🇬🇷 Top 15 Greek dishes for tourists

Greece captivates its visitors from the first minute. In addition to the huge number of islands, clear sea water, incredible beaches, ancient sights, good-natured Greeks and amazing landscapes, the country is also famous for its national cuisine.

Greek dishes combine all the best of Mediterranean cuisine: fresh vegetables and fruits, cheeses, olive oil and, of course, seafood. It is distinguished by its simplicity and simplicity and at the same time amazing combinations, characterized by the use of a large number of herbs, herbs and spices.

Snacks

As in many other countries, the Greek meal begins with appetizers.

And the first of them, oddly enough, is the sauce – tzatziki. This unique appetizer and sauce is made from traditional Greek yogurt, fresh cucumber, garlic and olive oil. The sauce is very aromatic and spicy. Such an interesting combination makes this appetizer a real “highlight” of Greek cuisine. As a sauce, tzatziki is also added to many other dishes, such as gyros.

The next snack that the Greeks recommend that all tourists try is dolmadakia. This is something similar to cabbage rolls or dolma, when rice and minced meat are wrapped in grape leaves. But in Crete, minced meat is replaced with onions and herbs and served as a cold appetizer, while in the northern part of the country this dish is the main dish.

Hummus is popular far beyond Greece. This is chickpea puree with added oil and spices. Not only a very tasty snack, but also healthy.

Fava is a snack made with peas and fried red onions. Try it in combination with pita bread or fresh vegetables.

Of course, while relaxing on the seashore, you need to try snacks from fresh seafood and fish. For example, kalamarakya – squid baked until crispy, htapodi sharas – grilled octopus tentacles with lemon-garlic sauce. It's hard to even imagine the variety of seafood that is served here. These include squid stuffed with various fillings, the freshest shrimp cooked in various sauces, and steamed mussels – in a word, a paradise for seafood lovers.

Salads

Who hasn't heard of Greek salad? This is a favorite delicacy of many. But in Greece it is called horiatiki or “village salad”. The composition includes tomatoes, cucumbers, sweet peppers, onions, olives, feta, all this is seasoned and olive oil is added. Anyone visiting Greece needs to try this salad in its homeland.

Melizanosalata is a baked eggplant salad, sometimes with yogurt, tomatoes and green onions added. Undoubtedly, this dish contains a large amount of spices, garlic, lemon and oil, something similar to our eggplant caviar. 

Also popular in Greece is an interesting dish called “dakos”. It is unusual in that it is something between a salad and a piece. It is also a signature dish of Crete. To prepare dacos, you need to sprinkle the barley crackers with water, place the tomatoes on top, add oregano and salt to taste. Next, sprinkle the tomatoes with chopped feta cheese and add olive oil. This is how easy and simple it is to make such a delicious dish. You can try it in almost any Greek restaurant. And it’s especially delicious when paired with homemade wine.

Horta is a salad of Greek centenarians. Prepared from young dandelion leaves, lemon and oil. Salad is very healthy as it contains many vitamins.  

Main dishes

As already mentioned, the most important rule that the Greeks use in cooking1 is maximum simplicity. Everything should be prepared easily and quickly.

 In Greece, you should definitely try moussaka – something like a meat casserole with the addition of thin slices of eggplant and potatoes. There are a huge number of recipes for this dish, so don’t be surprised at the variety.

Don’t forget about kleftiko, a dish of baked meat soaked in lemon juice and garlic, potatoes, oregano and white wine. Mmm, very tasty.

Be sure to try gemista – stuffed vegetables. Most often they start with beef and rice, bell peppers, zucchini and even tomatoes! This dish can be served either hot or cold.

An integral part of Greek cuisine is pastitsio. This is a pasta casserole with minced meat, the incredible taste of which is given by bechamel sauce with a hint of nutmeg.

Meat lovers should not miss the dish called “souvlaki”. These are compact kebabs strung on wooden skewers. They are fried over charcoal. Pork or chicken are most often used.

If you want to get into the traditions of Greek cuisine, then be sure to try spanakopita for breakfast. This is a favorite pie of the Greeks, made from puff pastry and filled with spinach and feta. Not only tasty, but also healthy.

Of course, the top dishes of Greek cuisine would not be complete without gyros. It consists of spit-fried meat, which is wrapped in pita bread, often accompanied by French fries and fried onions, and the distinctive element of this shawarma is tzatziki sauce.

Beverages

The Greeks practically do not drink tea, as it is considered a healing drink. But they really like to treat themselves to frappe – cold coffee with foam. 

The top strong drinks include ouzo, tsipouro and raki. We can say that ouzo is Greek vodka. The drink is obtained by infusing moonshine with anise with the addition of cloves, almonds, cinnamon and other spices. Use it as an aperitif.

To make tsipouro, the distillate of fermented grape pomace is mixed with ethyl alcohol and infused with anise. But for cooking crayfish, they can use melon, quince, plums, and apples.

Dessert

It is impossible to fully understand local cuisine if you do not try traditional sweets.

The simplest dessert that Greeks eat is feta cheese with honey. I think many people know and love this combination.

Loukoumades are something similar to donuts. They are balls of dough with spices, powdered sugar and honey.

During the Christmas period, the Greeks prepare shortbread cookies with almonds, which, immediately after baking, are completely rolled in powdered sugar. Cognac is sometimes added to this very tasty treat.

Of course, any delicacy is baklava. The sweet made from puff pastry with nuts and honey is familiar to many children far beyond the borders of Greece.

Where to try

You can try local Greek cuisine in small restaurants. They are called taverns here. Most of them are family businesses, often even the owners themselves sit at the tables. As a rule, taverns open at 12, and the peak is at 10 pm, when everyone, having swam and sunbathed, comes to taste Greek cuisine.

Despite this, we went to such a restaurant even before it opened, and the friendly Greeks not only agreed to serve us, but also offered dessert and wine at the expense of the establishment.

Greek cuisine is very varied and rich. And absolutely everyone will like it here: lovers of healthy food, seafood, meat, casseroles, and sweets.