#greek food

[daily-deliciousness]

Greek meatballs (Keftedes)

[foodaddict83]

Gryos, greek

IG : @pitagr

[fatty-food]

(via Instagram)

[foreverfitnesspositivity]

Greece 🇬🇷🇬🇷🇬🇷🇬🇷

[gemsofgreece]

How to follow a Mediterranean Greek diet

The Mediterranean diet naturally expands throughout the coastal countries of South Europe, North Africa and the Middle East but there are some small differences between their cuisines. So here I am writing specifically about the Greek version of the Mediterranean diet, known for its delicious, natural flavours and its significant health benefits.

Eat daily:

Olive oil: the pillar, the liquid green gold of the Mediterranean Greek diet. Olive oil should be used ideally exclusively for all purposes. It's dressing salads, it's used in cooking and in fact it's traditionally what is used in frying too. Replace all types of oils, butter and margarine with olive oil even when making pastries. The only problem here is that outside of the Mediterranean basin olive oil can be pricey, however that's the foundation the diet is based on. If you are interested in following the traditional Greek diet for taste or health purposes, it is good to really incorporate olive oil in your daily cooking. If it’s not possible to afford buying olive oil all the time (although you could balance it out by not buying other oils and butter), a non-Greek-typical but equivalent alternative could be avocado oil. However, I doubt avocado oil or any other oil can remotely compare to olive oil in health properties, taste or in any other positive quality 🫒

Vinegar: Just like olive oil, vinegar is a very important ingredient and is also used in natural remedies However, it can hurt a sensitive GI tract if consumed in large portions. A little bit of it added to meals frequently is very healthy. Apple cider vinegar is also very loved and used in salads often 🍇

Vegetables: no portion can be too much (wild greens, garlic, onions, cauliflowers, cucumbers, eggplants, beets, peppers, spinach, artichokes, zucchini, peas, lettuce, the list never ends). Tomatoes and broccoli are recent additions to the Greek diet however they were integrated perfectly to the Greek cuisine. In general, all vegetables can be enjoyed freely with some moderation in the potatoes, especially when fried 🥗

Fruits: grapes, berries, apples, melons, cherries, figs, prunes, sour cherries, peaches, pomegranates are the most historically loved fruits in the Greek diet. Since the middle ages citruses like the orange, the lemon and the mandarin are more and more loved. Greeks nowadays use lemon almost more than vinegar and both have become integral components of the Greek diet. Obviously, tropical fruits like, say, banana, mango, grapefruit are not present in the traditional Greek diet, however all fruits are good fruits and you can enjoy them freely 🍎

Legumes. Eat freely to the tolerance of your body. Legumes can be too heavy for some GI tracts. Legumes are a great source of protein and fibre. Choose brown lentils, white beans, fava beans, chickpeas, giant beans and black eyed peas the most 🫘

Nuts, seeds: almonds, walnuts, sunflower seeds, peanuts etc. Eat as much as your body can take, because everybody is different 🥜

Mushrooms: mushroom it up! A great healthy way to have them is grilled with herbs and plain or apple cider vinegar dressing 🍄‍🟫

Whole grains: this is the traditional way to eat grains. Brown bread, oats, whole wheat pasta 🌾

Fish and seafood: find and eat them fresh. Instead of buying them deep frozen from the big markets, find local fish stores if your place is coastal and has them. Eat both large but especially small and medium sized fish. Some fish like salmon and tuna should ideally not be consumed daily due to their high levels of mercury and fats 🐟🎣🍤

Herbs and spices. Feel free to use as much as you want however if you are interested also in the flavours of the Greek diet besides the health benefits, a tip is that Greek dishes do not contain extremely hot spices 🌿

Water: A lot of water daily and, mind you, plain clear mineral water. No flavoured water, definitely not sparkling water and ideally no other liquids in place of the water. I mean, sure you can have liquids but you should ALSO have plain water 💧

Eat a few times per week:

Poultry: Poultry and lean meats entered the Greek cuisine mostly after the Middle Ages however they are nowadays enjoyed as part of the Greek Mediterranean diet because they are tasty and healthier than other types of meat. Chicken has become especially popular in the Greek cuisine. Other birds are the pheasant, the quail, the turkey and more sparsely the duck 🍗

Eggs: eggs are healthy and should be consumed a few times per week but not daily because they can cause a rise in cholesterol levels 🥚

Dairy: Greeks LOVE dairy products, especially the various types of cheese, however they are often irritating to the GI tract and they are linked with rises in the level of inflammation in the body. This is why you should ideally limit them to a few times per week. One exception is the yoghurt, which is fermented and can be perhaps consumed more frequently due to its beneficial properties. Important note: if you want to follow the Greek diet, you should ideally opt for milk and other dairy products from goats and sheep! Cow milk is not traditionally used in the Greek cuisine often and sheep and goat milk are significantly healthier and more nutritious. The only drawback is the stronger smell, however if you can get past that, it is strongly advised to switch to those instead of cow milk. Another note: what is known as “Greek yoghurt” in western countries is not in fact a true Greek yoghurt. What you call Greek yoghurt is to us simply a strained yoghurt, a yoghurt from which the whey has been removed. Sometimes in western markets (and in Greek “modern” dessert yoghurt products) butterfat and powdermilk is added to them and they are mostly made of cow’s milk. Again, a traditional Greek yoghurt is made of sheep, goat milk or a mix of both and is unstrained. It also has a trademark thickened skin on its top (dunno if this is the actual term lol) which is in fact the part of the yoghurt that contains the most nutrients and personally it’s the tastiest part of the yoghurt but apparently it is not for everyone. As an example, a study showed that an unstrained sheep yoghurt has more protein, more omega-3 fatty acids and minerals yet fewer calories and fats than a strained cow yoghurt 🍦🧀

Wine: in small portions, like a small glass up to a few times per week and always in combination with your meal. You don’t drink it to get hammered, you drink it for the health benefits it has in very moderate quantities and for the reasonable mild euphoria it causes before it becomes harmful. The GI tract is linked to the brain and is detrimentally influenced by negative emotions. This is why it is important to try to be in a good mood, relaxed and peaceful when you sit down to eat. A sip of wine now and then can be good for that 🍷

Eat once per week or ideally less:

Red meat like pork or beef. In fact, beef should be the one most avoided not only because it is indeed the rarest of the common meats used in traditional Greek cuisine but also because you can’t separate the fat from the meat as easily as with pork. To follow the Greek style in a healthy way opt for goat, then lamb or pork and make beef your most occasional meat dish 🥩

Processed meats should be eaten rarely. If you are in a mood for it though, opt for Greek style sausages with herbs in or bacon at most. Cured meats like ham are better to be avoided but turkey is the healthiest of them. They are not a part of a traditional Greek cuisine though.

Refined grains can be enjoyed weekly but should not replace whole grains

Pastries. What’s new, pastries are not ideal for health. However, if you are yearning for something sweet, if you want to keep it healthy as much as possible in the “Greek way”, opt for desserts made of healthy ingredients like honey, nuts, olive oil and fruits. Chocolate came to Greece in the 19th century, however it has become an integral part of confectionery since then. Opt ideally for dark chocolate, combined with nuts or fruits such as oranges and prunes. Greeks especially love chocolate combined with nuts.

Soft and sugary drinks. Avoid them overall, especially the processed products in the markets. If you need a sweet drink really bad, you can keep it traditional by making your own sweet lemonade, sour cherry, pomegranate etc drink at home. You could also enjoy small quantities of lemon or mastic liquors which are good for digestion.

BONUS TIPS & PHILOSOPHY:

Try to find mastic if it’s available where you live. The mastic is a resin produced from the mastic tree, a species endemic to the Greek island of Chios and a small part of the opposite coast of Turkey. It has numerous beneficial properties, especially for digestion and gut health, and it combines them with a very pleasant fresh and sweet flavour. You can find it in gums that boost digestion, in drinks, in pastries and even in non-edible products like toothpastes. Learn about it and give it a try, no matter if you are interested in following Greek diet or not.

Greek cuisine does not go berserk on as many ingredients as possible (however Greeks typically add more ingredients than, say, Italians and perhaps fewer than the Middle Easterners). Don’t worry about adding as many foods and nutrients in one single dish. The most important thing in Greek cuisine philosophy is to pick the finest ingredients. Avoid deep frozen or precooked and processed ingredients. Pick whole fruits and vegetables from your local small grocery store. For example, don’t buy a watermelon slice in a zelatin bag from the supermarket. Take the whole freaking watermelon home. You heard me right. It’s heavy, yes, but you would be surprised how much tastier and healthier it is this way. Go to the butcher for meat. Go to the specific cheese shop for cheese. Go to the fisherman for fish and seafood. Go to the pastry shop and get a nice dessert instead of buying candies from the market.

Remember that in moderation you can eat most of the foods you desire, especially if they are not processed foods. There is nothing about the Greek diet that is restrictive in terms of its philosophy - historically the intake of various foods was regulated only based on availability and price. There are no foods you should limit due to any perception of them being “bad” and you should never feel guilty the moment you are actually having the food. Just work slowly and progressively by building gradual appreciation for healthy foods and prize less nutritious foods as occasional taste bud rewards.

As said above, a good mood is crucial when you sit down to eat. In the history of the Greek society this translated into eating with friends and / or family, maybe with the occasional sip of wine, ideally in a pleasant environment and always taking your time with your food. If some of these are less feasible than others, try alternatively to improve the setting in which you eat, to eat in an environment that calms you down. Schedule your meal so that you won’t eat in anxiety or hurry, if this is possible. Think of pleasant memories and feel grateful for your food. Cheers! Or, you know, εις υγείαν!

[dress-this-way]

Greek Salad (Traditional Horiatiki Recipe) | The Mediterranean Dish

[everythingwithwasabi]

Greek Quesadilla

[fallimentiquotidiani]

Creta, giorno sei

[prairiefirewitch]

Trying to stay ahead of the next Deipnon on July 5th, so I made some Greek flatbreads to freeze that I’ll defrost the day of. I’m not sure if I’ll make a full meal, but I knew I wanted to make bread. It’s still hotter than Hades here so I needed a bread that didn’t require a hot oven, and these are made on a griddle or pan on the stove top. I’m the laziest baker in the world so these are really easy to make and quick too. Here’s the recipe if you want to make them too:

1.5 tsp dry instant yeast

2 cups lukewarm water

2 tablespoons olive oil plus a little more to oil skillet

1 tsp sugar

3.5 cups all purpose flour plus more for dusting

1 tsp salt

In your mixer add yeast, water and sugar. Stir and let it sit until yeast blooms, about 5 minutes.

Add olive oil, flour, and salt. Mix on medium low speed for 10 minutes until dough is soft, smooth, and pliant. Shape into a ball and coat with a tsp of olive oil. Cover and let double in size, about an hour.

Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and cut into 9 pieces. Shape each piece into a taut ball and cover with a towel. Let rest about 10 minutes.

Roll into circles, about 1/8 inch thick. Heat your griddle or skillet and brush the surface with olive oil. Put your rolled dough on the hot skillet and brush top side with oil. If bubbles form, poke them with a fork. When the bottom is light golden, flip and cook the other side. Repeat with your other dough balls. Cool on a cooling rack.

[aurelius-food-inspiration]

[daily-deliciousness]

Greek chicken souvlaki

[hellalambs]

I'm in desperate need of someone who can read Greek.

I inherited a bunch of recipes from my great aunt who was born in Akrata. I strongly suspect these are family recipes passed down from her father who owned a restaurant. The instructions are mostly English but the titles are all in Greek.

I made one for dinner tonight and it was delicious but I'd love to know what it's called.

[blackbacchus999]

Dionysus: Wine and Grape Braised Chicken

BY Alison Wiebe

[foreverfitnesspositivity]

Areopoli, Greece 🇬🇷

[etherealarte]

[gemsofgreece]

Only for cheese lovers!

Super random fun fact:

You probably know feta cheese. When it comes to Greece it's always feta this, feta that. The truth however is that there are many more types of Greek cheese and many are delicious! In fact, there are more than 60 different types of Greek cheese recorded.

Below is a list with some of the famous ones (and my faves). If you love cheese, check it out!

Feta

Okay, yeah, let's get the celebrity out of the way fast. Feta is a sheep and goat's milk brined white cheese. It accompanies perfectly salads (especially tomatoes and olives) and it makes a great filling for filo pies. It is often served dressed in oregano and olive oil. Feta has a slightly spicy and certainly distinctly salty flavour - if you buy or order feta abroad and it is not pretty salty with a hint of spice, then you have likely been played and given cheaper white plain cheese.

Anthótyros

This is a cheese already produced in antiquity. Anthotyros is a soft cheese made with milk and whey from sheep or goats, sometimes in combination. It has a mild but very distinct taste and it's low in fats, so it is commonly eaten by people on a diet. It's eaten with honey and nuts, on salads or on pasta.

Galotyri

Literally meaning "milk cheese", Galotyri is produced by fatty sheep milk, 4-5 months after the animal has given birth, which is usually in the summer. It is creamy and milky and has a very fresh, cool taste that makes it ideal for summer meals.

Graviera of Naxos

The best cheese in the universe, also known as my favourite cheese, Graviera of Naxos is a PDO hard yellow cheese made of cow milk (with some addition of sheep and goat milk). It has somewhere between a salty and an umami taste and it is enjoyed with wine. It also makes a fantastic filling for fylo pies. If you see in a pie shop a pie with "Graviera Naxou" in, it's a no brainer. Try it! I have yet to eat an underwhelming one!

(Graviera is also produced in Crete island and this version is very famous as well, but my personal preference is the one from Naxos island. )

Kalathaki of Limnos

Another protected one, Kalathaki Limnou is a white brined cheese dried in small baskets, from which it gets its name (kalathaki = small basket). It is similar to feta, but less sour.

Kasseri

Kasseri is a hard pale yellow cheese made from pasteurised or unpasteurised sheep milk and at most 20% goat's milk. Kasseri is a protected designation of origin, according to which the cheese must be made in the Greek provinces of Thessaly, Macedonia, Lesvos island, or Xanthi, however similar types of cheese are produced in the Balkans, Romania and Turkey. It is ideal for sandwiches and toasts, it has a buttery and salty taste and it goes well with wines.

Katiki Domokú

Katiki Domokú is produced in Domokós, in the region of Phthiotis. It is a soft white cheese with low fat content. It is made from pasteurised milk that curdles without rennet and it is drained in bags made of cloth. It can be served in toast or dakos. It can be added in salad as an ingredient and it fills pies.

Kefalotyri

Already popular in Byzantine times, Kefalotyri is a very hard cheese that can range from yellowish to whitish and is made of sheep or goat's milk. Kefalotyri can be consumed as is, fried in olive oil for a dish called saganaki, or added to foods such as pasta dishes, meat, or cooked vegetables, and is especially suited for grating. It is in fact our first choice to be grated on top of dishes, an equivalent of parmesan for the Italians, but harder.

Fried Kefalotyri with shrimps

Kefalograviera

A PDO cheese as well, the off-white Kefalograviera is in between the worlds of graviera and kefalotyri. It is produced and consumed in similar ways. It is saltier than a typical graviera and a little softer than a typical kefalotyri. It accompanies white wines very well.

Kopanistí

Kopanisti is a salty, spicy cheese, with protected designation of origin (PDO) produced mostly in Mykonos island for more than 300 years. It owes its special peppery and spicy taste to rapid and extensive lipolysis and proteolysis caused by abundant microbial growth encouraged by repeated kneadings performed during the ripening process. This is why it is called kopanisti, which means "beaten". The most popular way of serving is in a dish called "mostra" which contains dry bread with kopanisti cheese, chopped tomatoes and olive oil.

Manuri

Manuri is an ancient Greek PDO semi-soft, fresh white mixed milk-whey cheese made from goat or sheep milk. It is produced primarily in Thessaly, Macedonia and Crete island. It has a sweet and mild taste and is used in appetizers, salads, desserts and savoury meals. It is considered a gourmet choice.

Green salad with fruits, cranberries and manuri

Metsovone

Produced in the mountainous town of Métsovo, Metsovone is a PDO semi-hard, smoked cheese made of cow's milk. It accompanies white wines and is used in salads and appetizers.

Myzithra and Xynomyzithra

Myzithra  is a Greek whey cheese or mixed milk-whey cheese from sheep or goats, or both. It is primarily produced on the island of Crete but is widespread throughout Greece. The cheese is soft, snow-white, creamy, and moist. Since no salt is added to mizithra it has an almost sweet and milky taste. It is eaten as dessert with honey or as an appetizer. It is used as a table cheese, as well as in salads, pastries and in baking, notably in little cheese pies (handful size) and Sfakiani pita (pie from the Sfakiá region).

Myzithra that is salted and aged becomes dryer, denser, saltier and more sour (xyní). This version, xynomyzithra ('sour myzithra') is often grated. Xynomyzithra is considered the grating cheese par excellence of Greek cuisine, and is especially suited for sprinkling over hot pasta. (It is less common than Kefalotyri but more gourmet, in short.)

Xynótyro

Xynotyro is an unpasteurized whey cheese made from sheep's or goat's milk, with a hard and flaky consistency, a pungent aroma and a yogurt-like sweet and sour taste. "Xynotyro" means "sour cheese" in Greek. Xynotyro can be consumed either as fresh cheese or after being ripened with the use of naturally dominating microflora during a 3-month maturing period. The Lactobacillus strains in Xynotyro have antibacterial effects that kill Salmonella pathogens, a finding that is of special interest for producers of health-giving cheeses according to researchers at the French Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale.

San Michele

San Mihali in Greek, it is a traditional salty and spicy PDO cheese, that is one of the most expensive in the country. It is produced exclusively in Syros island. It is made of cow's milk.

Sfela

Sfela is a PDO semi-hard white brined cheese with a spicy, salty and a little sour taste. Its production is founded on old tradition and this cheese is permitted to be produced only in the south of the Peloponnese, in the regions of Messenia and Laconia - both the animals and the production facilities have to be there. Sfela is served with bread, Maniot lalangia (a type of local pasta), accompanies meals and is used as filling in pies.

Talagani

A cheese that took its name from the word for the shepherd's cape in the Messenian dialect, talagani is a white sheep-goat milk cheese which is especially delicious when grilled, as it does not melt and it becomes chewy. It is consumed as an appetizer or in salads and is great when accompanied with honey or marmelades.

BONUS: Hallumi

Hallumi is the famous PDO cheese of the Republic of Cyprus. It is made from a mixture of goat's and sheep's milk, and sometimes also cow's milk. Its texture is described as squeaky. It has a high melting point and so can easily be fried or grilled, a property that makes it a popular meat substitute. Halloumi is popular throughout the Eastern Mediterranean.

Honourable mentions:

Armogalo

Arseniko of Naxos

Thermiotiko or Kythnios tyros

Kariki

Cretan cheese

Ladotyri of Mytilene

Mastello of Chios

Batzos

Formaella

Gidotyri of Crete

Smoked kaniaki

Meriareno of Kasos

Xygalo

Ayotyri

and many more!