Greek cuisine
Greek cuisine blends ancient traditions with Mediterranean and Balkan influences.
Greek cuisine is the cuisine of Greece and the Greek diaspora. It is founded on the triad of wheat, olive oil, and wine, and uses vegetables, olive oil, grains, fish, and meat, including pork, poultry, veal and beef, lamb, rabbit, and goat. It continues traditions from Ancient Greek and Byzantine cuisine, while incorporating Middle Eastern, Balkan, and Italian influences.
- Field
- Cuisine
- Nationality
- Greek
- Known for
- Mediterranean triad, olive oil, filo pastries, feta cheese
- Key ingredients
- Wheat, olive oil, wine, vegetables, fish, lamb, pork, herbs, honey, nuts
- Historical roots
- Ancient Greek and Byzantine cuisine
Lore & Background
Greek cuisine is part of the culture of Greece and is recorded in images and texts from ancient times. Its influence spread to ancient Rome and then throughout Europe and beyond. Ancient Greek cuisine was characterized by its frugality and was founded on the Mediterranean triad: wheat, olive oil, and wine, with meat being rarely eaten and fish being more common. The diet of the ancient Spartans was also marked by its frugality, with a notorious staple being melas zomos (black soup), made by boiling pigs' legs, blood, olive oil, bay leaf, chopped onion, salt, water, and vinegar.
Reader's Guide
Greek cuisine is significant for its continuity from ancient times and its influence on European and Mediterranean cooking. The most characteristic element is olive oil, used in most dishes. The climate and terrain have favored the breeding of goats and sheep over cattle, so beef dishes are uncommon. Fish dishes are common in coastal regions and on the islands. A great variety of cheese types are used, including Feta, Kasseri, Kefalotyri, Graviera, and many more. Dining out is common in Greece, with tavernas and estiatoria serving home cooking. Common street foods include souvlaki, gyros, various pitas, and roasted corn. Many dishes can be traced back to ancient Greece, such as lentil soup, fasolada, and pasteli, while others are borrowed from Italian or Ottoman cuisine. In the 20th century, French cuisine influenced Greek cooking largely due to the French-trained chef Nikolaos Tselementes, who created the modern Greek pastitsio and moussaka.
Did You Know?
- Ancient Spartan soldiers ate melas zomos (black soup) made from pigs' legs and blood.
- Mastic, an aromatic resin, is grown on the Aegean island of Chios.
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