In 2022, Greek cuisine ranked second on TasteAtlas’ World’s Best Cuisine list. Coming from a city with only one Greek restaurant back then, I did not understand why it bested all the other cuisines I liked. When I got to visit the Mediterranean country in May this year, I was prepared to have my fill of authentic gyros, souvlaki and moussaka, but I was not prepared for how it would change my perception of what good food is.
Unlike others that have sauce-drenched dishes, Greek cuisine does not rely heavily on spices or dips. The recipes are deceptively simple, seasoned with just salt, pepper and olive oil. In more complex dishes, oregano, thyme, dill and mint are commonly added, but even so, they are prepared simply. This allows every ingredient to truly shine.
Greek cuisine does not rely on technique either. The raw ingredients themselves are what make the final product remarkably delicious. In a country where the cooking is dependent on the season’s produce, “gourmet” means small-scale cheeses from islands, made with high-quality milk from sheep or goats. It means mastic, a resin produced by a tree that can be found only on Chios Island. It is the special saffron produced by villages in the small farming town of Krokos, or the many varieties of olive oil from different regions. These specific products set Greek cuisine apart from the rest.
However, there is one more factor that makes Greek dishes exceptional. It is the way they are prepared in portions meant to be shared. Cooking for the Greeks is their act of love and hospitality. One can certainly feel and taste that with every bite of their luscious desserts and mouthwatering mains, in which the delicate dance of textures and flavors leaves an impression that lingers long after the last mouthful.
From flaky phyllo filled with feta to hot-off-the-grill fish drizzled with olive oil, here are some of the most memorable Greek dishes from my trip.
Greek cheeses
Feta may be its flagship cheese, but I have found that Greece has many other Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) cheeses, almost all of which are produced from sheep’s or goat’s milk or both. In fact, only one Greek PDO cheese is produced from cow’s milk. Whether deep-fried in pouches, pan-seared (saganaki), or eaten as is, kasseri, mizithra, xynomizithra and graviera are among the must-try cheeses when in Greece.
Greek meze
Meze is to Greece as tapas is to Spain. These small plates of savory appetizers — although “small” is the last word I’d use to describe Greek portions — are often served as an accompaniment to drinks like ouzo, an anise-flavored aperitif produced from grape must or the remnants of wine-making. It is also worth noting that Greek potatoes are definitely something else. It doesn’t matter if you have them in a restaurant or make your own chips and fries at home, Greek potatoes are top-tier and that’s just putting it lightly.
Greek meat dishes and products
From lighter meze fare like keftedes (Greek meatballs), cured and smoked pork products like apaki from Crete and sygklino from Mani, salami aeros (air-dried salami) and chunky loukaniko (sausages) with leeks or orange zest, to hearty dishes like sofrito (Greek veal stew with garlic and white wine), these are yet another proof of how Greece just one-ups all the others in any category.