Greek Food Here are some of the most famous Greek dishes
Gyros • The national food of Greece is “Gyros”. It is made of pork meat. Here in Greece we usually eat “Gyros” in a sandwich with pork meat, fried potatoes, tomatoes, onion and tzatziki (a yoghurt and garlic sauce) wrapped up in a pita bread. Its name is “Gyros” from the Greek word “γύρω” meaning round because the meat is cooked on a vertical spit turning around. In the summer there are lots of restaurants serving our traditional food. When tourists come to Greece they prefer to eat “Gyros”.
Greek Salad • Greek salad is a very common food for Greeks. It is made of sliced tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, feta cheese and olives. It is typically seasoned with salt, olive oil and oregano. In Greek we call it “χωριάτικη σαλάτα” (horiatiki salata) meaning “village salad”.
Moussaka • Moussaka is an eggplant and potato based dish from the Ottoman empire. The word mousakas “μουσακάς” comes from Arabic “musaqqa’a” which means cold. The root “saqqa’a” is derived from the word “sa’a” which means ice, which in turn comes from the word “saqi’a” which translates as white. In Greece we make it with three layers that are separately cooked. It includes minced meat, potatoes, eggplant, tomatoes with a Béchamel (white) sauce on top.
Fassolada • Fassolada is one of the most popular traditional dishes of the Greek cuisine. It was established as the national dish of the Greeks during the dictatorship of Metaxas. It is a bean soup. Φασόλια (fassolia) in Greek means beans. Other ingredients are tomatoes, carrots, onion, parsley, celery and bay leaves.
Dolmadakia • The dolmades (or sarmadakia) is the Greek sushi! The name dolmas comes from the Turkish verb doldurmak meaning stuff. Rice (gialantzi) or rice with meat wrapped in cabbage leaves or the most classic and beloved grape leaves. The secret to dolmades gialantzi are the herbs in stuffing (parsley, dill, mint) and the tight wrapping. Also, you must not forget to put a plate on top for them not to open while cooking.
So come to Greece, try them and decide which one is the best! Καλή όρεξη!Bon appétit!