Explore Greek Cuisine
Greece and its sunny islands offer a tempting cuisine that is fresh and aromatic, served with warmth and liveliness. The Greeks' zest for the good life and love of simple, well-seasoned foods is reflected at the table. Theirs is an modest cuisine that makes the most of their surroundings.
Greece has an abundance of olive trees, providing a flavour-packed oil to bathe other dishes with. And of course a Greek salad wont be a Greek salad without some perfect olives or feta (the classic white goat's cheese from Greece).
Vineyards flourish in Greece, providing excellent grapes and exquisite wines. The seas provide a variety of fish and shellfish that are usually served grilled, baked, and fried and often whole, with the head still on. Lamb is Greece's principal meat served, on holiday festivities a whole lamb carcass is spit-roasted outdoors. But for everyday meals, lamb is served together with endless combinations of vegetables. Most other meats, such as pork, game, beef and chicken are marinated, grilled and baked often complimented with a golden lemon sauce or a cinnamon flavoured tomato sauce.
Moussaka is a very well known traditional Greek dish made of layers of eggplant or zucchini and a garlic-scented meat sauce, and a custard topping baked in the oven.
A favourite Greek desert is Moussaka (thin layers of phyllo pastry and walnuts or pistachios topped with a delicious honey flavoured syrup). Most meals are ended off with a strong, thick cup of Greek coffee and sometimes fresh fruit, such as, figs, apples, oranges, or melons.
Feasts and festivals are essential to Hellenic life. Name days, saints' days, weddings, and holidays are the occasions for jollity, a overflowing table and spirited folk dancing.
