Greek cuisine is the
cuisine deriving from
Greece and its associated islands. Given the geography and history of Greece, this style of cookery has heavy leanings towards Middle Eastern cuisine. The terrain has tended to favour the production of goats and sheep over cattle, and thus beef dishes tend to be a rarity by comparison. Fish dishes are also common. Olive oil, produced from the trees prominent throughout the region, adds to the distinctive taste of Greek food.
Appetizers
- Spanikopita (spinach pie wrapped in filo pastry)
- Tyropita (cheese pie wrapped in filo pastry)
- Taramosalata (fish roe salad; tarama = fish roe, salata = salad)
- Saganaki (fried cheese)
- Dolmades (grapevine leaves stuffed either with meat or rice and vegetables)
- Humus me Tahini (chick pea sauce with tahini)
- Tzatziki (yogurt sauce with cucumber, used as a dip)
Famous Greek dishes:
- Gyros (spiced lamb, yogurt, tomato sandwich on pita bread; this is a popular "fast food").
- Pitta bread - flat, unleavened, bread.
- Souvlaki (lamb and vegetables on skewers)
- Moussaka (eggplant casserole...there are other variations besides eggplant, such as Zucchini or rice, but the eggplant version ("melitzanes moussaka") is most popular, so "moussaka" alone is assumed to mean with eggplant.
- Pastitsio (Baked casserole with macaroni, meat, and a white sauce)
Desserts
- Baklava (A popular sweet desert, layers of filo pastry with nuts, sugar, honey, cloves)
Drinks
- Ouzo (a clear alcoholic beverage that tastes like licorice; it turns milky white with water or ice). Also known by the Arabic name of raki on some islands.
See also: cuisine