Cuisine in Greece: what to try?

What are the features of the national cuisine of Greece? What is worth trying in Greece from local dishes? What alcoholic drinks are popular in Greece?

Features of Greek cuisine

The cuisine of Greece has absorbed the best traditions of the Mediterranean and the Balkans. The main products are fresh vegetables, meat, fish and seafood, spices, olives, olive oil and cheeses. Traditionally, dishes are baked or stewed, fried only in olive oil, and fresh vegetables and olives are always served as a side dish. Greek cuisine is one of the most delicious and healthy in the world. While walking around the resort, be sure to look for a tavern – an establishment where locals gather. This is where you will taste authentic Greek cuisine.
 

The most popular dishes of Greece

• Yogurt made from cow’s or sheep’s milk; it is used to season salads, used in stewing, and even made into delicious ice cream based on yogurt.
• Moussaka – eggplant casserole with minced lamb, served with thick bechamel sauce
• Stifado – stewed pork or lamb in a thick sauce of onions and spicy spices
• Paputsakya – baked eggplant stuffed with meat
• Gemista – stewed tomatoes or peppers stuffed with minced meat
• Kleftiko – lamb stewed in a clay pot
• Lukanika khorjatika – homemade meat sausages with spices and olives
• Souvlaki – lamb or pork skewers on wooden skewers
• Dolma – small minced cabbage rolls in grape leaves

Greek snacks

• Dzadzyki – thick sauce made from yogurt with garlic and grated cucumber, served with crispy scordopsomo croutons
• Dolmadakya – rolled pickled grape leaves
• Melizanosalata – eggplant caviar
• Olives – many types with different tastes
• Hummus – puree of chickpeas, olive oil and spices
• Keftedes – cutlets made from eggplant, mushrooms, zucchini and tomatoes

Greek salads

• Khoriatiki salata – famous Greek salad of tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, onions and olives with pieces of feta, dressed with olive oil.
• Horta – salad of dandelion and chicory leaves, dressed with olive oil and lemon
• Dakos – salad of tomatoes and mysithra cheese, dressed with olive oil and sprinkled with basil and oregano

Fish and seafood dishes

• Htadori sharas – grilled octopus tentacles
• Midya akhnista – boiled mussels in shells
• Kalamarya yemista me tiri – baked squid
• In the tavern you will be asked to choose the fish yourself, and then it will be cooked over coals or baked; red mullet, red mullet, trout, stingray and cod are popular

Greek desserts

• Loukoumades – unleavened dough balls, drizzled with honey, seasoned with spices and powdered sugar.
• Baklava – puff pastry with nuts, soaked in honey and spices
• Loukoumades – dough donuts drizzled with honey
• Rizogalo – pudding made of rice, nuts and dried fruits, sprinkled with cinnamon
• In Corfu, try the xerotigan bun in the shape of a rose, in Kos – kathimeria bagels in honey syrup, and in Zakynthos, mandolato almond nougat

Popular Greek cheeses

• Feta – white dense cheese made from sheep’s milk
• Manuri – fatty sheep soft cheese
• Graviera – sweetish hard cheese made from sheep’s milk
• Kefalotyri – spicy porous salty cheese
• Kasseri – cheese made from a mixture of goat and sheep milk

Greek alcoholic drinks

• Ouzo is a national alcoholic drink with a strength of 20° to 40°, prepared from distilled alcohol with the addition of anise, cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg. The drink is served with meat and fish dishes and drunk in small sips.
• Raki is a fruit moonshine made from melon, quince, plums or apples, but most often from grapes. Strength from 35° to 47°, served chilled in small glasses, with meze or seafood
• Tsipouro is an alcoholic drink made from fermented grape pomace, infused with anise. Strength 40°, served chilled with fish dishes and salads
• Metaxa is a famous Greek drink, a mixture of cognac and wine, 40° strength. Produced by mixing distillates of three grape varieties, infused in oak barrels with herbal extract. The recipe is kept in the strictest confidence and is served with hot meat and fish dishes.
• Beer – the most popular Greek brands are Mythos and Fi x

Greek fast food

• Gyros is an analogue of doner or shawarma. Pieces of chicken or pork meat fried on a vertical grill are wrapped in a heated pita flatbread. Add French fries, onions and tzatziki sauce
• Souvlaki – pieces of grilled chicken, pork or lamb, marinated in spices, served in pita bread or pita bread with french fries.
• Spanakopita – puff pastry pie filled with cheese and spinach, served in slices
• Koulori – a round bagel sprinkled with sesame seeds; from the very morning there are vendors on the streets with fresh aromatic pastries
• Roasted chestnuts are not like ours, but a special variety. Since October, this has been the most popular and unusual street food for tourists.

Prices in taverns, restaurants and food courts

• Portion of chestnuts – 2€
• Gyros and souvlaki – 3€
• A serving of meat dish – 7-10€
• A serving of fish or seafood – 10-12€
• A serving of vegetable dish – 5-8€
• Alcoholic drinks – per 50 ml 1-2€