Tasting Greece

One of the most important and exciting parts of travelling for me is the food. Trying local and "new to me" dishes. All the different flavours and what dishes a country gets known. I love this because when I come home it inspires me to try and cook different dishes or make a dish from where we travelled with my own little twist on it.

These were some of the top foods that we enjoyed during our time in Greece.

Greek Salad

We have seen greek salads served with lettuce, some sort of white dressing and crumbled up feta on top. This is not the case in Greece! A beautiful whole piece of feta, with fresh tomatoes, onions, green pepper, olives (sometimes with seeds) and topped with a light drizzle of olive oil with oregano. The portions are great for sharing, the small was enough for two of us on multiple occasions.

Photo Credit: V.Gray

Seafood

Seafood in Greece is amazing! It is so fresh, this dish below is steamed clams and muscles we got at "A for Athens' ' restaurant rooftop bar in Athens. It was delicious, we had to order more bread and finish the broth that was left over. The amount of islands in Greece and developed coastlines fresh seafood is easily accessible for local chefs making it very popular.

Photo Credit: V.Gray

Fried Squid

Ryan and I both really enjoy seafood and have had our fair share of poorly cooked and low quality seafood in the past. When we get the opportunity and know that the seafood is fresh, we take full advantage of it.

The batter was light and the squid was cooked perfectly. It is served simply with a bit of green onion and lemon. At first we wondered where the dip was. But as we ate, it became very apparent that a dip was not needed to elevate this dish. It was done perfectly as a stand alone.

Photo Credit: V.Gray

Stuffed Peppers

Stuffed Peppers are found on almost every restaurant's menu. We also found everyone prepares them differently. The ones we had below were smaller peppers, stuffed with feta, drizzled in olive oil and oregano. They were the right size to pop in your mouth all at once and enjoy the burst of flavours meshing together.

They are a common dish, we had stuffed peppers at different restaurants that did not do them as well. They served a full bell pepper, stuffed with feta and something else that we struggled through.

Photo Credit: V.Gray

Loukoumades (Fried Donuts covered in Honey)

If you have been to Greece and passed by these, I feel sorry for you! These delightful little balls of fried dough are airy, light and crispy. Then they are covered in fresh honey, warm or cold. They are sticky succulent treats that we went looking for weekly.

We found there are a few shops down in the tourist district that are known on Instagram for selling the "best" Loukoumades. They are throughout Athens/Greece do not be discouraged if you did not get them in the tourist district you will find them again. We found a bakery closer to our apartment that made these that were half the price.

Photo Credit: V.Gray

Gyro

Quoting our Greek friends ``Greek Junk Food," the gyro. This is basically the exact same as a souvlakia plate but instead of everything in front of you on a plate, it is all wrapped up in the pita bread and served like a wrap. The gyro is pita bread, with a generous helping of taziki, shaved meat, onions, tomatoes and french fries wrapped up and handed off made easy to take to go or sit and enjoy in the park. Either way this is one of my favourite snacks or meals, depending on the time of day.

Photo Credit: V.Gray

Oregano Chips

Snacks are always important! We have found the brand "Ruffles" or "Lays" everywhere we have travelled, however it is not the same as back home. The "Salt and Vinegar" chips have a less vinegar flavour in Greece, the "Salt"or "BBQ" have less seasoning on them as well. The most common flavour of chips we found was "Oregano" and they were not that bad.

We also tried the local chip flavour Oregano. They were unlike other flavours we have had, they are rich and this traditional flavour was delectable. We did find we only wanted a small amount of these chips, they were not something we could sit and crush a bag while watching a movie.

Photo Credit: V.Gray

Fried Zucchini

Fried Zucchini, is very popular just like the stuffed peppers or olives we did find on almost every menu and in grocery stores as well. These ones were served with feta mixed in with the zucchini and fried. Nothing comes with the dip, so we had ordered a "spicy" cream cheese dip for the bread but we did use it with the zucchini as well.

Which did compliment the zucchini very nicely, otherwise on their own we found them slightly boring and underwhelming.

Photo Credit: V.Gray

Souvlaki

As you walk down the streets anywhere in Greece, there are little restaurants serving meat that is on a spit, normally chicken or pork. Signs are everywhere saying "Souvlaki" or "Gyro". You should stop and try some because IT IS FANTASTIC.

Served with a small salad, french fries, pita bread, a healthy helping of juicy flavourful meat and tzatziki you will leave full and happy.

Photo Credit: V.Gray

Olives

We found that when you sit in a restaurant or bar, they will bring you either peanuts or olives. Before this trip I honestly did not like olive, unless they were cooked into a dish. During our time in Greece this changed, as we both like to try new foods and local foods while we travel, I gave olives a try (again).

The olives are salty, briney, crunchy and full of flavour. Some are stuff with garlic or peppers. They are so good and fresh they make you want to go back for more. Even once you have finished the olives, the leftover oil or brine in the bowl makes you want to pick up a piece of bread to finish it off. If you are not an olive lover normally, you should give them a second go when you go to Greece, I was happy I did.

Saganaki (Fried Feta & Honey)

This seemed really strange to me but nonetheless I had to try it. This came to the table lightly wrapped in batter, a large piece of feta with honey and sesame seeds drizzled over top. The honey complaintments the feta a lot better than what I expected, the texture of the feta changes from the crumbly grainy texture to a very soft and squishy texture, as you eat it squeaks between your teeth. It was worth trying and was very nice, but not a dish I would go looking for again.

Bread

The bread is always fresh and normally warm whether you get it at the bakery or in a restaurant. We did find however that bread was sometimes an extra charge (0.90 Euro) at

restaurants. It is worth the charge as most meals have a bit of sauce or oil left over, it helps you clean your plate and not miss anything.

Photo Credit: V.Gray

Halvas (Sugar dessert)

This dessert surprised us the first time we got it. As neither of us are big desert people, this one came. It was very light, sweet and the small portion was perfect. It has a very grainy texture and is served with honey, cinnamon and greek yogart on the side. All of these flavours pair so well you'll enjoy it as a nice end to your meal.

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Baked Goods

We were never disappointed with any of the baked goods while in Greece. We would stop regularly for a sweet treat to have with our afternoon tea. Was I organized enough to grab the names of the treats? No, but I highly encourage you to stop at a bakery and just pick something at random to try, you won't be let down.

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Gelato

Gelato is made with more milk than traditional ice cream, which makes it silker and richer in flavour. It is great for an on the go snack while walking around and very refreshing. It comes in so many different flavours from raspberry, strawberry, cheese cake, caramel, chocolate, pasaico etc.

Photo Credit: V.Gray

Ouzo

Probably one of the first beverages you think of when you think of Greece. Commonly served at room temperature over ice. Ryan had read online recommendations to cut it with coke or fanta and he did enjoy the ouzo. However I opened a bottle and the smell of black licorice hit me, YUCK! I personally have a strong dislike for black liquorice and the smell is enough to normally turn me off a dish or drink.

Wine

Red or wine we did not find a bottle of wine that disappointed us. The whites are flavourful, light and crisp, easy for afternoon drinking or a glass while watching a movie. The reds we found were full of body and deep in lasting aftertaste that was enjoyable and relaxing on its own or with a meal.

Beer

After a long day of walking around and seeing the sights, having an ice cold beer was great! We found the green AAOA was the best for us and is a nice light beer. I also used it several times for cooking beer can chicken and it gave a wonderful flavour to the chicken. We found there were lots of different beers to pick from, imported or domestic.

Photo Credit: V.Gray

If you read on any forum or even just ask as you sit at the table in the restaurant most people are more than happy to make recommendations on what you should try. Just remember that closer to the tourist attractions you are, the more expensive and less authentic food gets. We usually visit Tripadvisor which has been great for helping to find price points and authentic food. If you can ask a local, ask where they would go to eat and what they enjoy. This is how you truly get to taste Greece or whichever country you are in.

Cheers!

**Please note that all opinions and views expressed in this post are my own, from my own experiences. If you would like to see more pictures follow me on Instagram vikki.gray **