Eating out in Greece

For anyone visiting Greece for the first time, the colours, sights, sounds, smells and most of all the delicious flavours of the Greek foods are a revelation. The Greek
cuisine is significant for its honesty, its healthy indifference to food fads or trends and its ability to promote a feeling of well-being to everyone around the table. Apart from the weather, the food you eat on holiday is a major factor in how much you have enjoyed the experience.

On this page I would like to share some of the wonderful Greek recipes I have come upon, from family members, from neighbours, from friends and some which I have tried/adapted for myself. I would also like you, the reader, to add your favourite recipes with some comments about them. I hope, that for those of you who spend their holidays in
Greece, it will bring back the flavour of the country to you!

For those who have never had visited but would like to experience the true flavour of Greece I hope that these recipes will encourage you to visit and see for
yourself. Greece is a sea-faring country with charming mountain ranges and small fertile plains.The smell of the sea blends with the smell or rigani (Greek oregano, much stronger and more pungent that the Italian variety) and thyme from the mountains. A mountainous range lies across a large part of mainland Greece and much of the terrain is barren.

This is the case on many of the islands as well. Hence there is very little good grazing land which makes it difficult to raise cattle. Consequently, in Greece beef is not traditionally eaten very much and olive oil replaces butter. Sheep and goats are more easily raised and so lamb is the most popular meat and the milk of sheep and goats are turned into a plethora of delicious cheeses.

Poultry is also abundant and pigs are bred in most parts of Greece.Hen's eggs are common and are particularly used to thicken sauces and soups - a speciality being the egg and lemon sauce (avgolemono). Fruit and vegetables grow in abundance and can be bought cheaply at local markets on the mainland or from the farms and and small vans that go around many of the islands selling their fresh produce.

Furthermore, herbs and fruit growing wild on the mountains and in the countryside can be freely picked and fish can be pulled from the sea with a simple line and hook. With very little effort you can really eat extremely cheaply and healthily.The people of Greece are warm, generous and hospitable.

Food has always been a part of this hospitality and you couldn't visit a Greek home without being offered something to eat and drink. It would be rude not to offer something to a guest like a Mezes or a Greek dessert and equally discourteous to refuse.

The Greek lifestyle and the seasonal availability of ingredients are reflected in their national cuisine. If you should ever be invited to an authentic Greek table you would have great difficulty overcoming the surprise brought about from the bombardment of sensations and tastes. Most importantly, however, eating and drinking in Greece is a social occasion, check our Greek desserts recipes.