The Meze Culture
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
💡 Tipp
The uglier the restaurant from the outside, the better the food. The best tavernas have plastic chairs, paper tablecloths, and no menu in ten languages. If the host takes you to the kitchen and shows you the pots — jackpot.