Greek Food and Wines

Greek food and wine are an important aspect of the culture of Greece. Greek food and wines are famous for their good quality and amazing taste. Some dishes are common all around the country, whereas some others are local culinary specialties and can be found only in a specific region or island. While you are on holiday in Greece, do not miss the chance to try the local Greek dishes in the many restaurants. There are such traditional taverns in almost every corner of the country.

You will find below information about the greek food and gastronomical specialties (mezedes, salads, main dishes, soups), herbs and spice and wines and alcohol beverages.
Read also: Less known Greek dishes that worth the try | Cretan cuisine

Greek Mezedes

The mezedes (single: mezes) are appetizers, served before or with the main dishes, usually accompanied with ouzo or tsipouro. They come in small plates. It is one of the basic elements of the Greek culture to share food and wine with friends, in a joyful and unhurried environment. Read more about meze plates in our blog post: Greek meze dinner 101: The yummiest delicacies you need to try

Tzatziki

Greek yogurt with finely chopped cucumber, garlic, and olive oil. Ideal to eat with fresh Greek bread, fried potatoes or fried meatballs.

Saganaki

Fried cheese. Different sorts of cheese can be found in saganaki. Excellent with a zest of lemon.

Keftedakia

Fried meatballs of beef, garlic, and bread. Excellent dish.

Spanakopitakia

Small spinach pies with crushed feta cheese.

Tiropitakia

Small cheese pies, usually made of feta or kasseri cheese.

Horta

Boiled wild greens with olive oil, salt, and lemon.

Briam

A mix of roast potatoes, eggplants, onions, garlic, tomato sauce, and olive oil.

Dolmadakia

Grape leaves filled with rice and onions and sometimes minced beef.

Kalamarakia

Small pieces of fried squid with lemon juice.

Htapodi

Small pieces of octopus served either fried with lemon juice or boiled, with olive oil, vinegar, and oregano.

Feta cheese

The famous Greek cheese can also be eaten alone, as a meze, with olive oil and oregano.
 

Greek salads

Of course, the most famous is the Greek salad, or else Horiatiki (Village Salad), but there are also many other types of salads and dip sauces.

Horiatiki Salata or Greek salad

Also, know as "Greek salad", the horiatiki is a mix of fresh tomatoes, olives, cucumber, onions, green pepper, feta cheese, olive oil, and oregano.

Melitzanosalata

An eggplant puree with finely chopped garlic and olive oil. It is succulent with fresh bread.

Taramosalata (tarama)

Crushed fish eggs.

Dakos

The classic cretan salad. Discover more.
 

Main dishes

Greeks have a lot of excellent main dishes and meat is their favorite ingredient.

Moussaka

This famous Greek dish has a base made of potatoes topped with eggplants onions, minced beef, and bechamel creme.

Pastitsio

This is another well-known Greek dish reminding of the Italian Lasagnas. It consists of spaghetti No 2 topped with minced beef, onions, tomato sauce, and bechamel sauce.

Paidakia

Grilled lamb's ribs served with lemon.

Kokoretsi

This is one of the favorite dishes of Greeks. They mostly eat it during Easter. It consists of wrapped and roasted entrails of lamb, served with lemon.
 

Soups

Greek soups are succulent and Greeks usually have soups in winter.

Kotossoupa

Chicken soup usually with avgolemono (sauce made with eggs and lemon).

Psarossoupa

Fish soup with parsley, potatoes, and carrots.

Fassolada

White bean soup with parsley and, sometimes, tomato sauce.

Fakies

Lentil soup with tomato sauce.

Magiritsa

Easter soup made of the inside of lamb, dill and the avgolemono sauce (egg and lemon).

Patsa

Tripe soup, considered by Greeks as a very good remedy to hangovers.
 

Herbs and spices

Greece is famous for its unique herbs and spices which they use in every Greek dish to add an extra taste and delight the senses. The excellent quality of spices and herbs is due to the long sunshine periods, making the Greek flora particularly rich, producing an incredible variety of the best herbs and spices in the world.

Famous herbs of great quality and easy to find in Greece are the chamomile, the mountain tea, sage, basil, mint, parsley, tilio (lime leaves used as an infusion) and much more. Supreme Greek spices are the sesame (white sesame also), the cumin, the machlepi, and the valuable red saffron.

Greek Wines and alcohol beverages

Tsipouro / Raki

This really strong alcohol looks a bit like ouzo but with a stronger taste of anis. Greeks drink it with ice and sometimes add a bit of water. It is always accompanied with mezedes and good friends. In different parts of Greece, such as Crete, some islands and northern Greece, people make their own homemade Tsipouro, also called Raki (depending on the region) which is really strong.

Ouzo

This is the most famous Greek alcohol beverage, the trademark of the country. It is strong alcohol, drinkable straight with ice or with a bit of water. It is ideal to drink with all kinds of mezedes. The best ouzo is made in Lesvos and the most famous trades are Ouzo Plomariou and Barbayanni.

Mavrodafni

This sweet wine is made in Patras Peloponnese. It is really thick and dark (almost black) and can be compared to the Portuguese Porto. This strong wine is used for the Holy Communion in the Greek Orthodox Church.

Retsina

The famous Retsina is a Greek white wine with a particular resin taste. This taste is due to the way of production of this wine: they put the grapes in a new cask which have still the wood resin on, giving to the whine that special taste.

Greek Wines

There is a huge diversity of Greek wines: red, white and rose, sweet or dry. Read more in our article: The Delightful Greek Wine
For a detailed gallery of Greek wines, go to www.thegreekwine.com.