Greek food Traditional Greek cuisine
Traditional Greek Food is founded on the cornerstones of the Mediterranean diet. It is defined by the principles of our traditional cooking: seasonal. Fresh, raw ingredients that are perfectly cooked to produce flavors that are clean, light, and balanced. Later, being a part of the Byzantine and Ottoman Empires.So, our Greek culinary culture developed further and absorbed a wide range of influences from this nexus of the East and the West.
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1: Soutzoukakia Kofte in Izmir
Greek veal sausage, known as soutzouki, is air-dried in the shape of a horseshoe and blended with a variety of spices. With cumin taking center stage. Though it’s ready to eat in thin slices, soufuku is best enjoyed cooked, whether it’s in a pan with eggs (like a shakshuka), on top of pizza, or in pasta sauces. Possibly regarded as our take on chorizo or pepperoni.
Originated in Cappadocia, a place where eating fresh meat was seen as a luxury. To survive the winter, every household had to cure meat, just as pastourma and kavourma. The leftover meat from sheep and veal would be combined. Minced, and then seasoned with salt, pepper, cumin, and garlic before being stuffed into animal casings and dried in the sun.
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However, fresh meat was abundant in Izmir, where “soutzoukakia” was created. These were oblong-shaped meatballs inspired by soutzouki, produced with the same type of meat and spices. So, They are now a staple on every Greek table and come with a creamy, delectable tomato sauce on top.
2: Moussaka
Moussaka, a traditional Greek dish, is rich, creamy, and perfect for a warm summer night spent outside under the stars.
Baked lamb or beef with spices simmered in a thick tomato sauce. Topped with béchamel sauce and fried eggplant, then baked until the flavors permeate the dish. It is the epitome of a classic Greek dish.
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3: Spanakopita
Another popular Greek dish is spanakopita, sometimes known as spinach pie but with a flaky, wonderful texture. For decades, Greeks have prepared this dish by spreading butter or olive oil over phyllo dough. Then add layers of spinach, scallions, feta cheese, and eggs, and bake the whole thing until it turns golden brown. Although it’s typically served as an appetizer, you can have it for dinner and not face any consequences.
4:Souvlaki
The most well-liked Greek street dish in our area is skewered, tiny bits of meat. Souvlaki can be enjoyed as a sit-down dinner on a plate with tzatziki, fries, and veggies on the side, or it can be eaten right off the skewer, wrapped in pita. Although there are variants created with beef, lamb, or vegetarian ingredients. It is also, typically made with pork or chicken. Its name is derived from the Greek word “souvla,” which means “spit,” and the diminutive suffix “-aki,” so the skewer is the small spit.
It seems that Greeks have long used a standard roasting technique for meat on a spit. Which has persisted to this day. A dog-shaped clay barbecue that was probably used to handle skewers was discovered during Santorini excavations 3,700 years ago.
5: Seafood
Given that the Greek mainland is covered by 8.5 thousand miles of coastline and has little over 200 inhabited islands. It is not surprising that seafood is so important to Greek cuisine.
For an appetizer, try a plate of lightly floured, fried calamari with a touch of lemon, or saganaki prawns cooked with red wine, feta cheese, chili, and ouzo served on crusty bread.
Particularly on the islands, mussels are adored here as a main meal or meze. So, they are served with a variety of sauces, such as red sauce, mustard sauce, lemon, and parsley, or even cooked in ouzo.
Kitharaki shrimp cooked with garlic, onion, and red sauce are delicious and served with orzo. Eat them hot, with Greek yogurt or perhaps a dash of lemon.
Here, octopus is incredibly popular and appears on practically every dish. It will always taste great whether it is marinated and cooked in a simple tomato sauce or marinated in garlic and rosemary and grilled.
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This place serves fresh fish. Grouper, sea bass, and sea bream are available fried and served with potatoes, carrots, and skordalia, a delectable garlic sauce alternatively. So,they can be grilled and served with a squeeze of lemon and minimal spice.
Anchovies, or gavros, are frequently served fried alongside a vibrant green salad. However, you may get them marinated in garlic, olive oil, and lemon, which is quite tasty because the lemon “cooks” the garlic. However, lakerda is one dish that is worth trying out despite how fresh the fish is. This is tuna or mackerel that has been brined, salted, and covered with olive oil. Just some fresh tomatoes and olives would complete this celebration of a centuries-old ritual.
6:Fasolatha
The best traditional Greek dish is called Fatalabasia. This traditional white bean soup is another one of Greece’s national meals, albeit one that is not as well-known outside. With beans, crushed tomatoes, and veggies like onions, carrots, and celery, it’s a straightforward but filling meal. It is frequently flavored with bay leaves, parsley, and thyme.
7: Traditional Dish Tzatziki
Tzatziki, the most traditional Greek dish, is creamy, tangy, and spicy, making it the cool monarch of Greek summertime cuisine. Tzatziki is more than just the sauce that goes on souvlaki. We serve this adaptable cucumber-garlic dip with any meze on the table, including meat dishes like keftedes, vegetarian dishes like dolmades, and even just bread or paximadia (Greek rusks).
Naturally, the foundation of tzatziki is Greek yogurt, also referred to as “oxygalo,” or acid milk, by the Greeks since antiquity. During the Ottoman era, the Turks popularized yogurt. Yogurt was a food that the nomadic Turkish tribes made to preserve and travel well before they established in our region. Both Bulgarian tartor and Turkish cacik are served as cool, summertime soups.
8: Stuffed with juicy yemista
This is a classic Greek dish prepared with rice that has been filled into juicy local vegetables, usually peppers or tomatoes, and baked. Yemista, which translates from Greek to mean “filled with,” sometimes has minced beef added.
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