19 Greek Dishes You Must Try Before You Die

Created: 09/03/2022, 17:00

By: Sandra Keck

Greek cuisine is full of goodies that you should try once in your life.

(Icon) © Simply Tasty

Kalí órexi - Bon appetit!

we

love Greek cuisine and have dedicated a whole theme week to it.

Unfortunately, one week is not enough to present you all the delicacies.

Bring culinary Greece home by recreating (or simply ordering from your favorite Greek) one (or more?) of these dishes.

1. How to start the day well: Greek yoghurt with nuts and honey

With at least 10% fat, Greek yogurt is richer than most commercial yogurts, but it also makes it extra creamy and filling.

This way you can easily hold out until lunch.

Mezedes: small Greek appetizers

Perfect with wine or a glass of ouzo:

are the Greek counterpart to Spanish tapas, i.e. small dishes that are eaten as a starter or just in between.

Everything comes in the middle of the table and then it is shared.

The advantage: you can try all the delicacies without falling into a food coma afterwards.

2. Almost a must for every meal: Tsatsiki with pita bread

You have to try this recipe for a homemade pita bread with tsatsiki.

© Simply Tasty

Bread and dip should not be missing from any (Greek) menu.

Here is the recipe for homemade pita bread with tsatsiki.

3. Dolmades are a pleasure warm or cold

The vine leaves are stuffed with rice and spices.

In contrast to the Turkish counterpart with minced meat, Greek dolmades are always vegetarian.

4. Saganaki: fried cheese

Baked feta cheese served hot in small pans.

The pans are typical of the dish, because Saganaki also means "small pan".

Sheep's cheese is an integral part of Greek cuisine.

In this article you will learn some fun facts about feta.

And for a quick

, try this recipe:

5. A must-have as a side dish: Greek salad

A classic of Mediterranean cuisine is the Greek salad.

Various types of vegetables are mixed here with olives and feta cheese.

Photo: Kai Remmers © Kai Remmers

Choriatiki salata is one of the few salads without lettuce 🥬.

Here is another

:

6. Perfect for all Garlic Girls (and Boys): Skordalia

Behind this dish is a delicious potato and garlic cream that should not be missing on any appetizer table.

Good thing you share all the dishes at a classic Greek feast.

So everyone has a garlic flag afterwards, because up to 12 cloves of garlic are quickly processed here!

You can find tips on what to do against the smell of garlic here.

7. Greek Hummus: Fava

Fava is a puree made from yellow lentils.

Photo: Andreas Drouve/dpa-tmn © Andreas Drouve

Fava is a Greek dip made from chickpeas or yellow lentils, olive oil, onions and capers and is mainly served as an appetizer in the southern islands of Greece.

8. A delicacy: octopus

A must when on holiday in Greece: octopus salad.

© Bernd Juergens / IMAGO

Fried, roasted or in a salad, but always with lemon.

9. We stick to Seafood: Gavros Marinatos

There is no warrior behind this heroic name, but rather pickled and marinated anchovies.

I could probably fill this article entirely with delicious Greek appetizers if the

courses weren't so tempting too.

Here are my favourites:

10. Souvlaki - Greek meat skewers

Souvlaki are lean meat skewers that are typical of Greek cuisine.

Here's how to grill them at home.

© Matthias Wuerfl

Tender pork skewers marinated in oregano, salt, pepper and lemon juice, then grilled.

11. Hearty oven dish: moussaka

An eggplant mince pie is a delicious main course.

(Iconic image) © agefotostock/Imago

The secret ingredient for a delicious moussaka is cinnamon.

A small pinch of this goes into the creamy béchamel sauce.

This delicious zucchini moussaka will take you on a short vacation to Greece.

12. The supposed national dish: gyros

Perfect street food: gyros with pita bread.

© IMAGO / agefotostock

Classic street food and the Greek answer to a kebab.

Gyros usually consists of pork, which is stacked on a large skewer and then cut into thin strips.

Gyros are served either in pita bread with salad and dip or on a plate with fries.

Gyros not only tastes good in bread, but also as a

:

Or as a

:

13. The real national dish: fasolada

The Greeks have declared this hearty bean stew their unofficial national dish.

Beans have been accessible to all social classes for centuries.

This stew is filling and tastes delicious too.

14. This dish warms you from the inside out: stifado 

Goulash in Greek: Stifado.

© Natalie Hanin / IMAGO

Stifado is a hearty stew made with beef, potatoes or pasta, tomatoes and garlic.

It is eaten with pleasure in autumn and winter.

15. Not just for vegetarians: Spanakopita

What's not to like about crispy filo pastry and a delicious spinach and feta filling?

Even.

Of course, something sweet should not be missing!

Here are my personal favorite

Greek

16. Greek Donuts: Loukoumades

With a bite in the mouth: sweet loukoumades.

© IMAGO / agefotostock

Loukoumades is a traditional Greek Cypriot pastry made from a fried yeast dough ball.

After frying, they are coated with honey or sugar.

They are similar to the Turkish sweet Lokma.

17. Attention Sweet: Baklava

Sweet baklava (icon image).

© ITAR-TASS/Imago

Greek cuisine is heavily influenced by Ottoman cuisine.

That's why you can also find sweet baklava in Greece.

Baklava consists of puff pastry or filo pastry filled with chopped nuts and topped with honey or sugar syrup.

18. Retsina - Greek Resin Wine

Ripe grapes hang from a vine.

© Philipp von Ditfurth/dpa/archive image

This wine has been made for over 2000 years.

Its bitter-sour taste is characterized by an incomparable resin aroma and has an appetizing effect.

The resin note can be traced back to the traditional storage in ancient Greece.

There the wine was stored in goatskin skins.

These were sealed with pine resin, which released its aroma to the wine over time.

19. I drink ouzo, what are you drinking?

A must for every Greek feast: ouzo.

© IMAGO / agefotostock

In Greece, the traditional aniseed schnapps is often mixed with water and enjoyed as a long drink with ice cubes.

Ouzo becomes milky-cloudy when water is added, since the essential aniseed oils contained in the schnapps do not mix with the water, forming tiny droplets and thus an emulsion that makes the schnapps cloudy.

So when it's at its best, you should stop.

Even if this list can go on for a long time, because Greek cuisine has many facets!

How many of these Greek treats have you tried?

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