We can all agree that eating is one of the best things about traveling. Greece is a great place to try out food from the Mediterranean. You will undoubtedly get hungry between the warm weather and exploring the ruins all year. The food in different parts of Greece is different but often healthy and tasty. Here is the ultimate guide for every kind of traveler to Greek food.
If you want to eat Greece's national dish, you should...
Even though it's debatable, Greeks have chosen one dish as their favorite national dish. If you go to Greece, Moussaka is a must-try dish. A deliciously creamy dish where the eggplant, potatoes, and meat work together to make a beautiful melody.
Each ingredient was covered in bechamel, tomato, and meat sauce and then layered to make a tasty tower. You might be thinking that this sounds a lot like lasagne. Both lasagne and moussaka are made by layering things, but moussaka uses eggplant and potatoes instead of noodles.
If you're a vegetarian traveling in Greece...
Greeks don't take vegetables for granted, which is good news for vegetarians. Traditional Greek dishes, like papoutsakia, Gemista, and Dolmades, are made by putting something inside a vegetable. Because of this, a lot of restaurants offer vegetarian options. But there are still many traditional meals that don't include meat.
Spinach, feta cheese, and pastry come together wonderfully in Spanakopita. Think of it mostly as a Greek spinach pie. This can be bought at a street stall or a restaurant. You might turn up your nose at the idea of a salad, but Greek vegetables are in a class by themselves. A Greek salad has juicy tomatoes, rich chunks of feta cheese, fresh olives, cucumbers, and salad.
You can season it however you like with olive oil, salt, vinegar, and pepper. It's a cool dish that's perfect for the hot summer months in Greece. Tomotokeftedes are usually found in Santorini and are made with tomatoes that have been deep fried. It is made by frying crushed tomatoes in oil and coating them in the seasoned dough. It's a great snack or way to start a meal.
Greek food is great if you like meat...
Greece is great for people who like meat. Greek food is usually pork, chicken, veal, beef, lamb, rabbit, and goat. Kleftiko is one of Greece's best meat dishes. Lamb is a popular choice for meat, and you'll soon see why. For kleftiko, olive oil, lemon juice, and garlic are added to the lamb and then cooked slowly.
Usually, it comes with potatoes, and Soutzoukakia is a type of Greek meatball cooked in tomato sauce and flavored with cumin and garlic. Most of the time, it's served with potatoes or rice. Some places use ground beef or pork, while others use a mix of both. Stifado is another meat dish that stands out.
It is a Greek beef stew made with onions, rice or pasta, herbs and spices from the area, and tomatoes. Greek kleftiko is a traditional lamb stew baked in the oven with mizithra cheese, olives, onion, carrot, garlic, and herbs. It is served with lemon-baked potatoes.
If you like fish and seafood, you should try Greek food...
Greece has a large fishing industry and a lot of coastlines. So, it would assist if you looked into the local catch that day, where people usually eat fish and grilled octopus. Octopuses might hang out to dry in fishing towns along the coast.
The octopus is being dried in the picturesque fishing town of Naousa on the island of Paros. Another classic Greek dish is Kalamarakia Tiganita, made of deep-fried squid rings and tentacles. Most of the time, lime slices and parsley are used to season them, and they are always a tasty choice.
For the budget-minded traveler, Greek cuisine...
The truth is that most meals in Greece aren't too expensive, but maybe you need something especially cheap. When lying out in the sun in the middle of the day, nothing tastes better than street food. The traditional Souvlaki wrap from Greece is great for this. A pita wrapped around meat, tomatoes, salad, onions, fries, and tzatziki.
Most of the time, either pork or chicken is put on a skewer and grilled. Souvlaki is usually cheap and tastes so good that you'll want to make it at home. If you are a vegetarian or don't eat meat, don't worry. There are lots of places that serve it with alternatives. Wrapped in pita bread and served with tzatziki, Greek gyros
For the tourist who wants a Small bit of luxury...
Most Greek foods were made to be inexpensive and tasty. But if you'd like to try something a bit fancier, you should try Astakomakaronada. This is a rich pasta dish with tasty local lobster still in its shell. Even though there are different kinds of it all over the country, it is usually considered a dish from the island of Skyros. It is a dish with wine, spices from the area, and lobster served in its shell.