Dish Lexicon A-Z

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.