What is Greek Food?

You have probably heard of the “Mediterranean Diet,” which is just another way of saying “Greek food is the best.” The Mediterranean Diet prioritizes olive oil over butter, seafood over red meat, and legumes over processed food.

Given the proximity to the Aegean and Ionian Seas, in addition to the climate of Greece, there are not a lot of foods that need to be imported. However, given the rise in international cuisines (especially in Athens and Thessaloniki), you can find almost any food in Greece!

Like many cultures, every Greek person’s grandmother (or “yiaya”) makes the best Greek food. Of course, I know that can’t possibly be true, since my yiaya makes the best Greek food.

Perhaps the most famously healthy island of Greece is Icaria, which is included in the “Blue Zone,” meaning that the lifestyle is healthy, and the average lifespan is over 90 (!!!) years of age. One of the most shocking parts of visiting Icaria, however, is that people gain a different insight to the practicality of the Mediterranean Diet. The locals often have late nights, enjoying local wine or Tsipouro while dancing like "Zorba the Greek".

Outside of Icaria, the Mediterranean Diet holds strong all throughout Greece. Often, each city, village, or island will have a dish that they are especially well-known for making.

On a perfect summer day, I might consume fresh-squeezed orange juice and fried eggs for breakfast, a Greek village salad (or “horiatiki”) with feta, green peppers, onions, cucumbers, and olive oil with some homemade bread for lunch, and local fish cooked in the oven with a side of boiled greens (or “horta”) and fried potatoes, and a glass of white wine for dinner.

Of course, the oranges can come from my own tree, the eggs from my chicken, the olive oil from a neighbor who makes their own, the vegetables from my own garden, the fish from the local fisherman, and the wine from a friend who grows their own grapes.

Some of most traditional dishes in Greece are spanakopita, gyros, moussaka ( I prefer pastitsio), and tzatziki. Well, that’s all I will list right now since my mouth started watering…

With so much love put into raising animals, caring for plants, and cooking, no wonder the Greeks have some of the healthiest people in the world (or we would if people would stop smoking…)!