Even those who do not travel for the purpose of tasting the local food, will find the Greek cuisine interesting and quite healthy. The staples of the Greek cuisine include: olives, olive oil, feta cheese , fish, lamb and yogurt.

The Greek cuisine is very diverse and although there are many common characteristics among the dishes from different regions, there are also many differences. Some of the most interesting and delicious dishes can be found in Crete and Corfu.

Some of the most representative Greek dishes are:

Meze: are appetizers served in an ouzeri together with beverages (ouzo). You will also find meze in tavernas. Restaurants typically serve a plate of various meze, which can comprise: deep fried vegetables (such mushrooms, zucchinis, etc), dolmades , fava (pure of different types of beans), Greek salad, horta (greens steamed and served with lemon juice and olive oil), Kolokythoanthoi (stuffed zucchini flowers), Patatosalata (potato salad), spanakopita, tzatziki . What you get on your meze plate does depend on the island or are of Greece you visit.

Fassolada is known as the national food of the Greeks and can be found all over the country. The dish contains beans, carrots, tomatoes, celery, onion and olive oil. It is served with crumbled feta cheese on top.

Magiritsa is a food eaten only at Easter and can be found all over the country. It’s made with lamb, rice, scallions, eggs, lemons and butter.

Boureki is a traditional dish from Crete , which is made with zucchini, potatoes, tomatoes, cheese, olive oil and flour.

Sfakiani pita can only be found around Sfakia, Crete. It looks more like a pancake as the cheese has been added to the dough before it was fried. It is sweet and is served with honey.

Moussaka is another dish which can you can find all over the country. It’s made with eggplants, tomatoes, onions and béchamel sauce. Dried plumps are also added in some parts of the country and the non-vegetarian option includes ground beef.

Gamopilafo is another Cretan dish, which is nothing but rice boiled in meat broth with no seasoning. It is also known as the wedding pilaf.

Stafidopita is a raisin cake which can only be found in Crete.

Bourou-Bourou is a vegetable and pasta soup which can be tasted in Corfu . It contains tomato, potatoes, celery, carrots, olive oil and pasta.

Bourthetto is a fish dish from Corfu, traditionally made with scorpion fish. It also contains onions, olive oil, water, tomato paste and red pepper.

Pastitsatha can be found all over Corfu and all restaurants have some version of it. It should be made with rooster, pasta, tomatoes, onions, cheese, brandy and various seasoning (nutmeg, cinnamon, etc).

Sykomaitha is a dessert you can eat in Corfu, made with dried figs, ouzo, wall nuts, masticha, grape must and various seasoning (cinnamon, aniseed, etc).

Photo credits: Meze , Moussaka