Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Best
Food
Traditional Greek cuisine is all about fresh ingredients. Seasonal produce, just-
caught seafood, regional ingredients and cooking styles, simple flavours, and
minimal dressings bring out the flavours of the Mediterranean. And everything is
made tastier by this year's olive oil and a crusty loaf of fresh bread.
Styles of Eateries
Greeks love to eat out and dining is a rowdy, drawn-out communal affair with friends and
family. Despite the proliferation of upscale trendy restaurants, the most popular dining ven-
ue is the trusty taverna. Most serve a combination of
mayirefta
(oven-baked or casserole-
style dishes) and
tis oras
(made-to-order meat and seafood grills).
The mezes-style of dining (usually at a
mezedhopoleio
) is very popular, with small
dishes shared over long and merry meals - a variation is the
ouzerie
, where ouzo tradition-
ally helped rinse the palate between mezes tastes.
A
psistaria
is a taverna that specialises in grilled meats with a limited menu of salads
and starters.
Souvlaki is still Greece's favourite fast food, both the
gyros
and skewered meat versions
wrapped in pitta bread, with tomato, onion and lashings of tzatziki.
Trends
Postmodern tavernas or restaurant
s
(
estiatorio
) with a new generation of classically
trained chefs redefine the classics to create modern Greek food. Some add a fusion of
styles, from Asia to France; regional cuisine is also prized. Most prominent are fashionable
restaurants serving Cretan cuisine.
