Top Greek dishes to try during your holidays

Greece is one of the top holiday destinations all over the world. Every year, thousands of tourists visit Greece to relax on the sandy beaches and taste delicious Greek dishes. The cuisine is actually the basis of the Mediterranean cuisine, epitomizing the knowledge of centuries and using a wide range of healthy, natural ingredients from the sea and the land.

Traditional dishes are based on extra virgin olive oil, fresh fish and seafood, fine meat produced by local farmers, flavorful and colorful vegetables and fruits. So, make sure you try some of the top Greek dishes during your holidays!

Village salad (horiatiki)

Horiatiki (literally meaning village salad in Greek) is surely among the top Greek dishes. It includes tomato, cucumber, pepper, onion, and feta cheese, spread with olive oil and oregano.

Souvlaki

Meat dishes are a must for anyone who visits Greece. Souvlaki, the famous Greek fast-food, is grilled meat (usually pork or chicken) wrapped in pitta bread with tomato, onion, tzatziki and fried potatoes.

Tzatziki and other dips

Made with yogurt, cucumber, and garlic, tzatziki is a typical Greek dip. Other dips include melitzanosalata (made with aubergines) and fava (a puree of yellow split peas with onion, olives and a drizzle of olive oil). Also, taramasalata, a creamy puree of pink or whitefish roe, is another typical Greek dip.

Dakos

A traditional dish from the island of Crete, Dakos (or Ntakos) salad consists of barley rusks soaked with water, spread with olive oil and topped with fresh tomato and soft white cheese, such as feta, and olives.

Dolmadakia

Eaten as an appetizer, finger food or side dish, dolmadakia is a favorite dish throughout Greece. It is made with grape leaves, which are stuffed with long-grain rice and herbs like thyme, dill, and fennel.

Pies

Pastry pies are a huge chapter in Greek cuisine, offering a great variety of tastes and flavors. They are surely among the top Greek dishes and mostly used as appetizers. They can be thin and crispy made with translucent pastry sheets, or more crumbly and rich. They can be stuffed with cheese, wild greens, and herbs, or even minced meat.

Fresh fish

As Greece is surrounded by sea, fresh fish dishes are regularly cooked. You should definitely taste fried small fish seasoned with lemon and olive oil dressing. Fried fish in Greece are usually small in size, like maridha (whitebait), gavros (anchovy) or sardela (sardines).

Baklava and other sirup sweets

The Greeks are huge fans of sweets, so there are many traditional Greek dishes made with honey and nuts. For example, the famous baklava consists of pastry layers that are filled with ground nuts and then drenched in honey, while the well-known galaktoboureko is made with custard that is baked between pastry layers and then soaked with honey-and-lemon syrup.