Traditional Greek Recipes

Introduction

The Mediterranean diet has received a lot of buzz lately for being one of the healthiest diets in the world. Traditional Greek cuisine—rich in vegetables, olive oil, beans, whole grains, seafood, and red wine—sets an excellent example for those wishing to benefit from the Mediterranean diet's potential health benefits.¹

Typical Ingredients

Traditional Greek cuisine reflects its long history, beginning with Ancient Greece's reliance on seafood, olives and olive oil, and local vegetables.

When Greece came under Roman and then Ottoman rule, a variety of new ingredients were introduced to the Greek cuisine, including rice, new spices, eggplant, cane sugar, beans, yogurt, and coffee. The use of phyllo dough and the practice of stuffing vegetables/grape leaves can also be traced back to Ottoman influence.² Today, meat, particularly lamb, pork, and goat is becoming more plentiful in the Greek diet.¹

Fruits and vegetables grown in Greece include lemons, apricots, dates, figs, grapes, peppers, tomatoes, zucchini, eggplants, onions, spinach, and artichokes. Beans, particularly broad beans, chickpeas, and kidney beans, are also used in a variety of dishes. Pasta (most notably orzo), bread, barley, and rice are common grains.

Greek dishes get much of their flavor from the plentiful use of olive oil, as well as salt, pepper, lemon, oregano, parsley, garlic, and dill. Goat and sheep cheese (most famously feta cheese) are other flavorful ingredients frequently included in a variety of Greek dishes.¹