Breakfast & Pastries

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).