Eating in Greece

It is not without reason that Greek food is now very popular in Central Europe. Greek restaurants serve good, tasty food at reasonable prices. For 10-12 euros in a simple taverna, you can get a starter, a main course and half a liter of house wine or beer. In Greece, people eat in restaurants or tavernas much more often than here.

As a rule, everyone pays together. However, many Greeks have now got used to the idiosyncrasies of foreign customers and you can also pay separately. However, you should tell the waiter this when you take your order.

Tavernas are often small family businesses. The waiter is the owner of the tavern and his wife works in the kitchen. In almost all tavernas, chilled tap water is free on request. Starters are very popular. You usually get a little something free after your meal. This can be a schnapps (ouzo) or a small plate of fruit.

Tip: Here you can find cheap accommodation in Greece that can be booked online.

Menu menus are now almost always multilingual: Greek, English and German. I have also seen menus in taverns that were written in 12 languages. The spelling is often very bad, but you usually understand what is meant. Except in remote villages, the waiter always speaks a little English and often a little German. If there is no menu, you go into the kitchen with the waiter and are allowed to look into the pots. The main meal of the day in Greece is always eaten in the evening. Greeks eat very late and often for a long time. Few Greeks eat dinner before 9 p.m. Greeks hardly know breakfast. One or two small cups of coffee are enough. The rich and late dinner of the day before does not make you feel hungry. Taverns are usually cheaper and more typical of the country than restaurants. Food is often served lukewarm, which is unusual for Central Europeans. Drinks are usually very cold. Side dishes are often fried potatoes (homemade chips), but there are also boiled potatoes and rice. Healthy olive oil is used. Olive kernel oil is often used for frying. You always pay a small surcharge on the bill (cover), about 50-80 cents per person. In return, the bread is free.

Some things that can be found on the Greek menu:

appetizers
tzatziki	the quark with garlic and cucumber
soups	Mostly homemade and delicious, there is often tomato, fish, chicken and vegetable soup, especially great: Avgolemono zupa (egg and lemon soup). Lamb innard soup (Magiritsa) is the classic starter for the Easter meal. More information on bean soup, Greek lentil soup and fish soup.
Saganaki	baked cheese, often served in aluminum foil
dolmades	vine leaves stuffed with rice
puff pastry pockets	filled with eggplant, cheese (tiropita), quark or zucchini
feta	soft Greek sheep’s cheese
Graviera	hard sheep’s cheese
olives	a small plate of olives
Gigantes	a small plate of white beans (warm)
Fava	chickpea porridge
Chochli	in a small plate with snails fried in oil, seasoned with vinegar and served with toothpicks.
Taramosalata	fish rye puree
skordalia	garlic puree
Spanakopita	puff pastry filled with spinach
salads
farmer’s salad (choriatiki)	the classic Greek mixed salad with tomatoes, cucumbers, green peppers, feta cheese, onions and olives, with bread an excellent and healthy lunch on a hot day
Marouli	green salad, there are also other leafy vegetables (Horta)
Radikia	dandelion salad
other	Cabbage, cucumber and tomato salad are available almost everywhere
main courses
Souvlaki	several small or one large meat skewer
Gyros	a plate of meat from the rotisserie
cutlet (brisola)	mostly pork
lamb (arni)	fried or boiled served with bones, the holiday meal of the Greeks e.g. at Easter
Keftedes	meatballs with tomato sauce
Kleftiko	Puff pastry filled with meat, vegetables and feta cheese, for example. My personal favorite. When one of my favorite restaurants (“Shiroko” in Plakias, Crete) serves Kleftiko, I always order a portion in advance.
calamari	is often fried or deep-fried
sardines (sardelles)	several small fried sardines, cheap and good
swordfish	usually fried like a steak
fresh fish	You can often choose a particular fish in the kitchen, the price is always calculated per kilo and varies greatly. If you are not sure, you should have the fish weighed and ask for the price. Common fish include sole (glossa), tuna (tonnos), red mullet (barbouni) and grey mullet (kephalos).
green beans	cooked beans usually with lots of olive oil and a few boiled potatoes
okra	Vegetables that resemble beans and look like mini zucchini, also served with lots of olive oil, quite unknown in Germany, you should try it
Gemista	tomatoes and/or peppers stuffed with rice and spices, almost always purely vegetarian
moussaka	Eggplant casserole, a Greek national dish
Pastitio	Pasta casserole, also very common
Bougatsa	Puff pastry filled with cheese or the sweet version with quark
various stews	from tomatoes, garlic, carrots, onions, meat, rice, potatoes… try
desserts
baklava	Honey-nut sugar biscuits, one of the sweetest foods I know
halva	made from sesame seeds, very sweet
Jaourti	natural yogurt with honey or fruit
Pagoto	Ice cream mostly in scoops as known in Central Europe

Many main courses are also available as starters and vice versa. If you are more interested in Greek cuisine, there are also some Greek cookbooks available in German bookstores. You can shop in Greek grocery stores in Germany and try out one or two recipes.

Western food / fast food:

Mc Donalds is currently “conquering” Greece. The branches of Mc Donalds are popular with many tourists because of the always working air conditioning and the clean toilets. Everest is a good Greek chain for sandwiches, pizza, etc. The Greek version of fast food is gyros stalls like those you know in Germany. A gyros pita usually costs around 3 euros. These are a bit smaller in Greece, but often better quality than in Germany. There is also usually a slightly cheaper vegetarian version with feta cheese instead of meat.

Essen Griechenland ( German Version)

For more information about food in Crete, click here

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