Cuisine of Greece

Greek cuisine is the cuisine deriving from Greece mainland and its associated islands. Given the geography and history of Greece, this style of cookery has influences from Italian, Balkan and Middle Eastern cuisine. The terrain has tended to favour the production of goats and sheep over cattle, and thus beef dishes tend to be a rarity by comparison. Fish dishes are also common, although today most of the fish is imported since the Mediterranean Sea is quite overfished. Olive oil, produced from the trees prominent throughout the region, adds to the distinctive taste of Greek food. Many dishes use filo pastry. Too much refinement is generally considered to be against the hearty spirit of the Greek cuisine. Traditionally, Greek dishes are served warm rather than hot as eating food too hot was deemed unhealthy.

Appetizers

Most of these are served with pita bread -- a round flat wheat bread made with yeast.

• Tzatziki (yoghurt with cucumber and garlic puree, used as a dip)
• Taramosalata (fish roe pureed with some boiled potatoes; tarama = fish roe, salata = salad).
• Spanakopita (spinach pie wrapped in filo pastry)
• Tyropita (cheese pie wrapped in filo pastry)
• Saganaki (fried cheese)
• Dolmades (grapevine leaves stuffed either with meat or rice and vegetables)
• Avgolemono soup (made with eggs and lemons

Famous Greek dishes

• Moussaka (eggplant casserole). There are other variations besides eggplant, such as zucchini or rice, but the eggplant version ("melitzanes moussaka") is most popular, so "moussaka" alone is assumed to mean with eggplant.
• Kleftiko: lamb slow-baked on the bone, first marinaded in garlic and lemon juice.
• Souvlaki (lamb and vegetables on skewers)
• Gyros (pork, yoghurt, tomato sandwich on pitta bread; this is a popular "fast food").
• Pastitsio (macaroni, meat, and white sauce in the oven)

Desserts

• Baklava (A popular sweet desert, layers of filo pastry with nuts, sugar, honey, cloves)
• Loukoumas
• Loukoumia
• Creamy yoghurt with honey
• Galaktoboureko (Custard like cream between layers of filo)

Drinks

• Ouzo (an 80-proof clear alcoholic beverage that is flavored with anise; it turns milky white with water or ice; the best said to be produced on the island of Lesbos).
• Tsipouro (Mostly home-brewed, a clear drink very similar to Ouzo, often with higher alcohol content).
• Metaxa (a fine brandy; 40% alcohol content)
• Retsina (a white wine that has some pine tar added, originally as a preservative, but nowadays for the flavor; this is an Athens region specialty. It should not be aged.).
• Mavrodafni Sweet, liquor-style, red wine with higher alcohol percentage than normal.

See also: cuisine, Feta cheese