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If you can learn anything from My Big Big Greek Wedding, it's that Greeks love food. But Greek cuisine is not only about kebabs and yogurt. Greece has one of the most mouth-watering cuisines, from hearty meat dishes to rose-scented desserts. Check out the list of dishes that you should definitely try in Greece.

Paputsaki

The name of the dish is translated as "little shoes", it is an eggplant stuffed with meat, tomato sauce and bechamel sauce.

Pastizio

This pasta dish is somewhat reminiscent of lasagna. It requires several layers of pasta, ground pork or beef, tomato sauce with mint and cinnamon, as well as béchamel and grated cheese. It is very tasty as an independent dish, but also goes well with a salad.

Taramasalata

This is a delicious spread of caviar mixed with olive oil and potatoes or bread. It's incredibly delicious when eaten with pita bread. The dish has a lot of fat, but it also has enough protein and omega-3 acids.

Avgolemono soup

Complemented with beaten egg, lemon juice and rice, this delicious chicken broth is the perfect dish for winter weather and a great cold remedy. Chop some chicken and bell pepper to give the broth even more flavor.

halloumi

This cheese is made in Cyprus. Halloumi has a delicate texture with a slight salty taste, it is made from sheep's and goat's milk. This is a versatile cheese that can be eaten both in pure form and in a salad, on a sandwich, and even with watermelon. Unlike other cheeses, this one does not melt when grilled, baked, or pan-fried.

Kleftiko

This lamb roast is usually seasoned with garlic, onion and oregano and served with potatoes and vegetables. If the meat has been marinated long enough and cooked properly, it will separate easily under a fork and practically melt in your mouth.

Cooluri

It is impossible to imagine a Greek feast without a basket of kouluri - this is bread sprinkled with sesame seeds, which is usually baked in the shape of a circle. It is crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. Often made with olives or feta, this bread is especially tasty when served while still warm.

Koulourakia

This name sounds similar to the previous one, however, the dish is somewhat different. These are sugar-coated butter cookies that can be both crunchy and soft on the inside. Cookies are served all year round, but especially often at Easter.

Galaktobureko

For dessert, try a slice of sweet corn quiche. It has a delicate aroma of rose water and a puff pastry crust.

Spanakopita

Not all Greek pastries are sweet. Spanakopita, for example, is a savory pie made with spinach and feta. The pie crust is made from crispy phyllo dough.

Keftedes

These crispy fried meatballs are usually made with pork or beef seasoned with oregano, onion, garlic and a pinch of cinnamon.

Tzatziki

A popular sauce is made from plain yogurt, mint, cucumber, olive oil, and garlic. This is a great addition to both fried pork or chicken skewers, as well as to pita.

Sheftalia

These juicy lamb or pork sausages are a dish from Cyprus. The Greeks cannot imagine a family barbecue without such a product.

kalo prama

This dish literally translates as "a great thing" and once you try it, you will understand the essence of such a name. It's a corn cake soaked in rosewater syrup and garnished with almonds. The perfect dish for a light and sweet dessert.

Kritaraki

This pasta dish with onions and tomatoes is prepared with different types meat - lamb, pork, beef or chicken. Either way, it's very flavorful.

Gemista

This dish requires peppers and tomatoes, they are stuffed with rice, herbs, sometimes minced meat. It turns out a hearty and healthy main course, which can also be used as a side dish.

souvlaki

Many people imagine kebabs, but have never heard of souvlaki - these are grilled skewers of meat, usually pork or chicken. The meat is served on a pita with salad or eaten straight from a skewer.

Dolmades

Hand-rolled rolls of minced pork, rice and parsley, wrapped in grape leaves, are quite difficult to make. But they are incredibly tasty both hot and cold. Meat can be substituted for pepper for a vegetarian version.

Loukoumades

If you love donuts, you will love loukoumades. It is a popular dessert sold on the streets and consists of small fried pieces of dough served with syrup and cinnamon or nuts.

aphelia

This dish is pork marinated in red wine. It takes a very long time to cook, but the incredible flavor justifies all the effort - be sure to try it if you like meat.

Kourabiedes

During the festive season, many Greek grandmothers make cookies with walnut and powdered sugar, vanilla and orange. Try these biscuits with traditional Greek milk-free coffee to balance the sweetness of the dessert with the drink.

Mauromatica

This is one of the more useful products on this list. A protein-rich dish made from black beans in tomato sauce. It can be with or without meat.

Moussaka

Layers of minced meat, usually lamb or beef, cooked in a tomato sauce and topped with eggplant and béchamel sauce, are a classic in Greek cuisine. If desired, the dish can be prepared without meat - eggplant with aromatic sauces turns out perfectly.

Lucaniko

Lucaniko is a tangy-flavoured smoked sausage made with fennel, orange, and sometimes chili. It's a great appetizer when eaten hot, straight off the grill, on a halloumi pita sandwich.

Baklava

Baklava is popular in Turkey and the Middle East, but in Greece it can be found in every pastry shop. Dessert made from filo pastry and pistachios is usually cut into squares or triangles. The dish also includes honey, lemon juice and cinnamon. It turns out an incredibly tasty and mouth-watering dessert.

It is easy to plan a family vacation in Greece: in the morning and in the afternoon - the beach, in the hot hours - sleep, and in the afternoon and evening - a meal in a tavern and an attempt to decide which national dish of Greece is the most delicious.

Children can also take part in the discussions, as the traditional cuisine of this country is suitable for children's stomachs. Kidpassage has collected all the information about what you need to try while traveling to Hellas and what to feed your child.

The specifics of Greek cuisine

Greek cuisine has absorbed all the traditions of Mediterranean cooking: it generously uses fresh vegetables, herbs, olive oil, and seafood.

The cooking methods that the Greeks prefer make food healthy and healthy, which is so important for children's nutrition. And Greek cuisine has its own secrets, thanks to which simple, unsophisticated dishes have a special taste.

The first secret of the national cuisine of Greece is in a set of herbs and spices. Garlic, onion, bay leaf, oregano, thyme, basil, thyme, dill, mint, nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves - not a complete list.

The second secret is vegetables and legumes warmed by the Greek sun: tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, zucchini, green beans, chickpeas.

The third is the frequent use of cheeses from sheep and goat milk in dishes: feta, manuri, halloumi, kefalotiri, kaseri and others.

Fourth - the widespread use of goat meat and lamb in the preparation of meat dishes; pork, beef and poultry are also used.

Fifth - love for fresh fish and seafood dishes.

Sixth - ways of processing products that retain maximum nutritional properties. The most commonly used is baking; there are also many boiled and stewed dishes.

And the last of the secrets is the reverent attitude of the Greeks to olive oil. The oil is often pressed on its own, by hand, and its taste depends not only on the method of preparation, but even on the region where the olives grew.

In Greece, only olive oil is used for frying food.

To taste traditional Greek dishes, you should bypass tourist-oriented establishments with local dishes. Real Greek cuisine is in those taverns where Greeks gather in the evenings with their families to have a hearty dinner and chat.

National dishes of Greece

Let's start praising the national food of Greece not with meat, fish or vegetables, but with marvelous Greek olives. Large and dark fruits of the “kalamon” variety, small green “halkidiki” with an oily sheen, dried olives from the island of Thassos - the Greeks themselves grow olives and salt and pickle them themselves.

Each tavern has its own recipes and secret knowledge of what herbs to put in the marinade and what to put in fruits instead of seeds.

Yogurt- product number 2 in the list of national food in Greece. It is made from cow's, and more often from sheep's milk. Greek yogurt has a thick consistency and is similar to soft cheese. It is added to salads and pastries, used for stewing and baking, and ice cream is prepared on its basis.

Often yogurt topped with honey or fruit syrup is served as a dessert. By the way, the same healthy sweetness can be prepared on your own from soft anfotiro cheese, reminiscent of homemade cottage cheese.

Well, now let's talk about the most popular dishes that are prepared everywhere in Greece:

• Moussaka- eggplant casserole with meat, often lamb, with bechamel sauce.
• Stifado- stewed meat in a thick onion sauce.
• Kleftiko- lamb cooked in a clay pot.
• pastitsio- pasta casserole with meat, cheese and egg.
• Paputsakya- eggplant stuffed with meat.
• Gemista- Peppers or tomatoes stuffed with minced meat.
• Lukanika Horiatika- homemade sausages, in which, in addition to meat, various other products are added. Among the unusual additives are oranges or olives.
• souvlaki- small skewers on wooden skewers.
• Pites- puff pastry pies with different fillings: with cheese and spinach (spanakopita), with meat (creatopita), with cheese (tiropita). At Christmas, a special sweet basilopita pie is prepared.
• Dolma- cabbage rolls in grape leaves.

A complete list of dishes would be much longer, but we have selected those dishes that are suitable for baby food. When deciding what to try from Greek cuisine, consider the characteristics of the preparation of different dishes.

Offer children boiled, stewed, baked foods, and try to avoid fried foods.

How to whet the appetite

A typical Greek meal begins with appetizers, which are called "meze" in Greece. This concept includes light vegetable dishes. Here are just a few of the most popular snacks.

• Tzadzyki- yoghurt sauce with garlic and grated cucumber, which can be spread on bread or picked up with crispy skordopsomo croutons.
• Melizanosalata- caviar from baked eggplants.
• Dolmadacya- rolled up in an envelope and in a special way cooked grape leaves.
• Hummus- tender mashed chickpeas with oil and spices.
• Keftedes- meatballs from zucchini, tomatoes, eggplant, mushrooms.

All this is unusually tasty, but still it is only a warm-up before the main course. We do not recommend leaning on snacks, because a large portion of the main course is waiting for you.

If you are not too hungry or have a meal with a child, you can order one serving for two or three people. And if you are very hungry - order different dishes for everyone to try a little of everything.

Greek salads

Salads in Greece are also a kind of snacks. But sometimes such an appetizer can replace lunch, since salads, in addition to vegetables, often include cheese (feta, mizifra).

The famous Greek salad (in Greece it is called “village” - lettuce horiatiki), you must try it: firstly, these are fresh vegetables, secondly, tender feta cheese soaked in tomato juice, coarsely chopped sweet onions, elastic oily olives - it’s just extraordinarily tasty.

Dakos- a popular salad in Crete. It is made from finely chopped tomatoes and mizithra cheese seasoned with olive oil, oregano and basil. Dakos is served on a piece of toasted bread.

Angurodomata- a salad for picky children. It consists of tomatoes, cucumbers and sweet red onions. There are no unfamiliar seasonings and cheeses in it.

Horta is a traditional dish in Greece. It is prepared from young dandelion leaves and chicory. Dressing is olive oil and lemon.

Dishes from fish and seafood

Fish dishes are best ordered in taverns on the coast - this guarantees the freshness of the product. In such places, it is customary for the visitor to choose the fish and seafood for the dish.

The easiest cooking method is charcoal roasting, but recipes great amount. To help you navigate the menu, here are the names of the most popular dishes:

• xtapodi sharas- grilled octopus tentacles;
• kalamaria yemista me tiri- baked squids;
• midya akhnista- steamed mussels.

Dishes to try for kids

What to offer a child from hearty food? First of all, of course, delicious moussaka. For lovers of homemade meatballs, order fragrant keftedes or suzukakya meatballs, which are great with baked vegetables as a side dish.

Stifado or cokinisto stew is paired with potatoes or rice, and is often served with boiled carrots or broccoli.

A child who prefers pasta will be happy to have a serving of pastitsio for lunch. And the simplest meat dish that you can eat without the help of cutlery is shish kebab souvlaki.

But if the child does not twist his nose at the word "soup" (and if he does, even more so), offer him something from the first courses. Avgolemono - a soup cooked in chicken broth with the addition of small orzo pasta in the form of rice grains - light and nutritious.

Translated from Greek, this name means "egg and lemon." Fasolada - thick bean soup with tomato sauce. Fakes lentil soup is also very popular in Greece, but it is rarely prepared in taverns - you can try this when visiting local residents.

If you are having a meal with a baby who has just begun to join the adult table, the tavern will not refuse to cook simple dishes for the little guest - boiled meat, fish, vegetables.

From vegetable dishes, children can be offered briam- stew of potatoes, zucchini, bell peppers and other vegetables. Also try with your child bamies- a dish of stewed okra pods.

This plant is rich in vitamins and minerals, eating its fruits is a good prevention of digestive problems.

desserts

For desserts, any child will certainly leave room in the stomach. Many sweets in Greece are made using nuts and honey:

• melomakarona- sweet cookies with honey;
• loukoumades- donuts sprinkled with honey;
• baklava- puff pastry with nuts.

Lukum will also please the soul of the sweet tooth (jelly-like sweetness, which is prepared from starch and sugar with the addition of all kinds of flavors).

Different regions have their own baking recipes. For example, katimeria bagels are baked, which are poured over with honey syrup. The highlight is a xerotigan bun in the shape of a rose. And they make almond nougat mandolato.

A wonderful alternative to baking will be fragrant Greek fruits - apricots, peaches, strawberries, cherries, figs, grapes, melons and watermelons. Interestingly, the Greeks love to eat watermelon with halloumi cheese.

Beverages

Tea, as we are used to, is almost never drunk in Greece - here it is considered a healing drink. Greeks prefer coffee, especially frappe - chilled coffee with foam.

Each meal comes with a bottle of water, and the kids can drink freshly squeezed orange juice (the plain Greek oranges used to make it are actually delicious).

Where to try Greek food

National dishes of Greek cuisine are served in hotels and restaurants. But to appreciate the nuances, it is best to go to the tavern. The inscription TAVERNA does not necessarily flaunt above it - often RESTAURANT is written on the sign.

You will recognize a real tavern by looking inside and seeing a simple interior, a minimum of staff and a maximum of local residents at the tables.

It is important to note that you can eat in taverns without fear - the owners, who receive guests as their friends, are very careful about the quality of food.

What children will certainly like in Greek taverns is the lack of strict etiquette. Here you will not get confused in forks and knives - there is a minimum of cutlery, and in some places some dishes are laid out directly on a table covered with clean paper.

Such a little hooliganism, when the table serves as a plate, will be appreciated by the children and will awaken their appetite.

Note that taverns can have a specialization. The best dishes of Greece, prepared from fish and seafood, will be served to you in coastal psarotavernas. The khasapotaverna menu consists almost entirely of meat dishes.

And establishments with the name girodiko and suvladzidiko are considered restaurants fast food, while they cook the most national food of the Greeks: souvlaki kebabs and gyros wrapped in pita, reminiscent of shawarma.

Whatever the name of the tavern, there will definitely not be desserts on its menu. You can drink coffee, which is idolized in Greece, in kafenia, eat a cake - in tiropitadiko, taste Greek sweets - in zacharoplastio, and enjoy a milk dessert - in galaktopolio.

In conclusion, it remains only to wish: “Kali oreksi!”, Which means “Bon appetit!”

The national dishes of the Greeks are a harmony of fragrant herbs, fresh products and various spices generously flavored with olive oil.

Gastronomic masterpieces, known since the times of Ancient Hellas, are “seasoned” with the alluring sea, the burning sun and reflect the cheerful and open temperament of the locals. Therefore, it is impossible to get a complete picture of the country, to feel its Mediterranean flavor without getting to know the most popular dishes of the multifaceted Greek cuisine.

Moussaka (Μουσακάς)

The first thing you need to try in Greece from food is the world-famous moussaka. The meat dish, which evokes associations with the incendiary dance of sirtaki, has Middle Eastern roots. As early as the 13th century, in Arabic cookbooks there was a dish "magum", strikingly reminiscent of the eggplant delicacy of the Hellenes.

Like all traditional Greek dishes, moussaka consists only of natural healthy products. Judge for yourself - a delicious puff casserole is prepared on the basis of eggplant, tomatoes, onions and lamb. Bechamel sauce adds a special charm to the dish. They say that he was brought into the country by a certain Nikos Tselimentes. The future cook, trained in the culinary craft, was the first to use cream sauce when cooking meat with vegetables.

Pastitsio (Παστίτσιο)

Locals consider pastitsio the pride of Greece's national cuisine and a must-try gastronomic item for those traveling around the country. And although the name of the dish is consonant with the Italian pasticcio, there is an opinion that the origins of the dish are rooted in the times of Ancient Hellas. According to the version of some etymologists, the word pasta comes from the Greek "macaria", meaning "a meal made from barley flour."

Traditionally, the composition of the famous casserole includes pasta, minced meat, mashed tomatoes, eggs and Bechamel sauce. Aromatic canela and nutmeg give it a special taste. According to the Greeks, the best pastitsio is prepared on the island of Corfu, complementing the recipe with almost transparent filo dough and slices of ham.

Fasolada (Φασολάδα)

One of the popular Greek dishes that you should definitely try while traveling is rich bean soup. It was prepared in Ancient Hellas.

Local residents consume beans in winter, when the air temperature drops to +7 °C, or during Orthodox Lent- the time of the ban on all meat products. High-calorie food is served to the table both hot and cold.

Any hostess can cook a traditional first course of Greek cuisine. Of the ingredients, you only need herbal ingredients: white beans, carrots, onions, tomato puree and. And do not forget celery - it is he who gives the thick stew a unique aroma and unique taste.

Fakes (Φακές)

Another famous Greek dish from the category of lean soups. The traditional stew is prepared according to all the rules of a healthy diet, the benefits of which were proven by Hippocrates. There is no place for saturated fats, preservatives and artificial additives in the recipe. A useful fake is a storehouse of microelements, fiber, vitamins and protein.

And although the ingredients of the popular soup vary depending on the region of the country, one thing remains stable - the main component of the dish, lentils. A light sourness to food gives the second mandatory component - lemon juice. In Greek restaurants, you can try faqes with sliced ​​feta cheese, which is traditionally served with this soup.

Kleftiko (Κλέφτικο)

The list of the 10 best dishes in Greece would be incomplete without kleftiko, a traditional dish whose name translates as “stolen meat”. According to legend, this masterpiece of national cuisine owes its appearance to peasants who, during the Turkish rule, stole lambs and rams from enemies, hiding them in pits marked with stones and fires. A few days later, baked and very soft food was taken out of the hiding places.

Do not try to cook kleftiko in your kitchen: you will not get the authentic smell of a light haze inherent in the dish. Real lamb with potatoes, flavored with a mixture of herbs, in Greece are baked in special ovens, first melting them with firewood, and then sealing the hole with clay. This helps to keep the precious heat as long as possible.

Melizanosalata (Mελιτζανοσαλάτα)

Once in the homeland of the ancient Hellenes, do not miss the opportunity to try this famous traditional dish of Greece. Cooked according to all the rules, it will leave unforgettable taste memories. At first glance, melizanosalata resembles "overseas, eggplant caviar." But the presence of walnuts, parsley, balsamic vinegar and lemon juice distinguishes tender pasta from the well-known vegetable snack.

In terms of its popularity, melizanosalata has long been on the heels of the legendary salad with feta. Thick delicious puree with an appetizing smell of fragrant herbs and garlic is masterfully prepared by all chefs of gastronomic establishments of national cuisine. and other cities, pasta is served in small salad bowls, complementing the dish with hot pita bread.

Spanakopita (Σπανακόπιτα)

If you are wondering what to eat in Greece from the original local dishes, pay attention to spanakopita. The now popular recipe has come down to us unchanged since 1800. It was then that the inhabitants Orthodox monasteries started growing spinach. At first, the plant was used for medicinal purposes. Later, the novices' meals were supplemented by pies stuffed with healthy herbs.

Modern chefs prepare the famous spanakopita from the thinnest sheets of phyllo dough, laid in several layers and brushed with olive oil. The filling is onion, spinach, pine nuts and feta cheese. And do not be surprised if you find rice grains inside the pie - they do not allow the mass to spread, absorbing excess moisture.

Baklavas (Μπακλαβάς)

If you want to try the most delicious dishes of Greek cuisine, don't forget about the popular baklavas dessert. Sweetness appeared on the land of the Hellenes in the era of Turocracy - the time of the rule of the Ottoman Empire. It was in ancient Constantinople in the 15th century that Sultan Mehmet II was first served a crispy delicacy.

In Greece, a delicious pastry is prepared a little differently than in Turkey. A work of culinary art that melts in your mouth, which includes chopped nuts, cinnamon and lemon juice, is poured abundantly here not with syrup, but with honey, which gives the sweet an amazing juiciness. In addition, small cakes are traditionally wrapped in 33 layers of filo dough - according to the number of earthly years of Jesus Christ.

Loukumades (Λουκουμάδες)

A story about the national sweet dishes of Greek cuisine would be incomplete without a description of loukoumades, a delicacy that has Arabic roots. However, over the years, a popular confectionery product resembling small ruddy donuts has taken root on the shores of the Aegean and Mediterranean Seas so much that it has become an indispensable attribute of important holidays and folk festivals.

For the preparation of one of the yeast dough is used. Small balls are made from it and fried in a vat of hot oil. Then the delicacy is poured abundantly with honey and generously sprinkled with cinnamon and grated nuts.