Greek food and drinks you need to taste

Oh, my goodness. Don’t even get me started on Greek food. My mouth is watering as I am thinking about it and all kinds of delicacies appear in front of my inner eye. We had a Greek salad and tzatziki every single day and never got tired of it. Even if olives and feta taste great at home as well, it’s just something beyond this world to enjoy a Greek sample platter in the shade of green grape vines while the sun enlightens the paradise around you. You will want to come back for more, for sure.

Dishes with eggplant

I haven’t found another nation that can make eggplants taste as delicious as the Greek. I liked the eggplant salad that is more like a bread spread a bit similar to babaganoush. Also, you have to try moussaka. It’s a stew made with tomato, onion, garlic, melted feta cheese, and sour cream, sometimes lamb or minced meat, and, of course, eggplants. They might even serve it to you in a cute ceramic pot hot from the oven.

Gyros

The original gyros is a wrap including pieces of lamb meat (or pork, or chicken), onion, tomato, tzatziki, and a few French fries. It is a practical snack or lunch as you can find it anywhere and prices start at 2.40 EUR.

There now are vegetarian and vegan versions of gyros, too.

Tzaziki

This is a dip made of Greek yogurt, cucumber, and garlic. Combined with pita bread it’s simply addictive. Don’t miss out on ordering it as an appetizer.

Greek yogurt with honey

Greek yogurt is thicker and creamier than any yogurt you have ever tasted. Take it with honey and fruit for breakfast or dessert and you will feel completely blissful.

Greek coffee

First of all, it looks nice when they prepare Greek coffee and run the water through the filter, and then they serve it to you in a cute cup. Try it original, which is black and very sweet. The coffee grounds will be at the bottom of your cup and the goal is to keep it in the cup. Normally, I am not a big coffee drinker, but I had to get my daily cup of sweet Greek coffee.

Greek salad

Finally, I have to talk about Greek salad. It consists of generously sliced cucumbers, tomato, and onion. Then, there will be a few olives, topped with a full block of feta cheese. Add some oregano, capers, olive oil, and vinegar, and an irresistible combination is born. On Santorini, the salad is made with small, delicious tomatoes that grow on the island.

If you like feta cheese, you should also try feta wrapped in fried pastry or halloumi cheese, which can both be found on the menu as a hot appetizer.

Olives

Greek olives are my favorites compared with Spain, Italy, and Turkey, so you know, we are talking on a high level here. Kalamata olives are world-famous and have a lot of taste, but you will also find many other delicious olives. You can buy them cheaply in supermarkets or even cheaper on municipal outdoor markets, where you first get to try them directly out of the bucket. Perhaps not completely compatible with corona regulations but I happily sampled them anyway and stayed healthy. Prices start as low as 25 cents per 100g.

• About Fava, ouzo, and Greek wine

Fava is like hummus but made out of beans. If you like beans, you will love it, but it wasn’t really my taste. Also, the Greek spirit ouzo is not for everyone. It is based on anise, which I strongly dislike, and therefore, I don’t even drink ouzo if it’s offered to me for free after a meal. But you might enjoy it and it’s definitely part of Greek culture. Greek wine is so famous that it’s sung about in German songs. However, I wasn’t a fan of any of the wines I tried. Perhaps, that’s because I just came from Argentina. So, try it if you want to, but if you don’t like it, better go with a fresh fruit juice instead. Or try a local beer.

Check out my Greece travel guide for valuable Greece travel tips

In case you are traveling to Greece, check out my “I love Greece” travel guide on Amazon. You can buy it in English or in German. It contains travel tips about Athens, Santorini, Rhodes, Crete, and much more.