A Food Lover's Guide Through a Traditional Greek Menu

I know I spoke about food in my last blog, but it's not just any kind of food... It's Greek food! I must be so excited about going to Greece this month, and that's very exciting. So, I thought I would share a more traditional menu for you to try next time you eat out, cook it at home, or come to Greece and try it there! So, here is a food lover's guide through a traditional Greek menu below.

Scrumptious foods of Greece / Photo credit - TMM and Victoria Shes Unsplash

Greek dessert - Photo credit TMM and Destine Galani Unsplash

With the magnificent climate and stunning scenery, it is easy to see why Greece is a top global destination, but the Greek cuisine raises a visitor's experience to the next level.
This delectable cuisine is influenced by Eastern and Western cultures, with the 3 essential ingredients being olive oil, wine, and wheat, often combined with fish, meat, yogurt, and vegetables to create a mouth-watering meal. 
Many herbs and spices are blended into Greek recipes, including basil, thyme, mint, dill bay leaves, and oregano.
Recipes vary by region, with each having unique flavors, while each meal can differ from restaurant to restaurant depending on its ingredient quality. ​

Greek Appetisers
Before your main meal, appetizers, called mezes, that may be on offer would include, but are not limited to, Choriatiki (Greek Salad), dolmadakia (stuffed grape leaves), tzatziki (yogurt-based dip), melitzanosalata (aubergine/eggplant dip), Tomatokeftedes (tomato fritters) or Kolokithokeftedes (fried zucchini/courgette balls).

Greek Main Courses
Main course options include Kleftiko's lamb specialty, translated as "stolen." 
This lamb is a slow oven-cooked meat dish infused with lemon juice, olive oil, and garlic. 
Giouvetsi is a beef stew cooked with Orzo pasta, and another very similar beef stew is called Stifado. 
This time it is served alongside either rice, potatoes, or pasta instead of being slow-cooked together with the starch. 
Greek Soutzoukakia are sausage meatballs of either ground pork or beef cooked with a red-wine sauce and served with rice. 
But a dish that is possibly the most synonymous with Greek cuisine is the Souvlaki (Gyros). 
This popular fast food is made out of meat, or sometimes vegetables, grilled on a skewer and served either inside or alongside a pita. 
A vegetable with three names, eggplant/aubergine/brinjal, is a flavored main course ingredient. 
A few dishes include this vegetable, not to be confused with each other. 
Moussaka is spiced meat cooked in a tomato sauce and then baked with layers of bechamel sauce and fried eggplant, whereas Papoutsakia is a baked eggplant stuffed with a tomato-based meat sauce topped with bechamel sauce and cheese, then further baked. 
Greek cuisine offers a few additional lighter dish options, such as Gemista (vegetables stuffed with rice), Fasolada (bean soup), and Tiropita (Greek Cheese Pie).

Greek Sweets
A Greek meal is not complete without a sweet treat, mostly made of phyllo pastry, nuts, milk, butter, sugar syrup, and semolina blended with spices such as nutmeg, cinnamon, and cardamom. 
These sweet options include Blakava, Galaktoboureko (Greek custard pie), Halva, Saragli, Bougatsa (another custard pie), Portokalopita (orange tart), and the most intriguing of all, the Spoon Sweet. 
With all these mouth-watering choices, it is easy to see why a trip to Greece will include many happy meals with your favorite travel companions. I hope this food lover's guide through a traditional Greek menu helped you decide what to order next time you eat out. ​

​Ready to go savor this delicious menu in Greece? Please reach out to me to book your Greek culinary adventure today! I am always just a phone call, text, or email away from reaching your dream adventure.

---

---

---

About Sheyla Paz
Sheyla was born and raised in Cuba. Moved to the United States 21 years ago. She is a Journalist, Actress, Producer, and  Photographer with a passion for travel. Sheyla launched the travel agency out of her desire to share her culture, music, dance, and the architecture of her homeland with others. Her agency provides travel arrangements to all Latin countries, the Caribbean islands and Europe. She has several award wining short films and was recognized as a leading media personality in the Latino community in Tennessee with the award “Beacon of Light” in 2019. Sheyla was one of the few Cuban-American journalists selected to travel to Cuba with President Barack Obama in 2016 as part of the White House Press Corp. Sheyla is an ASTA Verified travel advisor, Signature Travel Network Luxury Certified Travel advisor and several destination specialist in the Caribbean and Latin America. She is also certified in Luxury River and Ocean cruises.
​
Let's Connect! ¡Conectémonos!
Join us on Facebook to stay in the know on all of our offerings!
¡Únase a nosotros en Facebook para mantenerse al tanto de todas nuestras ofertas!

JOIN OUR FACEBOOK GROUP Únete a mi grupo de Facebook
Follow us on Social Media / Síguenos en los medios sociales

---

#greekgastronomy #greekfood #mediterraneancuisine #foodietravel #foodlover #traditionalrecipes #moussaka #baklava #oliveoil #dolmades #gyros #santorini #mykonos #adventure #greekislands #travelgram #instafood #foodphotography #culturalimmersion #travelarticles #cookingathome #foodiecommunity #mediterraneandiet #sheyladventuretravel #greecetravel #travelagency #traveladvisor #travelblog