Food Quest! Getting Greeky Part 1

Adventuring around the world can leave one with one heck of an appetite. Lucky for us, we're in the land of amazing food =D Greece is home to a wide variety of mouth-foaming deliciousness. Tastes for every type: veggies lovers, meat munchers, and sweet-tooth seekers all find solace in the mainland (and island) cuisine. Each region prides itself on a variety of different, unique dishes. However, the larger more metropolitan areas have their fair share of similarities with other western cuisines.

Warning! The following foods were ordered, devoured, and processed by Christina and Roland. For example:


We got this scrumptious dish at a local restaurant for lunch. Pasta dish are originally from Italian cuisine, but they found their way across the narrow sea to our plates. It's not unusual for Greekies to dine on pasta. However, more traditional Greek cooking isn't heavy on this stringy delight.
 

Chicken salad w/ tomatoes, cucumbers, feta cheese, peppers, and light ceasar dressing

This delicious chicken salad is just another great example of Greek-Western fusion. You’re probably not moved at the sight or thought of it…. After all, it’s just a salad. Interestingly enough, Greekies don’t normally eat their greens in this manner. Most traditional Greek cuisine comes from the simple peasant foods that farmers eat on the daily.  A traditional Greek salad (called Xoriatikisalata [pronounced Hori-ah-t-key-sa-lata]) consists of a basic group of core home-grown vegies grown in the Greek countryside: tomatoes, onions, green peppers and cucumbers. Sometimes you’ll even find a handful of olives. It’s garnished with oregano, salt, and pepper; then topped off with chunks of feta cheese and a little bit of olive oil.  Soooo simple, yet soooo good =D

Tzatziki yogurt dip w/ garlic and olive oil.

If you haven’t heard of this delectable, yogurty dip, you’re definitely living under a rock. Tzatziki is as identifiable with Greek culture as philosophy, democracy, and the acropolis. Designed in the same light as most simplistic Greeky dishes, tzatziki is made with a combination of conventional Greek yogurt, garlic, and cucumbers mixed with olive oil. The final product is a creamy, yet sweet blend of flavors which set of explosions of delight on your taste buds.

Gyro – Souvlaki (lamb meat) w/ tomatoes, red onions, lettuce, and French fries on a pita.

Hungry and in a rush? There’s no better way to fill up your belly without hurting your wallet than a Greeky gyro. Athens is littered with these gyro stands the same way New York City has Hot-Dog carts. On average, it takes less than 2 minutes for you to walk up, select a meat (lamb, beef, pork, or chicken), and stroll away with a handful of awesomeness. Now that’s what I call “fast food.” For the budget sensitive consumer, this is definitely the food of choice. A typical gyro will only cost you anywhere between 2 and 4 Euros (depending where you go). That’s less than $5 American for a hearty meal; making the Greeky gyro the king of cheap eats.   

Baklava – Crunchy dough, nuts, and honey baked into luscious pastry.

The street name for it varies from a bak, lava, bakjob or b-job (for short)… This Greeky classic stands atop the list of most popular desserts. The combination of sweet honey with salty walnuts blend to make a heavenly delight that will likely thrust you into a sugar induced coma. No worries, you’ll snap out of it as soon as you realize that there’s still more on your plate. Addiction is a tough to fight, with baklava, you’ll give in to temptation with relative ease every time.

Hope you enjoyed reading it as much as we enjoyed eating it!

Stay tuned for more eats ;)