5 classic Greek dishes to try in Greece

Greek food is among the tastiest cuisines in the world. We are not foodies, by any means, but we enjoy trying local flavours and sampling new foods. At home, our weekly meal plans include food from all over the globe, but my favourite is always Greek night. (It is also a consistent hit with Big S and Lil S. Which is a huge win. Anyone familiar with kids knows *that* battle all too well. :P) Greek salads, homemade souvlaki, pita with hummus or tzatziki… Greek food is delicious and comforting, bold in flavour yet simple in ingredients.

And let’s not forget the setting. A warm summer evening. A few tables set out on the cobblestones in front of a tavern of small restaurant. Flower trellises everywhere. A grass woven basket of warm bread and a selection of dips. LOTS of olive oil. A glass of local wine (or a Mythos beer). And, depending on where you are, a view of the sea, or mountains, or a quaint and vibrant pedestrian street. Isn’t that dreamy?

(I’m usually not good at taking photos of foods – I always forget until after the fact! – but I think I do a decent job at setting the scene!)

And now the food! We had these 5 classic dishes again and again during our trip to Greece. We’ve attempted to make some variation of all these dishes, but there’s nothing like home-turf advantage when it comes to Greek food! (And if you’re planning a trip to Greece, don’t forget to check out our two week itinerary here!)

1. Greek salad (Horiatiki – translates to “village salad” in Greek)

We had Greek salad almost every sit-down meal. We’re not vegetarians, but we’re largely plant-based, so we probably have salads a *little* more often than most. At home, because we’re making dinner-size salads, we add lots of greens and usually a protein such as marinated chicken. The true Greek salad is actually very simple, but we couldn’t get over how fresh and tasty this salad is. You’ve never experienced Greek salad until you’ve had this salad in Greece.

Traditionally, Greek salad is made with fresh tomatoes, cucumbers, green pepper, and red onion. Authentic Greek salad doesn’t actually come on a leafy base. The dressing is a plain olive oil and a splash of red wine vinegar. And the toppings! Usually Kalamata olives, and always a giant slab of feta cheese. (I’ve never seen feta cheese eaten this way until I came to Greece. I think I read a stat while we were traveling that the average Greek eats around 50 lbs of feta cheese a year!)

The flavour is simple and refreshing, and delicious with a slice of bread.

2. Moussaka

I had never heard of Moussaka until I visited Greece. After our return, I started realizing it’s on the menus of most Greek restaurants. I suppose in hindsight I never really went for it because I didn’t know what it was. Or maybe the mix of meat and eggplant and egg didn’t really appeal to me.

But Moussaka is *delicious*. It is the ultimate comfort food. We first tried this after a rainy tour of Meteora. We were wet and freezing, and this dish was extra soothing. (Feature photo above)

Moussaka is sort of the Greek answer to lasagna, but with entirely different ingredients. There is a tomato based meat sauce, but that’s really where the similarity ends. Instead of pasta, the meat is layered with eggplant, and topped with bechamel sauce. Bechamel is usually a thin white butter-based sauce or gravy – but not this one. This one is made with egg, extremely thick, and holds its shape. It sounds a little weird, but the entire thing is baked, and the combined flavour is divine.

We’ve tried to make this one at home, but it’s quite a time-consuming process. The eggplant needs to be thinly sliced and salted to remove excess water. Less traditional versions of Moussaka can swap out eggplant for potato. But somehow, neither homemade or store bought has been close to what we had in Greece.

3. Souvlaki and gyros

Souvlaki and gyro is popular all over the world. But in Greece, souvlaki is true street food. They sell stuffed pitas from stands by the side of the road.

Souvlaki or gyro was our go to in Greece when we were after a quick, tasty, filling bite. Souvlaki is marinated meat – usually pork or chicken, sometimes beef – barbecued on a skewer. Gyro is the stacked meat (usually pork) vertically grilled that you see spinning behind counters of these grill restaurants. (For many years when I was young and self-conscious, I never ordered gyro because I couldn’t figure out how to pronounce it! Now that I’m too old to be self-conscious…it’s “YEE-roh”.)

Our most memorable souvlaki was in Oia. We had gotten off the bus, and couldn’t for the life of us find our hotel amidst the winding alleyways of town. We wandered around dragging our luggage while the GPS suggested this direction or that for over two hours! The delicious smell of the gyro stand was a happy reprieve for our tired feet and rumbling stomachs.

4. Gemista

Gemista is Greek for stuffed or “filled with” [vegetables] – usually tomato and sometimes peppers. They are stuffed with rice, herbs, chopped vegetables and baked in a tomato based sauce. You can also add ground pork or beef for a meat version.

Gemista is a staple in most small Greek restaurants. It is fresh, tasty, and healthy – win, win, and win! Our best stuffed tomatoes was in Athens, at a small hole-in-the-wall taverna called To Kati Allo. We were so blown away by how tasty this seemingly simple dish was we even had it twice!

5. Spanakopita

This dish translates to Greek spinach pie. With lots of feta. And baked in a crispy phyllo pastry. It’s more of a snack or an appetizer than a main meal, which makes it great for a quick pit stop at a bakery when you’re out and about.

I admit, I used to not like phyllo pastry very much. This was probably after a baking fiasco when I accidentally swapped puff pastry with phyllo pastry. The resulting dish was a dry, paper-like, stuck-to-the-roof-of-your mouth disaster. (I promise, this post was supposed to highlight Greek food, not our culinary abilities or lack thereof. 😂) The Greeks, of course, have this just right, and I’m happy to report I’ve been reformed enough I now routinely get spanakopita with my Greek takeout.

Phyllo pastry is also used in many Greek desserts that are definitely worth a try. Baclava (not to be confused with balaclava, as my kids do) is phyllo pastry layered with sugar and nuts. Galaktoboureko is phyllo pastry with custard and sweetened with syrup. And don’t forget phyllo wrapped baked feta drizzled with honey on the list!

I also love olives and dolmadakia (grape leaves wrapped rice and herbs, and sometimes minced meat), but Daniel doesn’t. We can both, however, spend half the meal pulling apart little bits of pita to dip in tzatziki and hummus. If you’re on the Greek islands, it’s the best time to enjoy some fresh fish, or, a Greek delicacy – octopus. (I tried this one in Santorini – I’m glad I did, but I don’t think I would again… 😬)

Greek food is really the epitome of taste and comfort all rolled into one. We sometimes say we would go back to visit only for the food. In the meantime, we’ll keep attempting from our own kitchen!