Food & Drink

In Greece, you don't eat — you share. The principle of Meze (Mezedes, plural) is central: Many small dishes are placed in the middle of the table, and everyone takes what they want. There is no "my plate, your plate" mentality. Anyone who orders a single main dish receives pitying looks.

A typical order in a taverna looks like this: You order 5-8 different meze for the table, along with bread, a farmer's salad (Horiatiki), and a carafe of house wine. The food comes when it's ready — not all at once. Relax. More is ordered if the appetite grows. The whole thing lasts 2-3 hours, at least.

The most important cold meze:

• Tzatziki: Yogurt, cucumber, garlic, olive oil — the Greek staple food
• Taramosalata: Fish roe cream, creamy-salty, on bread or pure
• Melitzanosalata: Smoked eggplant cream — better than any hummus
• Fava: Puree of yellow lentils/split peas, especially famous in Santorini
• Dolmadakia: Stuffed vine leaves with rice and herbs
• Htipiti: Spicy cream of roasted peppers and Feta

The most important warm meze:

• Saganaki: Breaded, fried cheese (usually Graviera or Kefalotyri) — better without flames than flambéed
• Kalamarakia: Fried squid rings — a must on the coast
• Kolokythokeftedes: Zucchini patties, especially good in the Cyclades
• Garides Saganaki: Shrimp in tomato sauce baked with Feta
• Tiropitakia: Small puff pastry pockets with cheese

Greek cuisine has much more to offer than the usual suspects. Here is the ultimate lexicon — from A to Z:

Main Dishes

• Arnaki Kleftiko: "Bandit Lamb" — lamb slowly braised in parchment paper or a clay pot with potatoes, garlic, and herbs. Falls apart on the fork. The best dish in Greece.
• Briam: Oven vegetables (zucchini, potatoes, eggplants, tomatoes) with plenty of olive oil — Greek ratatouille, only better.
• Gemista: Tomatoes and peppers stuffed with rice and herbs, braised in the oven. Home cooking at its finest.
• Giouvetsi: Lamb or beef with Kritharaki (orzo pasta) in tomato sauce in a clay pot.
• Gyros: Pork cooked on a spit (NOT lamb — that's Döner!), thinly sliced, in pita with Tzatziki, tomatoes, onions, fries. In Greece, a standalone dish, not just fast food.
• Keftedes/Keftedakia: Greek meatballs — with mint, oregano, and onions, often fried. Every region has its variant (Tomatokeftedes on Santorini made from tomatoes!).
• Kokkinisto: Braised beef or veal in tomato sauce — Greek Sunday roast.
• Moussaka: THE classic — layers of eggplant, minced meat-tomato sauce, and béchamel, baked in the oven. Every grandma has her secret recipe.
• Paidakia: Grilled lamb chops — simple, but unforgettable with good lamb and oregano.
• Pastitsio: "Greek lasagna" — tube pasta with minced meat and béchamel.
• Souvlaki: Meat skewers (pork, chicken, or lamb) from the grill — THE Greek street food. Order "Souvlaki apo ola" for the full load in pita.
• Spanakopita: Puff pastry pie with spinach and Feta — available on every corner, perfect for on the go.
• Stifado: Stew with beef (or rabbit/octopus) and whole small onions, cinnamon, and red wine. Winter dish, but on menus year-round.
• Soutzoukakia: Elongated meatballs in tomato sauce, seasoned with cumin — brought from Smyrna (Izmir) by the Asia Minor refugees.

Salads

• Horiatiki (Farmer's Salad): Tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, onions, olives, a WHOLE block of Feta on top. No lettuce, no dressing — just olive oil, oregano, vinegar. Simple and perfect.
• Marouli: Lettuce with dill and spring onions — refreshingly simple.
• Dakos: Cretan bread salad — hard barley rusk (Paximadi), tomatoes, Feta/Mizithra, capers, olive oil. Pure Crete.

Soups

• Avgolemono: Chicken soup with egg-lemon sauce — velvety, tangy, comforting. The Greek penicillin.
• Fasolada: Bean soup — the unofficial national dish (yes, before Moussaka!).
• Kakavia: Fishermen's fish soup — with everything that was in the net.

Greeks traditionally have late and light breakfasts — a Greek coffee and a cigarette long sufficed. This is changing in cities, where breakfast cafes are booming. But in the countryside and on the islands, the day starts with a coffee, and the first proper meal comes at lunch around 2-3 pm.

What is available, however, is excellent:

• Bougatsa: Puff pastry with cream filling (sweet) or cheese/minced meat (savory) — a specialty from Thessaloniki, but available everywhere. Warm, crispy, addictive.
• Koulouri: Sesame ring, the Greek bagel — at street stalls for under 1 euro. Fresh, the perfect breakfast on the go.
• Tiropita: Cheese puff pastry — best from the bakery, not the supermarket.
• Spanakopita: Spinach-Feta pie — a hearty breakfast for champions.
• Strapatsada: Scrambled eggs with tomatoes — the Greek Shakshuka, simpler and at least as good.
• Yogurt with Honey: Greek yogurt (thick, creamy, made from sheep's or goat's milk) with thyme honey and walnuts — a breakfast of the gods.

The Greek bakery (Fournos or Artopoieio) is a place of wonders. Besides bread (which is taken seriously in Greece — every village has its baker), there are dozens of sweet and savory pastries: Tsoureki (braided sweet bread, not just for Easter), Koulouria, Pites (pies) in all variations, and Koulourakia (butter cookies).

Greece has the longest coastline in Europe (13,676 km!) — naturally, seafood is central. Sitting in a good Psarotaverna (fish taverna) at the harbor and eating fresh fish is one of the great Greek experiences.

• Grilled Octopus: Best prepared traditionally: first dried in the sun (the purple octopuses on clotheslines are an iconic image!), then gently grilled, served with olive oil and vinegar.
• Barbounia: Red mullets — small, fried, with lemon. THE Greek fish par excellence, expensive but fantastic.
• Tsipoura/Fagri: Gilthead bream/dentex — grilled whole, with Ladolemono (olive oil-lemon sauce).
• Garides: Shrimp — grilled, as Saganaki, or in pasta.
• Sardeles: Sardines — fried or grilled, an affordable pleasure.
• Chtapodi Krasato: Octopus braised in red wine — a winter dish, but always a hit.
• Kalamari: Squid — fried (Kalamarakia) or stuffed with rice and herbs (Kalamaira Gemista).
• Atherinopoula: Tiny fried fish — eaten whole, with head and bones. Highly addictive.

When buying fish in the taverna: Fish in Greece is often priced by weight, not per portion. ALWAYS ask for the price beforehand, especially in tourist areas. "Poso kostizi to kilo?" (What does the kilo cost?) is something you should remember. Prices of 50-80 euros per kilo for fresh fish are normal (that's the kilo price, not the portion!).

Greece has the highest per capita cheese consumption in the world — over 30 kilos per person per year. And there is much more than just Feta:

• Feta (PDO): The king. Real Feta comes ONLY from Greece (EU-protected designation of origin since 2002) and is made from sheep's or goat's milk. Depending on the maturity, from creamy-mild to strong-salty. On the Horiatiki, in Pites, grilled in foil with tomatoes and peppers (Feta Psiti) — indispensable.
• Graviera: Hard cheese, similar to Gruyère — the most produced cheese in Greece. Graviera from Crete (made from sheep's milk) is particularly aromatic.
• Kefalotyri: Hard, salty sheep's cheese — the cheese for Saganaki (fried) and pasta.
• Kasseri: Semi-soft cheese, slightly sweet — perfect on a sandwich or grilled.
• Manouri (PDO): Creamy, mild whey cheese from northern Greece — a dream dessert with honey.
• Mizithra: Fresh or dried whey cheese from Crete — fresh like Ricotta, matured for grating over pasta.

Greece is the third-largest olive oil producer in the world (after Spain and Italy) — but in terms of quality and per capita consumption, it is the undisputed number one. Greeks consume over 12 liters of olive oil per person per year — three times the European average.

In Greece, olive oil is not an ingredient but a main component. The dishes in the category "Ladera" (oil dishes) — beans, okra, eggplants, potatoes, peas — literally swim in olive oil. This may initially seem strange to German palates, but it tastes incredible and is (proven) healthy: The Cretan Mediterranean diet is considered one of the healthiest in the world.

The best growing regions:

• Crete: The island alone produces 30% of Greek olive oil. Some olive trees are over 3,000 years old.
• Kalamata (Peloponnese): Famous for the large, purple Kalamata olives and their intense oil.
• Lesbos: 11 million olive trees on one island — olive oil museum in Agia Paraskevi.

As a souvenir, a bottle of extra virgin olive oil from a small family oil mill is the best choice. Buy directly from the producer, not in the tourist shop — the price difference is enormous, as is the quality.

Greece is one of the oldest wine-producing countries in the world — wine was cultivated here over 6,500 years ago. After decades of mediocrity, Greek wine is experiencing a renaissance: Young winemakers combine indigenous grape varieties with modern methods and produce wines that excite international critics.

The Most Important Grape Varieties

• Assyrtiko: THE Greek white wine — mineral, acidic, bone-dry. Best from Santorini, where the vines grow in a basket shape (Kouloura) on the ground to withstand the wind. Volcanic soil gives the wine unique minerality.
• Moschofilero: Aromatic white wine from the Peloponnese (Mantinia) — rose scent, light, perfect as an aperitif.
• Malagousia: Rediscovered grape variety — exotic, fragrant, modern. A secret tip.
• Agiorgitiko (St. George): The most important red wine — from Nemea (Peloponnese). Velvety, fruit-driven, from simple-fruity to complex-matured.
• Xinomavro: "Sour Black" — the Greek Nebbiolo. From Naoussa (northern Greece), tannic, age-worthy, for connoisseurs.
• Mavrodaphne: Sweet red wine from Patras — dessert wine, often paired with chocolate.

Retsina — Love or Hate

Retsina — white wine with resin — is Greece's most polarizing drink. The tradition dates back to antiquity (resin was used to seal amphorae). Traditional Retsina tastes like turpentine — no wonder it has a bad reputation. But: Modern winemakers produce craft Retsina with a subtle resin note that pairs surprisingly well with seafood and meze. Try it — but not the plastic bottle from the supermarket.

Ouzo

Ouzo — the anise-flavored spirit (about 40% vol.) — is the national drink. It is drunk neat or with water: When diluted, it turns milky-white (Louche effect). There is ALWAYS something to eat with it — Ouzo without meze is a faux pas. The best Ouzos come from Lesbos (Plomari, Barbayannis) and Tyrnavos.

Ouzo rules: Drink slowly, always with food, be careful in the heat (the intoxication comes slowly and intensely). In an Ouzeri (Ouzo place), you order Ouzo and meze are automatically brought — the simplest way to eat Greek.

Tsipouro & Raki/Tsikoudia

Tsipouro (mainland) and Raki/Tsikoudia (Crete) are pomace brandies — distilled from the leftovers of wine production. Tsipouro is available with or without anise; Raki is pure pomace, clear and strong. In Crete, Raki is offered with EVERYTHING: As a welcome drink in hotels, after meals in tavernas (for free!), for business deals, at weddings. A Cretan Raki evening with meze can take on epic proportions.

Greek Coffee

The Ellinikos Kafes (Greek coffee) is prepared in a small copper pot (Briki) on sand or flame — finely ground, boiled with sugar as desired, and poured into the cup along with the grounds. Tradition: Turn the cup upside down, wait 5 minutes, then grandma (or a professional Kafetzou) reads the future from the coffee grounds patterns. Meant seriously? Half. Entertaining? Absolutely.

Greek gastronomy knows different types of establishments — and knowing the differences saves disappointments:

• Taverna: The standard restaurant. Simple, family-run, often with a terrace. Affordable. This is where Greece eats.
• Psarotaverna: Fish taverna — at the harbor, specializing in seafood. More expensive than a regular taverna.
• Psistaria: Grill restaurant — grilled meat, Souvlaki, Gyros. Often with a visible grill.
• Ouzeri/Mezedopolio: Ouzo/Tsipouro place with many small meze. The best way to eat Greek.
• Estiatorio: Upscale restaurant — tablecloths, menu, higher prices.
• Kafenio: Traditional coffee house — coffee, sometimes simple snacks, lots of gossip.
• Zacharoplasteio: Confectionery — pastries, cakes, ice cream, Greek sweets.
• Galaktopolio: "Milk shop" — Greek yogurt, rice pudding (Rizogalo), Bougatsa.

Ordering Food Like a Local

• DO NOT order one dish per person. Order 4-8 meze for the whole table and share everything.
• Bread comes automatically (and is charged, about 1-2 euros per basket — "cover").
• Ask the host what they recommend: "Ti protinete?" — often the best strategy.
• "Tis oras" means "freshly prepared" (for fish: fresh, not thawed).
• The food comes when it's ready — not simultaneously. That's normal, not bad service.
• Tip: 5-10% is customary, but not a must. For very good service up to 15%.
• Paying: "Ton logariasmo, parakalo." The bill is never brought unsolicited.
• Payment is usually together — "separately" is unusual and considered somewhat strange.

Meal Times

Greek meal times will surprise Germans:

• Breakfast: 9-11 am (or not at all)
• Lunch: 2-4 pm (the main meal)
• Dinner: 9-11 pm (in summer more like 10 pm)

Anyone who goes to a restaurant at 6 pm sits alone. The kitchen often opens only at 7:30 pm, and Greeks start arriving from 9 pm. In the height of summer, families with small children eat at 10 pm — completely normal.