Greece Food And Drink

Greece’s Mediterranean location lends its food a Middle Eastern flavor. Medical studies have highlighted the Greek diet as a good model for healthful eating; its reliance on unsaturated olive oil, fresh fish, and vegetables has prevented high rates of heart disease and obesity despite the populace’s fairly sedentary lifestyle. Though the prevalence of cheap and greasy foods has caused some recent health concerns, penny-pinching carnivores will thank Zeus for lamb, chicken, or beef souvlaki and hot-off-the-spit gyros—pronounced “Ghee-ro”—stuffed into pitas. Vegetarians can eat their fill on the cheap, though this might mean putting together a meal of several mezedes (small snack dishes). Toast refers to a panini-like grilled sandwich, not to be confused with plain bread out of the toaster. Tzatziki, a garlicky cucumber yogurt dip served with bread, is a good way to start off a meal (or ripen your breath enough to ward off amorous overtures). Try the feta-piled horiatiki (Greek salad), savory pastries like tiropita (flaky, tissue-thin layers of pastry—called phyllo—full of feta), spanikopita (spinach and feta phyllo pastry), and the cheeses and fresh fruits and vegetables found at markets in cities. Baklava, a dessert made of phyllo, nuts, and honey, is a sweet way to round off your meal.

Caffeine cravers will find a few options, including the strong, sweet sludge that is Greek coffee, the instant coffee referred to as “Nes” (as in “Nescafé”), or the frothy, iced-coffee frappés that take an edge off the heat in the summer. Potent raki and tsipouro, moonshine born from the remnants of wine-making, are popular on the mainland and Crete. Wine, important enough in ancient Greece to monopolize the attention of principal god Dionysus, is plentiful and widely varied. Ouzo, a powerful, licorice-flavored Greek spirit, is served before meals with a glass of water—when you pour the ouzo into the water, the mixture turns white. Say, “Geia maV!” (Yah mas), which is the Greek equivalent of “Cheers!” before drinking.

Breakfast, served only in the early morning, generally consists of coffee and a simple piece of toast with marmelada (jam), a pastry, or thick Greek yogurt with honey. Lunch, a hearty and leisurely meal, usually is eaten sometime between 2 and 5pm. Dinner, a drawn-out, relaxed affair, is served late, sometime between 10pm and midnight. A Greek restaurant is known as a taverna or estiatorio (often the more expensive of the two), and a grille is a psistaria. Kafeneios are traditional coffee shops frequented primarily by groups of older Greek men; women may feel uncomfortable in some of them. Many restaurants don’t offer printed menus, so waiters will ask you if you want salad, appetizers, or the works. Be careful not to wind up with mountains of food—Greek portions tend to be large. Restaurants often put bread and water on the table; an added charge for the bread and sometimes the water may or may not be listed on the menu. Most Greeks pay with cash when they dine out, so don’t expect to be able to eat your way through the country with a credit card. Service is always included in the check, but it is customary to round the bill up or leave some coins as an extra tip.