Any foodie and gourmet menu enthusiast who has ever tasted Mediterranean cuisine can tell you – if you’re looking for delicious, healthy and energizing grubs, there’s no better place to order your meal than Greece. With a long and diversified food tradition, the cradle of the Hellenic culture is truly the land of milk, honey, olives and seafood, all combined in highly nutritious, incredibly scrumptious and health-beneficial dishes. If you’re eager to experiment with Hellenic ingredients and flavors at home, we have some useful tips and hints on how to add a refreshing dash of Greece to your kitchen and dining room.
Yummy octopus: Greek seafood at its finest
One of the best-loved Greek appetizers, octopus, can be prepared either as a marinated or grilled dish and served with some bruschetta, olives and veggie salad with cheese. You can also serve octopus meat as an entrée, just make sure you first stew it in wine and accompany it with some tasty pasta and sauce.
Mousakka for beginners: Flavorful and colorful
Another typical Mediterranean dish, mousakka comes in a wide range of varieties but the legendary Greek dish is quite unique both in the ingredients and preparation procedure. For a true taste of Greece on your plate, layer sautéed eggplants, fried minced meat, onion, sliced potatoes, garlic and tomato puree, and finally top it by béchamel and cheese sauce with Mediterranean spices like cinnamon and myrtle pepper.
Souvlaki and gyros: Grilled meats a la Greece
Apart from seafood, cheese and salads, the Greeks are masters of charcoal-grilled meats. For a Hellenic aroma for lunch, try some gyros with pitta bread, tomato sauce, onion and tzatziki. Or, grab some souvlaki, Mediterranean salad and Greek yoghurt. Favorite Greek fast foods that have been popular across the globe for decades now, souvlaki and gyros are highly nutritious, energizing and yummy, especially if accompanied by a glass of ouzo or metaxa.
Food of gods: All that baklava goodness
One more typical Greek treat, baklava is made by layering filo pastry, chopped or ground nuts and cinnamon inside phyllo dough. While baking the mix for 50 minutes in a preheated oven, make a sweet sauce using honey, sugar, vanilla and water (simmer for around 20 minutes) and pour it over once the baklava is golden and crispy. A perfect treat to serve with some healthy drink or smoothie, baklava will keep your sweet tooth happy and your belly full for hours, so make sure you try it out at home.
Sugar, spice and all the things nice: Greek galaktoboureko
One of great recipes with Greek yoghurt, galaktoboureko is a national dessert in this Mediterranean country and it’s incredibly easy to whip up on your own. To make a delicious galaktoboureko, you’ll need six glasses of milk and six eggs, one cup of semolina flour, phyllo dough, 3 ½ spoons of cornstarch, ¾ cup of melted butter, a pinch of salt, 1 1/2 cups of sugar, a cup of water and a teaspoon of vanilla extract.
Courgette balls: Ideal refreshment on a hot Greek day
Courgettes (or zucchini) are a much-loved dish ingredient in the Hellenic world. For an appetizing Greek starter meal, try zucchini patty or lightly fried balls made grated courgette and mint, dill, oregano and other herbal spices. Courgettes also go excellently with tzatziki, so if you’re about to prepare a Greek-style dinner, you can also serve them alongside traditional Greek breads for a more authentic experience, remember to include zucchinis and salads in the menu.
When in Greece, do as the Greeks do – and in your own kitchen, you might as well act Greek now and again. From refreshing salads, courgettes, Greek yoghurt, olives and octopus meat to mousakka, souvlaki, gyros, baklava and galaktoboureko, room for Hellenic culinary inspiration springs endless – and impressively tasty too. So, what are you waiting for? Try some Greek dishes for a change – once you’ve tried a plateful of delicious Hellenic grubs, you’ll be coming back for second helpings soon.
