I hadn’t expected to eat well in Athens. I had long ago memories of lukewarm food and greasy kebabs with limp pitta bread, and I had experienced the limited repertoires of Greek tavernas at home. But as I sat in a small café on my first night in the city, sipping good...

Food gives you an insight into a place. However cosmopolitan a city may be, with the English language all pervasive and international brands on the high street, food is one thing that remains stubbornly local. You don’t have to wander far off the beaten track to...