Make sure to not miss out on these greek traditional foods when VISITING!
When traveling to Greece, prepare to be blown away by the food. Mediterranean cuisine is world renowned for delivering some of the most flavorful, fresh, delicious and nutritious foods that you can find and Greece is a mecca for all of it. The flavors of each unique dish explode in your mouth leaving you yearning for more. Before exploring this incredible country, be sure to learn a bit about its fantastic cuisine so that you can sample the plethora of traditional Greek dishes on offer throughout your trip.
In Greece they are known for using a lot of olive oil, yogurt, herbs and lemon, and for adding layers to many of their most popular dishes. Layers of pasta, potatoes, vegetables, cheese, or filo dough are often incorporated into a recipe, making each bite a fork full of flavors and ingredients perfectly combined together. With plenty of fresh seafood along the coast, incredible produce bursting with flavors, tender slow-cooked meats, simple herb and spice combinations, as well as seasonal specialties, local wines and plenty more to enjoy, your palette will never lack for delicious options. Here are a selection of mouth-watering traditional Greek foods you must try when exploring Greece!
Traditional Greek Moussaka
1. Kleftiko
There is perhaps no better place to enjoy a lamb dish than in Greece. A staple of Greek cuisine, Kleftiko was originally cooked slowly in a small pit in the ground. This made the meat particularly soft, juicy and packed with flavors, with the garlic, lemon juice and smoke all swirling together as it cooks.
2. Moussaka
Moussaka could be the most traditional dish in Greece so you’ll find it in almost any restaurant or tavern in the nation. It is made with fried and pureed tomato, eggplants, minced lamb, potatoes and then topped with cheesy bechamel sauce. Filled with traditional spices and flavors, each bite will have your taste buds craving more.
Greek Pastitsio. Photo: Katrin Morenze
3. Pastitsio
Pastitsio is known as being the Greek cousin of Italian lasagna. A long-standing traditional dish, it is enjoyed all year long and recorded in Greek writings as early as 1200 B.C! It is made by layering tubes of ziti pasta with ground beef, melted cheese and bechamel sauce.
4. Kritharaki
This dish is made with a very specific Greek pasta that looks like long-grain rice, which is then cooked with tomato sauce, nuts, nutmeg, peas and chicken. It is often enjoyed alongside Giouvetsi, which is another traditional dish that consists of baked chicken, lamb, or beef.
Flaming saganaki. Photo: Steven Depolo
5. Saganaki
Saganaki translates to “little frying pan”, which is what is used to make the traditional dish. Along the coast it’s possible to find Garides Saganaki, made with sautéed shrimps that are soaked with ouzo, doused in a rich tomato sauce, and finally topped with crumbled feta cheese. However, it is most known for the flaming cheese version, fit for the dreams of any cheese lover. The flame is ignited by the Greek liquor or brandy added to the pan.
Spanikopita with fresh feta. Photo: Tanya Bakogiannis
6. Spanikopita
Also known as a Greek spinach pie, spanikopita is the perfect option for any meal of the day or as a snack to enjoy between meals perhaps accompanied by a strong Greek coffee. This flaky masterpiece has the perfect combination of salt from the feta cheese and fat from the butter and olive oil, with just enough nutrition from the generous spinach inside to make you feel good.
Grilled octopus. Photo: Klearchos Kapoutsis
7. Chtapodi sti schara
A grilled octopus dish that is a classic meze, often served with crusty bread. It is usually associated with coastal areas like Ermioni or the Greek islands where the seafood is the freshest! The octopus is cooked first then grilled over charcoal to add that extra char flavor. It is typically thinly sliced when served and topped with a drizzle of olive oil, a splash of lemon, and a sprinkle of oregano.
8. Kalamarakia
Made with squid rings and tentacles that are lightly seasoned, coated in flour, and then fried until perfectly crispy and golden brown, this is a classic Greek staple especially along the coasts. Found in just about any typical restaurant or taverna, it is typically served as an appetizer or meze dish, sprinkled with fresh parseley and accompanied by lemon wedges.
Plate with various Greek dips. Photo: Marco Verch
9. Greek Dips
The many dips in Greece are the perfect way to begin a meal, or accompany a meat dish. Greeks love to blend almost any ingredients with lemon and olive oil which can often create the perfect dip. Here are some of our favorites:
Greek dip made with beetroot
Tzatziki is a yogurt-based dip and it is the most common Greek dip. The tart flavor from the yogurt, the herb flavor from the dill and the perfect final touch from the garlic and the cucumber make it the perfect combination to enjoy with anything.
Taramasalata is a Greek and Turkish dip made from pink and white fish roe blended with mashed potatoes, as well as the staples - lemon juice and olive oil. It is traditionally enjoyed on the first day of Lent, also known as Clean Monday.
Fava is a blended dip made from cooked yellow split peas, onions, and spices. Although it has few ingredients, the dip comes out incredibly flavorful, creamy, and delicious.
Melitzanosalata is a grilled eggplant and garlic dip, similar to baba ganoush but with fewer ingredeints. Like the other mezzes, it is easy to make with simple flavors perfectly combined.
Pantzarosalata is the most fabulous looking Greek mezze due to its main ingredient, beetroots. Combined with olive oil, garlic, vinegar, and sometimes yogurt, it can be enjoyed as a blended dip or as a chopped salad with chunks of beets.
The gyro: simple yet delicious flavor combinations in this Grecian staple. Photo: Jeffreyw
10. Gyro
Anytime of the day or night it’s not hard to find a gyro stand in Greece serving up freshly carved lamb peeled from an aromatic rotating spit. Take that thinly sliced meat and pile it high on warm pita bread, top it with fresh tomatoes and onion and a generous stripe of cool tzaziki, then wrap it in a tight roll with aluminum foil and you have the perfect mouth-watering meal on the go. A gyro is perfect for a quick recharge as you fill your days sightseeing, or perhaps as a midnight snack after an evening of cocktails, music and dancing!
Authentic Greek salad.
11. horiatiki Salad
Though this dish is what anyone outside of Greece would simply call a Greek salald, trust us when we say you haven’t really tried this bowl of goodness until you’ve had it in Greece! The first mistake of many Greek salads outside of Greece: adding lettuce. In Greece this dish is piled high with all the freshest ingredients that Greece is known for — tomatoes, cucumbers, olives, feta, peppers, onion — then sprinkled with herbs and drizzled with local olive oil. It’s a dish you’ll be ordering again and again for a satisfying Meditteranean lunch!
Greek yogurt and honey with walnuts. Photo: cyclonebill
12. Yiaourti Me Meli
Yogurt and honey are quite common ingredients within the Greek cuisine, often used separately or combined. Yiaourti Me Meli literally translates to yogurt and honey. Combining these two can create a delicious sweet breakfast, or even a healthy dessert. Greeks have perfected the art of balancing creamy yogurt and sweet honey with various combinations of herbs, nuts or fruit to add flavor and texture. You will be able to find many places offering Yiaourti Me Meli with thyme or dill, as well as walnuts or pistachios, and seasonal fruits.
Traditional Greek baklava made with walnuts
13. Baklava
Highlighting Greece’s obsession with nuanced layers and plenty of fresh nuts, baklava is the most classic pastry in Greece. It is made by layering many sheets of filo - a thin and flaky dough - with honey, cinnamon spice, ground nuts and butter in between Sweet, nutty, sticky, and slightly crunchy, it has all the textures and flavors you want in a dessert!
14. Galaktoboureko
Galaktoboureko might be a mouthful to pronounce, but this dessert is very easy to enjoy. A custard filled filo pie with lemon and orange syrup poured over the top, each spoonful brings fruity, rich, and creamy flavors onto your taste buds.
If your stomach is grumbling by now be sure to start planning your trip to Greece to satisfy your cravings for all the deliciousness above! While many of these dishes can be found outside of Greece, there is nothing quite like the fresh local flavors and generations of traditional techniques and recipes that you’ll find at the tavernas along Greece’s idyllic shores. Immerse yourself in the culture, history, landscape and people of Greece to truly enjoy each bite to the max. If you want to learn more about this beautiful country or learn why October is the best time to embark on your Greek adventure, find more info and tips throughout our blog.
