The Greek cuisine is known to be one of the tastiest and most influenced by the East cuisines. Everyone has heard of the king of dishes – mousaka!!! This is not a difficult dish to prepare; however, it is undoubtedly a really messy one. Personally, I prefer to visit a Greek restaurant and enjoy it rather than spend half a day in the kitchen preparing it. But then again, cooking has never been my hobby.
Another favorite is pastitsio – very similar to macaroni cheese – but a lot spicier and tastier; cinnamon and clove are distinct.
Taverns focus on grilled meat – lamb chops and steak on top of the list. Of course there are also Fish Taverns which serve mainly fish and seafood. The Mediterranean Sea is abundant in fish and seafood, yet it is now not enough for all the people living in Greece, so a lot is imported from other countries as well. One thing is certain though; anything from the Mediterranean Sea is a whole lot tastier.
A visit to a meat tavern will reassure you of the excellent quality of the lamb and pork – if you are a meat lover, this is your place to be. Meat is normally served with tzatziki on the side, which is a yogurt, cucumber and garlic sauce.
If you are wandering what to drink with your meal, think no further; retsina with your meat and ouzo with your fish! It’s as simple as that! Take it easy on the ouzo though as it can give you a hell of a hangover – you’ve been warned!
Try the stuffed vegetables (yemista), cabbage rolls in egg-lemon sauce (lahanontolmades) and of course gyro in pita bread – in my opinion, one of the best street foods in the world!!!
Food is very important to Greeks. The fact that the only businesses which didn’t suffer as much during the financial crisis is testament enough.
Finish off a meal with a big blob of strained Greek yogurt topped with thyme honey and walnuts. Apart from the fact that it is a scrumptious dessert, it is also said to have great aphrodisiac qualities.
Another dessert which is a favorite is baklava; this is a syrupy dessert, crushed walnuts with cinnamon and cloves sandwiched between sheets of filo pastry, baked and soaked in aromatic syrup.
One thing is certain – if you’re planning on watching your diet, Greece is not the place to visit!
Too many temptations!!!