Last Updated on May 27, 2024
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Guest post by Greece Travel Secrets
What is Greek food? Simply put, traditional Greek food is synonymous with flavour, good nutrition and good times especially given it is often enjoyed with groups of family and friends.
This reputation is well deserved, too, because there are so many delicious traditional Greek dishes! Plus when it comes to Mediterranean food, Greek cuisine is probably the most well-known worldwide.
There are probably many famous greek foods you already love, but might not even realise are well-loved foods from Greece!
The Greeks are known for their generosity and hospitality and it’s not uncommon to be given huge servings when travelling through their beautiful country and dining in their tavernas.
And you can usually enjoy these delicious Greek food dishes at very good prices too.
A lot of traditional food in Greece has evolved over centuries and comes from times of conflict and occupation, and often great hardship.
Many recipes from Western Greece have a strong Italian influence and likewise the Ottoman influence in the East.
Some classic Greek dishes are quite simple and have few ingredients which came about simply as they were the only things in season or on hand at the time.
But some traditional Greek meals are very seasonal – baked dishes and casseroles, for example, are mostly made in Winter and Autumn. On the islands, seafood is one of the most popular Greek foods.
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Even today the emphasis is on fresh food and very little authentic Greek food is frozen or imported.
This often means there can be a lot of variation in one single dish, as many authentic Greek recipes are made with whatever produce is on hand at the time.
Some tavernas don’t have menus and operate purely with whatever common Greek dishes the kitchen has made on the day.
Whichever part of Greece you visit these 10 traditional Greek appetizers, snacks and meals are guaranteed to leave you satisfied.
Table of Contents
10 Traditional Greek Dishes to Try in Greece
1. Pastit*io
Greek cooks have always been very good at making a little meat go a long way.
Pastit*io is one of their most popular pasta dishes; it’s the Greek equivalent of Lasagna, and it’s one of the most common dishes in Greece.
The best Greek dinner recipes make pastit*io with Penne pasta, but traditionally large hollow tubes called Ziti were used and often still are.
This classic Greek food has a lot more cinnamon, less tomato paste and a lot more béchamel than in Lasagna.
For a typical Greek lunch, it is best eaten a few hours after baking when it is still warm in the tray and has firmly set.
As is typical of Greek food, Pastit*io can be found all over the country, and is sure to fill you up. This is Greek traditional food that keeps you coming back for more!
2. Souvlakia and Gyros – one of my personal favourite Greek Dishes!
This popular Greek street food is one of your classic typical dishes in Greece. It’s found everywhere and is one of the Greek food traditions that has changed little in thousands of years.
It was originally introduced to Greece by the Turks after World War II and in fact the words Gyros and Donor (as in Donor Kebab) mean ‘turn’, as in the huge turning skewer they are cooked on.
Souvlaki is very similar to Gyros (Yiros) but the meat – lamb, pork or chicken – is cooked and served on its own small skewers. It is usually accompanied by dips/yoghurt, flatbread and salad.
For Gyros the meat and salad are wrapped in a lightly grilled flatbread, often with potato fries as well as garlic sauce or Tzatziki yoghurt dip.
This is, in my opinion, one of the best Greek dishes ever, and arguably the best Greek food there is! It’s also some of the most famous food in Greece.
So if you’re visiting and hoping to try out any traditional Greek food, it is pretty impossible to avoid having souvlaki or Gyros for at least one of your traditional Greek dinners while you’re there!
Luckily, it’s not just one of the most famous dishes in Greece, it’s also pretty popular abroad, too. So you can continue eating the most famous food in Greece when you get home!
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3. Mousakka
Another staple of authentic Greek cuisine is Moussaka – one of the top Greek dishes. This incredibly popular Greek food is made from meat and vegetables and has a number of variations.
It generally contains sliced eggplant but may also have zucchini and/or sliced potato as well, with mashed potato and/or cheese on top of creamy béchamel sauce.
It’s a perfect main course for a Greek lunch, and is one of the easy Greek dishes to make at home.
Moussaka is very popular in Mediterranean food, and is a staple of the Greek menu. You will find similar dishes to this traditional Greek dish throughout the Balkan states and the Middle East as well.
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4. Spanikopita – One of the most tasty traditional Greek recipes
Spanikopita is commonly known as ‘cheese and spinach pie’ to non-Greeks. But this beloved dish is one of the most popular Greek snacks available.
Made with eggs, onions, cheese, dill and crispy filo pastry. It often comes as one big pie served by the slice or you can buy small individual ones which also make a great snack.
If spinach is not readily available they might substitute another leafy green such as Horta, a plant that grows wild on many islands.
Like Moussaka, variations of Spanikopita are not only one of the most popular dishes in Greece, but in most Mediterranean food!
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5. Dolmades
There are some who will tell you that dolmades are the best food in Greece. Considering the quality of traditional food from Greece, that’s quite a claim!
‘Dolma’ is a family of stuffed Greek dishes found across the Mediterranean.
There are many variations of these typical Greek dishes – stuffed tomatoes, capsicum, zucchini, pasta, calamari and cabbage rolls.
But one of the best Greek recipes widely exported around the world is Dolmades.
Dolmades is one of the traditional Greek foods and consists of vine leaves stuffed with meat, rice, dill and mint.
There are now many tinned versions that are readily available and most are pretty good.
But fresh Dolmades are still found in abundance and are often served as one of the traditional Greek entrees along with yoghurt.
6. Soutzoukakia
This traditional Greek dish is pronounced ‘Zoo-zoo-gark-ia’. It consists of oblong-shaped meatballs mixed with a rich sauce made from cumin, cinnamon, and garlic served in a rich tomato sauce.
As with many Greek appetizers, soutzoukakia can be served as a side dish, or as part of a larger meal. They are are generally served with a small pasta such as pilafi or risoni, or rice.
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7. Slow cooked lamb
It’s a bit of a myth that typical Greek food involves a lot of lamb.
Whilst that may have been the case once upon a time for Homer’s soldiers after a battle, these days sheep are hard to come by with little grazing land available, especially on the islands.
The terrain in much of Greece is better suited to goats and this is readily eaten, as is pork, which is probably the most commonly eaten meat today.
Greeks also like to eat their meat well done. But to tenderise it is cooked very slowly, often over hot coals or in the ground.
In a small suburban kitchen, it would be cooked on low in the oven and tightly covered to allow the condensation to tenderise the meat.
That said you can still see lamb on many menus or at least ‘Souvla’ (skewer) which is well-loved and one of the best Greek meal, so worth ordering.
Lamb chops are also a very popular food in Greece, and a quick and easy meal.
One of the best accompaniment’s to slow-cooked lamb is lemon potatoes that are often cooked in the lamb juices and have a nice zingy contrast to the meat.
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8. Tiropita
These little cheese pies are sold by street vendors and bakeries, particularly in Corfu and the other Ionian islands.
Tiropita is one of the most popular Greek snacks, and there are many variations across the country which mostly has to do with the pastry.
For example, in the Sporades islands, the cheese filled pastry is often formed into a spiral whilst in the Ioanians they are individual triangles.
They make a great snack and are often sold in bakeries and eaten for breakfast too. The Tiropita is one of the top authentic greek dishes you need to try on your travels.
9. Greek salad
Greek salad is possibly the most famous Greek food known to the outside world.
Known in Greece as Horiatiki, this salad is one of the most popular Greek dishes and best known in the world. It’s so popular, many people just think of Greek salad when they think of Greek cuisine!
This typical Greek dinner meal is made with tomatoes, cucumber, onion, feta cheese and olives and drizzled with olive oil and lemon juice.
There can be many variations of this traditional Greek lunch dish from island to island and region to region, or often simply due to what was available on the day.
Variations can include capsicum, lettuce or capers, and in Crete it is served with or on top of dried bread and is called Dakos.
Sometimes you may get just tomatoes and feta cheese with some oil and herbs – a simple version, but still a typical lunch in Greece.
Whichever way you get it, this popular Greek food will be fresh and full of flavour, especially in summer when the vine-ripened tomatoes are bursting with deliciousness.
Even if you’re not interested in trying traditional Greek dishes, it will be hard to avoid this one! It’s one of the most common Greek foods in the world!
10. Loukoumades
These tasty Greek snacks are deep-fried balls of dough traditionally covered in honey and cinnamon or icing sugar and often known as ‘honey puffs’.
Loukoumades are also now popularly covered in many things such as chocolate sauce, Nutella, caramel and many other wicked delights.
You can often find this common Greek food sold by street vendors or at small Loukamades shops where they are best eaten fresh and warm.
They’re probably the most popular Greek food to have on the way from a night out. If you have a sweet tooth, this is one of the dishes from Greece you can’t leave without trying!
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There are so many amazing traditional Greek dishes and tasty popular foods in Greece to try.
From classic Greek meals like moussaka to the popular street food of Greece like Loukoumades, your appetite will be whet and then satiated with all the best Greek foods!
Greek food (or Mediterranean food in general) is one of those rare cuisines that you could probably eat every day and never get tired of it.
It’s comforting food and full of goodness too, which is why the ‘Mediterranean diet’ is considered one of the healthiest in the world.
And the best part of all is that most traditional Greek dishes are very affordable!
Frequently Asked Questions
✅ What is the most famous dish in Greece?
There are many famous Greek dishes, but the most globally known will either be Moussaka or the mighty Greek salad.
✅ Is Greek food healthy?
Yes! Greek dishes are healthy and flavourful, with many of them containing plenty of vitamins, minerals, healthy fats and fiber. Many main dishes in Greece are full of vegetables and meat to ensure you get plenty of nutrients.
✅ What does a Greek meze consist of?
As long as the portion is small, meze can be almost anything. Popular inclusions are cheese, vegetables, dips, pita bread and seafood.
✅ What are the best Greek dishes for dinner?
Moussaka، Pastit*io and Souvlaki (gyros) are some of the best traditional Greek food for dinner time. As some of the most famous foods in Greece, you can easily find some authentic Greek dinner recipes so that you can even have them at home! These Greek main dishes are tasty for lunch, too!
✅ What is a traditional Greek dish?
A traditional Greek dish is something you would find in any Greek restaurant using classic Greek recipes, as opposed to a fusion option. Some of the best traditional Greek dishes include Moussaka, Souvlaki and Spanikopita. But there are so many delicious classic Greek foods you have to try!
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