Restaurant Recipe Reviews

Greek cuisine is your typical Mediterranean cuisine, with influences from Italy and the Middle East. The basic grain is wheat but they have also been known to grow barley. The Greek terrain is favorable for breeding of sheep and goats rather than cattle. Most of the traditions in Greece and the Greek Islands are based on religious characteristics or from paganism. Most of the meals today revolve around traditions, festivals and celebrations. The cuisine is fresh, aromatic and served with a warmth and vigor.

Take a look at some of the exciting dishes you may encounter when choosing to feast on Greek Cuisine.

Did you know that the oldest known evidence of wine production was in Europe? It was dated 4500 BC and comes from archaeological sites in Greece. No wonder why Greece is one of the most notable names when the word “wine” comes to mind. Not only that, the earliest attested terms referring to wine would be the Mycenaean Greeks.

Categories or Greek Wines & Other Alcoholic Beverages

* Tsipouro- it is very potent alcohol. It is occasionally drunk with ice and a small amount of water to help dilute it.
* Ouzo- this is the renowned Greek alcoholic beverage of choice, and is a country trademark.
* Mavrodafni- this is a sweet, thick, and dark vino, which is nearly black in color. This is usually consumed for Holy Communion.
* Retsina- white wine

Tzatziki
Saganaki
Keftedakia
Spanakepitakia
Tiropitakia
Horta
Avgolemono
Briam
Dolmadakia
Kalama Rakia
Htapodi
Feta cheese

Some of the most popular mezedes include:

White Wine
White wines are often consumed with lighter meals like luncheon and mostly casual dinners. White wine isn’t actually white at all but rather a shade of yellow, golden or straw-like in color.

Main Dishes

* Pastitsio- This dish is similar to spaghetti
* Paldakia- Grilled lamb ribs served with lemon
* Kokoretsi- This is generally consumed at Easter. It is wrapped and roasted entrails of lamb
* Kleftiko- Lamb, which is roasted as a whole carcass, in the outdoors
* Moussaka-Casserole dish with eggplant or zucchini, garlic meat sauce and cream cheese and white sauce topping which can be made in a crock pot if you have one. The slow cooker recipes may be slightly different, but will still taste fantastic.
* Gyros- Roasted meats generally served with tzatziki sauce, tomato, onions as garnishes on pita bread. This is a famous Greek fast food
* Pastitsio- This is a Bchamel sauce casserole of macaroni meat

Greek Salads

Gyros on the other hand is is a Greek dish, consisting of meat, tomato, onion, and tzatziki sauce, and is served with pita bread. The meat is then roasted and generally served with tzatziki sauce, tomato, onions as garnishes on pita bread.

Yuvarlak is a kind of large meatball in sauce. The meat mixture includes rice or bulgur. They are cooked in moist heat and the juices thickened with avgolemono. Avgolemono is a Greek soup made with egg and lemon juice mixed with broth, heated until they thicken but before they boil and curdle.

* Retsina- is of white color and its unique flavor is said to have originated from the practice of sealing wine vessels, particularly amphorae, with Aleppo Pine resin in ancient times.

Greece is also a country very rich in culture with every dish symbolizing an event and a bit of their history. The more we know about the history the more we can appreciate the cuisine.

Michelle is undoubtedly an experienced blogger whose discipline is writing about basic, yet tasty, house cooking. Her posts frequently stress the many benefits of crock pot such as slow cooker recipes, which is among her absolute favorites for making Exotic flavors of Greek Cuisine.