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 wine and enjoying plates of excellent salad and cheese, I started to think that things might have changed.
A Long Culinary Heritage
Olives, wine and honey have been staples of the Greek economy since classical times, and they are still important today. Wherever you go in Greece you will find olives, not just the common black and green varieties but large, succulent Kalamata olives and many other varieties. And of course there is the olive oil, such an important part of the Mediterranean diet, that accompanies every meal. The honey comes in different forms, too, from clear to crystalline and even, if you look hard enough, a bitter variety.
A Varied Cuisine
You may be familiar with dishes such as moussaka, or small mezze such as dolmades (stuffed vine leaves) that can be eaten as a starter or to accompany a drink. But there is much more to modern Greek cuisine than this. True, you will find plenty of lamb and pork but there is also a wealth of dried meats including several varieties of salami and Greek ham. And remember that Athens is a coastal city – look out for the fresh fish and seafood.
Then there are the cakes and pastries. These may be sweet or savoury. Savoury snacks include cheese pie (filo pastry stuffed with feta cheese) and numerous types of bread. The cakes – often, although not always, based upon pastry, honey and nuts – are sweet and delicious, but be warned, you can’t eat too much of them!
Wines Old and New
But one thing was puzzling me. “Where is the Retsina?” I asked one of our tour guides. “I always drink it in Greek restaurants at home.” The guide laughed. “They think it’s a rough drink”, he said. “Not good enough for restaurants”. It was time to rethink my preconceptions about Greek cuisine.
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13 thoughts on “How to Eat Well in Athens”
I like Greek food and the pictures in this post have my mouth watering.
I love Greek food, lovely pictures too!
OMG! Goodbye South America! We're heading for Europe next Spring and I think a major portion of my excitement in these travels is the idea of the amazing food awaiting us. I love Greek food and I was drooling over your pictures imagining the different cheeses you were describing as well as the varieties of olives. YUM!
If you love trying lots of different foods you're going to have a great time in Europe!
The pastries look simply amazing! Are they on the Mediterranean diet? If so, sign me up!
I wish they were 🙂
Wow; your photos are excellent; now I am hungry!!!
I've looked again and they're making me hungry too!
What a tasty primer to Greek cuisine. I'm salivating!
The cheese pie looks amazing, is it a sweet pie?
No, it's a savoury pie with feta cheese. And it is delicious!
Yumm I loved the food when I went to Greece and your post has my stomach grumbling!
Every time I look at my pictures again I start wanting to try some more Greek food!