Greek Cuisine and Wine

Greek Cuisine has a unique flavour. During your stay in Greece you will be pleasantly surprised by culinary specialities. "Mousaka", "souvlaki", "Greek Salad", is all most people know of Greek cuisine. However, you will discover that Greek cuisine comprises of a large variety of dishes fully appetites of meat eaters and vegetarians.

This is not surprising considering that Greece is the country where symposiums originated and the homeland of the Epikureian philosophers. Archestratos wrote the first cookbooks in history in 330 BC reminding readers that cuisine is a mark of civilisation. Greece has a gastronomic tradition of 4,000 years. However, like most national cuisines, Greek cuisine was influenced by neighbouring countries, from the East and the West.

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Traditional Greek Cuisine

Greek cuisine is unique because it combines the following features: unique ingredients, Greek dietary habits, the custom of making a meal a social event and the pleasant atmosphere of Greece.

The basic ingredients

Greek cuisine has four secrets. Good fresh ingredients the proper use of aromatic herbs and spices the famous Greek olive oil deserves a special mention. It accompanies nearly all Greek dishes. It is usually used in large measures. Greece has high quality, healthy olive oil. The artificial cultivation of vegetables is not widespread in Greece because of the mildness of the climate. Most vegetables are cultivated in a natural way, preserving their aroma and taste. you will be delighted by the taste of Greek tomatoes, cabbage, carrots, onions, parsley and garlic, not to mention fresh Greek fruit, such as, among others grapes, apricots, peaches, cherries, melons, and water-melons. The aromatic herbs, which most Greeks pick in the mountains or the country, have a unique flavour, aroma and therapeutic qualities. You will be delighted by the intoxicating aroma of oregano, thyme, mint, and rosemary, in a large variety of dishes. Don't forget to try Greek cheeses, in particular, feta. Meat has unique flavour because sheep and goats graze on open fields and grazing meadows are verdant. Mediterranean seafood tastes much better than ocean seafood. The Aegean Sea and Innian Sea, are clean seas, abundant in fish. Fresh fish fried on charcoal is a speciality.

The Greek attitude

Greeks religiously preserved the custom of gathering around the table to enjoy a meal or various appetisers, (mezedes), with ouzo. Having a meal with friends at home or at a restaurant or taverna is a deeply rooted social habit. The Greek word symposium, recalling the ancient origins of Greece, translated word for word means "drinking with company." The atmosphere in a typical Greek restaurant and tavernas is casual, relaxed and informal. Food is prepared according to fundamental rules. Good amateur cooks enjoy great respect in their social circle, while a good housewife in Greece means a good cook. A good cook sometimes dedicates days to the preparation of a meal for his friends.

The general atmosphere

Try a glass of ouzo or wine with fried octopus or any other Greek dish, sitting in the shade of a tree in a small taverna by the seafront, on an Aegean island. Try to repeat the experience in your home country, preparing the same dish, helping yourself to the same drink. You may try it anywhere, but you will soon realise that the flavour is not the same. Don't try again. Your palate has not changed, nor is there something lacking in your cooking skills. The Greek food experience, in particular the combination of what you eat and where you eat it, are unique, and cannot be exported or imitated. It is simply something you can find, taste and enjoy only in Greece.