GREEK CUISINE
REGIONAL CUISINE
At tavernas, tasty païdakiaa (lamb cutlets) and brizoles (pork chops)
are usually ordered by the kilo.
In some places you may also fi nd the delicacy kokoretsi, a spicy, spit-
roasted or baked seasoned lamb or goat off al, wrapped in intestines.Fish & Seafood
With such an expanse of coastline and island living, it’s no surprise fi sh
and seafood feature prominently in Greek cooking. Fish from the Medi-
terranean and Aegean Seas are incredibly tasty and cooked with mini-
mum fuss – grilled whole and drizzled withladholemono (a lemon and
oil dressing). Flavoursome smaller fi sh such asbarbouniaa (red mullet)
and maridhaa (whitebait) are ideal lightly fried.
Unfortunately, fresh local fi sh is not plentiful or cheap, due to over-
fi shing in the Mediterranean and high demand in summer. Smaller
fi sh such as sardines, whitebait and anchovies are still good value. On
the islands, the best way to avoid imports is to seek out tavernas run
by local fi shing families.
Octopus hung out to dry like washing outside tavernas is one of the
iconic images of Greece. Grilled or marinated, it makes a fi ne mezes
(appetiser), it is stewed in a wine sauce with macaroni.
Other popular seafood dishes include grilled soupies (cuttlefi sh),
calamari or squid stuff ed with cheese and herbs or rice, and a winter
favourite: fried salted cod served with skordalia (a lethal garlic and
potato dip). Island tavernas will often have psarosoupaa (fi sh soup) with
vegetables or a delectablekakaviaa (a bouillabaisse-style speciality laden
with various fi sh and seafood; usually made to order). Greek avgota-
raho (botargo), a distinctive fi sh roe (usually grey mullet) preserved
in beeswax is a delicacy exported from Messolongi, on the west coast.Greek Salad
The ubiquitous Greek salad (horiatikii or ‘village salad’) is the summer
salad, made of fresh tomatoes, cucumber, onions, feta and olives (some-
times garnished with purslane, peppers or capers). Lettuce and cabbage
salads are served outside the summer, while beetroot is also a popular
salad, occasionally garnished with feta and walnuts.Horta (wild or cul-
tivated greens) are delicious warm or cold, drizzled with olive oil and
lemon, and go particularly well with fi sh.Regional Cuisine
Provincial Greek cuisine is invariably infl uenced by local produce and
microclimates, from the oil-rich foods of the Peloponnese and sweet red
peppers of Florina, to the giant lima beans of Prespa in the north and the
foraged wild greens and herbs of the barren Cyclades.
While in some areas you will fi nd only subtle variations of the
staples, others make dishes unheard of elsewhere, such askavourma, the
smoked water buff alo of Serres, or pies made with nettles in northern
Greece.
The cuisine of northern Greece, infl uenced by the eastern fl avours
introduced by Asia Minor refugees, uses less olive oil and more pep-
pers and spices. Thessaloniki and its mezes culture has long had the
gastronomic upper hand over Athens, while northern coastal towns like
Volos are known for seafood mezedhes such as fried mussels or mussel
pilaf. Ioannina’s specialities include crayfi sh, frogs’ legs andkokoretsi
(coarsely chopped lamb off al wrapped in lamb’s intestine’s and grilled
with oregano and lemon juice).
The Peloponnese is known for simpler herb-rich, one-pot dishes. As
the biggest producers of olive oil, the Peloponnese and Crete also have
the biggest variety of ladhera.Feta, the national
cheese, has been
produced for
about 6000 years
from sheep’s
and/or goat’s
milk. Only feta
made in Greece
can be called
feta, an EU ruling
giving it the same
protected status
as Parma ham
and Champagne.