Dish on Greece
Whether you’re an historian, literary enthusiast, or beach-seeking vacationer, Greece seems to seduce many people. The country is a long sought after destination for many travelers, including the traveling epicurean.
Here are some sensations from the Mediterranean palate that are not to be missed if you find yourself traveling in the area.
Ouzo: This anise flavored liqueur is as ubiquitous as chai in India. Drink it with just a little bit of water, so that the clear liquid becomes cloudy, with a few chips of ice in the glass. Restaurant and shop owners may toast you with a complimentary glass. Drink up and enjoy the good company, but beware that your Ouzo isn’t watered down severely with vodka. Find a nice café, order a small carafe – which is really just a small unopened bottle of Ouzo – and enjoy the drink and the local people watching.
Tzatziki: Tzatziki is a yogurt that is mixed with diced cucumbers and garlic, and seasoned with anything from olive oil and dill, to mint and lemon juice. The dish is often served as an appetizer with fresh vegetables and olives, or thick crusty bread. However, tzatziki is usually served as an accompaniment to almost any dish you might order while in Greece.
Dolmas: The word “dolma” actually refers to a variety of stuffed vegetable dishes, but none is more popular – or more delicious, in my opinion – than stuffed grape leaves. Most dolmas are stuffed with rice, minced lamb, onions, lemon zest, and a host of seasonings. After baking, they are typically served hot, slathered in olive oil and lemon zest. Dolmas are usually accompanied by tzatziki, a fresh loaf of crusty bread, and olives. Vegetarian dolmas – the same dish, minus the lamb – can be found in Greece if you do some looking, but they are becoming increasingly popular in the US.
Moussaka: This many layered dish is a classic staple of Greece. Greek moussaka typically has three layers. The bottom is a thick layer of eggplant, next is a layer of minced meat (usually lamb) with diced onions, tomatoes, and herbs. The whole thing is topped with a white cheese sauce that is baked until golden brown. Again, this dish is increasingly available as a vegetarian dish in some areas, but will most often be served with lamb in Greece.
Baklava: I wasn’t going to get through this blog post without talking about baklava, was I? Everyone is familiar with this dessert, with its many flaky layers of phyllo dough and nutty flavor. However, you have not known baklava until you have tried it in Greece. Here the many layers are slathered in so much olive oil and honey syrup that the desert is almost like a cake or streusel at the bottom. The cookies are typically served warm, with creamy soft walnuts inside. No, I definitely couldn’t leave out Baklava.
Greek Coffee: This will put hair on your chest! Greek coffee is brewed like a strong espresso, and typically has a nice foam on top and a serious resin at the bottom of the cup. Greek coffee is made by boiling coffee and water together in a special pot called a briki. Once you work up a good foamy boil, the whole thing is poured directly into a cup no bigger than a demitasse cup. This is why you get a nice sludge at the bottom while you’re drinking it.
Greek Salads: Don’t forget to take advantage of the fresh tomatoes, cucumbers, bricks of feta cheese, olives, and deliciously seasoned olive oils that this area is so famous for. I guarantee you, no café back home will be able to compare.
Greece is on the Euro now, but the country is still struggling to saddle the currency as well as Western Europe has, and prices are considerably lower. This is one place where you definitely shouldn’t let your penny-pinching curtail your culinary indulgences.
May 10th, 2010 at 4:26 pm
I’m heading to Greece in 2 days and wanted to thank you for this great article! After all the horrible Greece-releated headlines lately, yours is the first I’ve read that’s actually made me forget about the chaos and look forward to discovering this new place and all of its epicurean delicacies.
Much appreciated!
-Erika
May 11th, 2010 at 1:12 am
I love this post! I was lucky enough to spend two weeks in Crete at my friend’s aunt’s house. She made fresh tzatziki with ingredients from her garden and sent me home with a full liter of olive oil she made fresh from her olive tree in her backyard. The food comes from the earth and is delicious and you can feel that it is a part of life there. Beautiful picture!
May 11th, 2010 at 8:43 am
Having a brother-in-law that’s Greek, means I’ve been exposed to Ouzo (too much), Baklava (too sweet), Greek Coffee (strong), Moussaka (don’t eat the meat dish, but I’ll eat the cheese one), Loukoumades (my favorite), Spanakopita (like the spinach), etc…It’s interesting when cultures come together and people who come to the U.S. still uphold their traditions after 30+ years of being in the country. Of course, one can never get the site of a lamb on the rotisserie. Not my cup of tea…
May 11th, 2010 at 5:24 pm
Everything in this post made me so hungry. That salad looks incredible. I could easily picture myself eating my way across Greece.
May 11th, 2010 at 8:45 pm
Every American should get a free trip to Greece after bailing them out.
May 11th, 2010 at 11:56 pm
Thanks everyone! I’m glad everyone is as much of a foodie as I am. 😀
@Erika: I’m glad this post could serve as a positive note right now.
@Rebecca: I can’t believe I left out Spanakopita! Yummmm!
@Jessica: This was literally the best meal I had in Greece. It was in a little café in Oia on Santorini, and all of it plus a Greek coffee came to only 8euros. I could kick myself for not getting their card, or at least talking to the owners. I did point every other traveler that I met in their direction, however. 🙂
May 12th, 2010 at 9:48 am
Hi Colleen, great tips on all the don’t miss dishes. I love Greek food, so satisfying and full of taste but also feels so healthy and nutritious, perfect! (perhaps not the baklava or ouzo, but you can’t have everything and I don’t like ouzo anyway!).
It would be great if you could share you favourite foodie-themed travels with us over on GrantourismoTravels, where writers Lara & Terry are running monthly blogging competitions – the theme for this month being… Food & Travel! There are great prizes on offer including a stay in a HomeAway Holiday-Rentals property, tour vouchers and more. You can find more info and prize details here: https://grantourismotravels.com/2010/05/05/grantourismo-travel-blogging-competition-may/
Happy travelling and eating!
Sarah
May 13th, 2010 at 7:21 am
wow everything seems to be delicious, especially that salad! i cant wait to try out the greek cuisine this september! im going to be visiting athens! i’ve been reading various books on athens and have been surfing the internet for info! i came upon this website http://www.breathtakingathens.com and found great info on sights and tourists attractions, but the best of all is i found a list of restaurants for fine dining (too expensive for me!), street food (so cool!), and about neighborhoods filled with great restaurants! i love tasting cuisines from different countries! best so far is moroccan, lets see will greek cuisine change my mind??