Must-eat Greek food: A guide to breakfast, lunch, dinner, and dessert! (2023)

FAQs

Must-eat Greek food: A guide to breakfast, lunch, dinner, and dessert!? ›

The midday meal is the biggest of the day, eaten at home around 2 or 3pm after being cooked in the morning by Mama or Grandma.

The midday meal is the biggest of the day, eaten at home around 2 or 3pm after being cooked in the morning by Mama or Grandma.

Greek diet mostly relies on its produce of the country: fresh, seasonal fruits, vegetables, grains, pulses, legumes, goats, sheep, fresh fish, and, of course, the ever present olive oil. Cheeses and yogurts are also fundamental. Eating is focal in Greek culture. It is around the dining table everything is shared.

Do not leave the table until everyone has finished eating. It is polite to offer the host your help in preparing and cleaning up the meal. That being said, do not expect your gesture to be accepted unless you insist.

A typical Greek breakfast usually consists of a wide variety of bread, pastry, fruits, and Greek yogurt. These foods are high in nutritional value and a great source of energy — an excellent way to begin your Greek food adventures!

A typical Greek lunch tends to be light and traditionally includes a homemade casserole or vegetable stew. It is served with a side dish of cheese, bread, and salad, but more importantly, wine. Fresh seafood has always been a highlight of Greek cuisine.

Gyros. Outside of Greece, gyros is arguably the most famous dish in Greek cuisine. It's a dish made with grilled meat shaved off a vertical rotisserie, much like shawarma or the Turkish doner kebab. Pork and chicken are often used though gyros can be made with lamb and beef as well.

Coffee in Greece

Greeks are heavy coffee drinkers and the coffee economy is thriving, even in hard times. You usually notice it by the minute you step foot on the country, as you see many locals holding a cup of coffee in their hand as part of their Greek breakfast.

What time is dinner in Greece? In a country that never sleeps, no time is "too late" for dinner. You will find most eateries open until past 12 at midnight. Regardless, traditionally, dinner in Greek homes is served at around 8-9 pm.

Should you tip in Greece? ›

There is not a strong tradition of tipping in Greece, particularly among the locals, but it's become expected that tourists leave a small tip while travelling through the country. In restaurants it's common to leave a cash tip for whoever is looking after you – 10–15 per cent is standard.

Bread was at one time the staple food of Greece and is still eaten at every meal, large hunks dipped in remaining sauce and olive oil, or coated with tsatziki (garlic-cucumber-yogurt dip), tarama salata (fish roe salad) or melitzana salata (eggplant salad).

The Greeks typically ate three meals a day. Breakfast was a light and simple meal that usually consisted of bread or porridge. Lunch was also a light meal where they would again have some bread, but would also have some cheese or figs. The big meal of the day was dinner, which was eaten around sundown.

An absolute no-no are running shorts or wearing shorts in the evening ! Also avoid wearing socks with shorts. – no open shoes for men in the evening (unless, maybe, in a beach resort). – a big NO-NO are white socks with trousers !

In most places throughout Greece you can't put toilet paper down the toilet. Instead, you must put your toilet paper in the bin beside the loo. So long as the bins are tightly closed and emptied daily, the health risks are minimal to anyone who uses this method. But why is this the situation in Greece?

Nodding your head "yes" is not polite; say "yes" instead. "Yes" is signified by a slight downward nod of the head; “no" is a slight upward nod of the head. The “O.K.” sign is a rude gesture; "thumbs up" means O.K.

In Greece, the national dishes are gyro, moussaka, souvlaki, magiritsa, kokoretsi and fasolada. All of the dishes have a cultural or historic significance in the country, and each of them are made differently, depending on the region or island in Greece.

Horiatiko Psomi means village-style bread and it is one of the most popular bread varieties in Greece. Usually you pick up a loaf from the local bakery, but why do that when you can easily make it at home! This bread is truly delicious and soft enough to make into sandwiches or toasted and spread with butter and jam.

OPA is a Greek Word that may be used as an 'Exclamation', or 'Utterance', or 'Declaration', or 'Affirmation' or a lovingly gentle way of telling you to 'Stop' ... depending on the situational context.

What does yassas mean in Greek? ›

For a more informal greeting, try yasas (hello) or yasou (hi).

A handshake is the most common greeting in Greece. It is exchanged between men, women and children. Close friends may greet each other with a warm embrace or a kiss on the cheek. Others might slap or pat one another's arm or back a few times.

Greek Meat Dishes. The most common meats in Greece are pork, lamb, beef, goat, chicken, veal and rabbit not necessarily in that order. Because it was expensive in the past, before the Greeks became affluent enough to eat it every day, meat was eaten perhaps twice a week and usually with vegetables, pasta or grains.

Some of the most common dishes of Greek cuisine prepared for the Sunday dinner table include moussaka, pastitsio, roasted lamb or chicken with potatoes, dolmades, and gemista, which are Greek summer dishes, tzatziki, and, of course, the world-renowned Greek salad.

Trahana is one of the oldest foods in the Eastern Mediterranean, a tiny, pebble-shaped grain product that varies widely all over Greece.

The Greeks have been eating eggs for breakfast since ancient times, so it comes as no surprise that they would still be a popular choice today! What is this? Greek omelets are made with feta cheese, onion, tomato, and green peppers.

Visit any Greek village and you'll see a huddle of older men perched outside the local café (kafeneio) enjoying a traditional Greek coffee at all times of day and night. Drinking coffee is an inherent part of Greek culture.

Greeks typically have 3 meals a day. Traditionally the largest meal of the day was lunch, but many habits have changed due to Greeks adapting a westernized way of living.

There are no set rules when it comes to tipping in Greece. Generally speaking, you can't go wrong by leaving a small tip for each service. When in doubt, a 10% is generally fine. If you had very good service, you could consider leaving 15 or even 20 percent.

No you can't spend dollars in Greece. You will need to either exchange your US Dollars for Euros, use your cards, or withdraw Euros from an ATM when on vacation in Greece.

Can you drink tap water in Greece? ›

Yes, you can drink tap water in Greece – it is not unsafe.

Brushing your teeth with tap water in Greece is absolutely fine. However, if you want to be 100% certain that the water you are using is ok, use bottled water instead.

In Greek mythology, hospitality was a divine right of guests and a divine duty of hosts. All strangers, without exception, were under the protection of Zeus Xenios - the god of strangers and suppliants. A violation of hospitality was likely to provoke the wrath of the gods.

Eat regular meals – don't skip meals – and always eat a healthy breakfast (e.g. bowl of natural hi fibre cereal with sliced banana and low fat milk).

Xenia consists of two basic rules: The respect from host to guest. The host must be hospitable to the guest and provide him/her with food and drink and a bath, if required. It is not polite to ask questions until the guest has stated his/her needs. The respect from guest to host.

The 10 and 5 rule is a simple guideline that is widely used in the hospitality industry. The rule dictates that when a staff member is 10 feet from a guest, the staff smiles and makes direct eye contact, and when they are within five feet, the staff verbally greets the guest.

The Greeks valued beauty, art, intellect, honor, and truth; the list is long. Some of these values are shown through the story of the Odyssey, which tells of the adventures of Odysseus and his family.

What are the 4 table manners? ›

Rule No. 1: Don't slurp. If your soup is piping hot, blow on the spoon gently before eating it, and swallow silently. Don't blow on the whole bowl.

Hence, the correct statement is that Greek fundamental rights like Speech, Citizenship and Voting and Ownership are available to Americans as per the Constitution. Answer: The right to vote. They could pass laws.

The Golden Rule of hospitality: Do unto others as you believe they would want done unto them.

Whoever christened the operation has a bad sense of humor: Xenios Zeus was the ancient Greek god of hospitality.