The food and drink of Greece are world famous for quality and taste. Some dishes are served across Greece and the Greek Islands, whereas others are local culinary specialties.

Here is a brief overview of the kinds of dishes/foods you will find on your holiday:

MEZEDES

The mezedes (single: mezes) are appetizers served on small plates, served before or with the main dishes, usually accompanied with ouzo or tsipouro.

  • Briam: Mix of roast potatoes, eggplants, onions, garlic, tomato sauce and olive oil.
  • Dolmadakia: Grape leaves filled with rice and onions and sometimes minced beef.
  • Feta cheese: The famous Greek cheese can also be eaten alone, as a meze, with olive oil and oregano.
  • Horta: Boiled wild greens with olive oil, salt and lemon.
  • Htapodi: Small pieces of octopus served either fried with lemon juice or boiled, with olive oil, vinegar and oregano.
  • Kalamarakia: Small pieces of fried squid with lemon juice.
  • Keftedakia: Fried meatballs of beef, garlic and bread.
  • Saganaki: Fried cheese. Different sorts of cheese can be found in saganaki. Excellent with a zest of lemon.
  • Spanakopitakia: Small spinach pies with crushed feta cheese.
  • Tiropitakia: Small cheese pies, usually made of feta or kasseri cheese.
  • Tzatziki: Greek yogurt with finely chopped cucumber, garlic and olive oil. Ideal to eat with fresh Greek bread, fried potatoes or fried meatballs.

SALADS

The most famous is the Greek salad, or else Horiatiki (Village Salad), but there are also many other types with dipping sauces.

  • Horiatiki Salata: Also know as "Greek salad", the horiatiki is a mix of fresh tomatoes, olives, cucumber, onions, green pepper, feta cheese, olive oil and oregano.
  • Melitzanosalata: An eggplant puree with finely chopped garlic and olive oil. It is succulent with fresh bread.
  • Taramosalata: Crushed fish eggs.

MAIN DISHES

Greeks have a vast array of excellent main dishes and meat is the ingredient of choice:

  • Kokoretsi: This is one of the favourite dishes of Greeks. Mostly eaten during Easter. It consists of wrapped and roasted entrails of lamb, served with lemon.
  • Moussaka: This famous Greek dish has a base made of potatoes topped with eggplant, onions, minced beef and bechamel sauce.
  • Pastitsio: This is another well-known Greek dish similar to Italian Lasagne. It consists of spaghetti topped with minced beef, onions, tomato sauce and bechamel sauce.
  • Paidakia: Grilled lamb's ribs served with lemon.

DRINKS

Tsipouro: Very strong alcohol similar looking to ouzo, but with a stronger taste of anis. It is served best with ice and sometimes with a bit of water. It is always accompanied with mezedes. In different parts of Greece, such as Crete, some islands and the northern Greece, people make their own home made Tsipouro, also called Raki (depending of the region) which is very very strong.

Ouzo: This is the most famous Greek alcoholic beverage and the trade mark of the country. It is a strong alcohol, served neat with ice or with a bit of water. It is ideal to drink with all kinds of mezedes. The best ouzo is made in Lesvos and the most famous trades are Ouzo Plomariou and Barbayanni.

Mavrodafni: This sweet wine is made in Patras Peloponnese. It is really thick and dark (almost black) and can be compared to the Portuguese Porto. This strong wine is used for the Holy Communion in the Greek Orthodox Church.

Retsina: The famous Retsina is a Greek white wine with a particular resin taste. This taste is due to the way of production of this wine: they put the grapes in new cask which have still the wood resin on, giving to the whine that special taste.

There is also a huge diversity of Greek wines: red, white and rose, sweet or dry.