dessert, these are small fried dough balls drizzled with honey and a sprinkle of cinnamon and sometimes, powdered sugar.
Crispy on the outside and fluffy inside, they are airy, light and irresistibly delicious. It is a popular street food, eaten at celebratory events, and during the Lent period. At the end of your meal, loukoumades goes particularly well with Greek coffee.
The combination of the piping hot donut balls against the strong coffee is simply perfect. The age-old recipes and influences from Ottoman, Italian and Middle Eastern cultures have all shaped the food in Greece. Exceptional honey, extra virgin olive oil, cheese and Greek yogurt all contribute to the simple and flavorful cuisine. While this list of authentic Greek food is not exhaustive, it will tantalize your taste buds. Consider this as your definitive Greek food guide to the best local specialties.
Eat like a local while in Greece and relish the flavorful and simple Greek recipes. In the comments below, please tell us your favorite Greek food. Curious by nature, Rosemary loves exploring new flavors and connecting with locals. She shares her insights and culinary finds from her travels to inspire people to connect local through food. Indeed, the food in Greece is exceptional and it is difficult to compare it to what we find in the US.
Incredible fresh vegetables!! Thanks so much. Great list. From Greece I like Taramasalata. I always include a trip to Brussels when I go to Holland, just an hour or so by car. A small street but all of them are plain looking — almost catering to the budget clientele. They offer plat du jour menu of the day. For that they invite you to come to the kitchen wth a plate in the hand, and ask you which of the dishes you want to have. You just point to the ones you deem interesting.
Trust me they are all delicious. Some are not included in the plat du jour and need to be ordered as a side dish. Yes, order some wine too, which is not served in tall glasses, but in plain-Jane cc Duralex glasses made in France, of course. You eat at one of the long tables that can be shared by many. I started going there in as I was finishing my engineering study in Amsterdam. I just hope that gentrification has not destroy this major Greek attraction in Brussels at least for me it is.
With locally-sourced ingredients, such as […]. It is part of the Indian cuisine. I am going there next month so I am doing my research about Greece. This article is very helpful indeed. Thanks for sharing! I was doing a project that i needed to cook a Greek food and this website was very helpful. Indeed an informative post!
I love to eat Greek cuisine! Thank you for sharing about delicious and traditional Greek foods. Among all dishes, my vote goes to Choriatiki. Great article!! I was in Greece this last April for a month, totally amazing!! The food, wine.
This was a second visit to that beautiful country. Crete had the best overall dishes but Paros had the best stuffed onions and at that same restaurant they had marinated figs in honey for a dessert.
Naxos also has some fabulous cheeses and so much more. This is because a lot of restaurants sell Greek foods and young children might not want to try new things. However, if you do your research, you will be […]. It is such a informative list that can help us to know more about the traditional foods of Greek Cuisines. We just know some global famous dishes. Your article can expand our culinary knowledge i. There is def never lettuce.
Thank you very much. Such a wonderful article. All dishes look very appetizing, the photo is super. If hungry, it is better not to watch. I want to try everything! I have never been to Greece, I will definitely make time for it, I will save these dishes. Thank you for sharing the valuable experience!!
Ooh, those are some gorgeous pics! Loved your blog. Do you have any restaurant recommendations? We are traveling to Greece in first week of May. We are planning to go to Athens, Naxos and Santorini. I love saganaki often when you go to a greek restaurant they will give you table some and it dissaperes in less than 10 seconds.
When the Greece army occupied İzmir in Turkey they stole lots of values of our nation. Please search what they did to us, what they did to our values, women and kids.
Annette White, i have never been to greece but if i ever do i know exactly what to eat, thanks so much for sharing this most incredible post that covers the best greek food in the world! They are all look great but Unfortunately more than half of the foods are listed belong to Turkiye. We planned to go to Greece this summer and taste it a bit — but Corona changed our plans. Thank you for this! WAW Yummy!! Thank you for sharing this information. This blog is really very interesting and effective.
Keep it up..!!! I never knew that Baklava is one of the most popular Greek desserts. My brother is coming to town this weekend and he wants to try some Greek food in our city. The whole world knows that there are Turkish dishes.
Wonderful recipes for Greek food. The Greeks are really very unusual cuisine, which is very different from ours, although at first glance you will not say. Thank you so much for sharing all these recipes! This article is making me hungry!
We love Greek food — especially gyros — yum!!! Even though I live in South Africa, we eat many of these foods on a regular basis. This is such a fantastic dish. Looks so yummy. They all look so tempting that wanna try them all.
Thanks For Sharing this amazing recipe. My family loved it. I will be sharing this recipe with my friends. Hope the will like it. Previous Next. Here are some of the favorites not to missed when traveling through Greece. Love it? Share It. Related Posts. November 5th, 2 Comments. November 4th, 1 Comment. November 3rd, 0 Comments. October 30th, 5 Comments.
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Rosie July 21, at pm - Reply. Advocator October 18, at am - Reply. Papoutsakia is stuffed eggplants that are usually filled with seasoned ground veal and tomatoes and bechamel sauce. Octopus is also common in the Greek cuisine, and there are many dishes with octopus. Some of the most popular ones include grilled fresh octopus and Octopus pasta ohtapodi me kofto makaronaki. Curious about what Greeks eat for breakfast? It varies from region to region, and home to home, but below you can see a list of things that can be served for breakfast in Greece.
This liquor is made on the island of Chios, and it has a nice anise taste. Probably the most famous Greek liquors of them all — Ouzo. However, a lot of the traditional Greek cuisine is still being served in the restaurants countrywide.
The Greek civilization has a long history that goes back to the Ancient Greeks and beyond, but during this time the cuisine has also changed. Especially when the tomatoes, lemons, and potatoes were introduced. Also, the fact that many products are grown locally, and the dishes are still fairly simple, yet executed to perfection. Many Greek dishes are cooked slowly and seasoned with herbs and oil instead of exotic spices from other countries.
Which of these Greek Foods would you like to try? Or if you have already been to Greece, which one of these is your favorite Greek dish? Thanks for an excellent overview, actually the best i have found in my search for a more complete overview than the traditional 6 tourist dishes.
Photo: Shutterstock. Gyro Want something quick to eat in Greece? Gyro is a traditional Greek Fast Food. Furnos - A furnos is a savory pie shop that most often serves up tiropita cheese pies and spanakopita spinach pies.
Pie shops are just about everywhere in Greece and are, perhaps, even more common than souvlaki stalls. The Greeks love their pies, enjoying them primarily for breakfast or lunch. Kafeneion - One of the oldest types of establishments in Greece, a kafeneion is the original coffee shop. Kreperi - The k makes it Greek, but it's a creperie nonetheless. These serve both savory and sweet crepes all day and into the night. Some of these establishments are simple stalls, while others have tables, a full bar and music.
Taverna - A taverna is usually much more casual than a restaurant, but all the traditional Greek dishes you know and love appear on taverna menus. Often, in smaller villages and towns, locals provide some of the home-cooked taverna dishes, and sometimes you'll even be invited into the kitchen to select what you want. Zaharoplastio - At this Greek take on a bakery, you can either buy something to take away or you can sit down at a table and enjoy a treat with a cup of coffee.
Traditional Greek Dishes No matter where you are in Greece, make sure to enjoy these quintessentially Grecian delicacies: Olives and Olive Oil - Greeks have been cultivating olives for millennia.
Some legends even say Athena gave an olive tree to the city of Athens, thus winning its favor. Locally grown olives very often accompany Greek meals. Some of these are cured in a hearty sea-salt brine; others, such as the wrinkled Throubes, are eaten uncured from the tree.
Many tavernas use their own oil. Fresh Fish - Settle in at a seaside taverna, and eat as locals have since ancient times.
Fish and calamari fresh from the Mediterranean and Aegean Seas are incredibly tasty and are often cooked with minimum fuss. Feta - Greek fresh cheese is a joy and nothing like the plastic tubs available in markets outside of Greece.
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