But how much of what they ate and how they dined has continued into current-day Greece? Some foods, like pasteli Greek sesame honey candy , have undoubtedly been around a long time. But unfortunately, historians may never know for sure about ingredients and dishes in ancient Greek food. In terms of their eating style, the ancient Greeks ate as in modern times, with three meals a day.
They woke and ate breakfast, they broke from work at midday for lunch, and then they ended the day with dinner and perhaps a little dessert. Most ancient Greeks had the same thing for breakfast—bread dipped in wine.
The bread was made from barley , the main source of all bread in ancient times. It was probably hard, which is why the Greeks would dip it in the wine, to soften it up and make it easier to eat. These were made with wheat flour, olive oil, honey, and curdled milk, and usually topped with honey or cheese.
Bread and wine made an appearance at this midday meal as well, but the Greeks would drink a bit more of the wine versus simply dunking bread into it. Lunch was considered a midday snack, so it was common for the Greeks to dine on relatively light foods like figs , salted fish, cheeses, olives , and more bread. Dinner was and still is the most important meal of the day in Greece. Vegetable dishes will be usually ordered at lunch. Larger fish is usually ordered to be shared among everybody at the table and you pay by the kilo.
Meat is usually served with a side of rice, pasta, or potatoes, and therefore you do not need many appetizers. Water is fine to drink in most large cities and islands. Most often than not, once you sit down you will be brought bottled water, you can tell the waiter that you would prefer tap water and they'll bring regular water to your table instead of charging you euros for a bottle. On the islands and some other coastal areas the water may not be so great, so there, bottled water is standard.
Go to eat at the right time. Sure there are taverns in the touristy places that will serve some sort of lunch at 12 noon, which is coffee time in Greece, but your best bet is to go for lunch between and 3 pm. Dinner is also served much later: after 9 pm, later in the summer.
Get used to kids. Yes, you will notice kids at the tavern at 11 pm and later especially in the summer. While you may think it is way too late for kids to be up at that hour, in Greece this is the norm. Since dinner is served late, unless parents have someone to babysit their children, they will bring them with to the tavern.
No problem. I find it silly to look for specific vegetarian restaurants or dishes in Greece. The more traditional a restaurant you go to, the more vegetable options you get, because they follow more of these fasting rules. Look for popular vegetable dishes such as fasolakia yiahni braised green beans , bamies okra , briam oven-baked vegetable casserole and vine-leaf dolmadhes. Of the nutritious horta wild greens , vlita amaranth is the sweetest, but other common varieties include wild radish, dandelion, stinging nettle and sorrel.
Greece's religious and cultural celebrations inevitably involve a feast and many have their own culinary traditions. The day Lenten fast spawned nistisima, foods without meat or dairy or oil if you go strictly by the book.
Lenten sweets include halva, both the Macedonian-style version made from tahini sold in delis and the semolina dessert often served after a meal. Red-dyed boiled Easter eggs decorate the tsoureki, a brioche-style bread flavoured with mahlepi a species of cherry with very small fruit and kernels with an almond flavour and mastic the crystallised resin of the mastic tree. Saturday night's post-Resurrection Mass supper includes mayiritsa offal soup , while Easter Sunday sees whole lambs cooking on spits all over the countryside.
A vasilopita golden-glazed cake is cut at midnight on New Year's Eve, giving good fortune to whoever gets the lucky coin inside.
Greeks love children and tavernas are very family-friendly. You may find children's menus in some tourist areas, but the Greek way of sharing dishes is a good way to feed the kids. Most tavernas will accommodate variations for children. The essence of traditional Greek cuisine lies in seasonal homegrown produce. Dishes are simply seasoned. Lemon juice, garlic, pungent Greek oregano and extra virgin olive oil are the quintessential flavours, along with tomato, parsley, dill, cinnamon and cloves.
Greece's national cheese has been produced for about years from sheep's and goat's milk. Only feta made in Greece can be called feta, an EU ruling giving it the same protected status as Parma ham and Champagne. Greeks traditionally serve fruit rather than sweets after a meal, but there's no shortage of local sweets and cakes.
Ghlika kutalyu syrupy fruit preserves, also known as 'spoon sweets' are served on tiny plates as a welcome offering but are also eaten over yoghurt. Europe Greece Greece in detail.
Eating Greeks love eating out, sharing impossibly big meals with family and friends in a drawn-out, convivial fashion. Taverna Informal and often specialising in seafood, chargrilled meat or traditional home-style baked dishes.
Estiatorio More formal restaurant serving similar fare to tavernas or international cuisine. Mezedhopoleio Serves mezedhes small plates ; an ouzerie is similar but serves a round of ouzo with a round of mezedhes. Spring Artichokes and other fresh vegetables abound while cheesemaking kicks into gear.
Summer Watermelon, cherries and other fruit jam-pack markets. Autumn Nuts and figs are harvested and raki Cretan firewater is distilled. Winter Olive harvest peaks.
Pies Bakeries make endless variations of tyropita cheese pie and spanakopita spinach pie , plus other pies. Street food Includes koulouria fresh pretzel-style bread and seasonal snacks such as roasted chestnuts or corn. Usually the one who does the inviting pays the bill, although the guest is expected to make an effort to pay.
Sometimes other circumstances determine the payee such as rank. Dining etiquette for tipping. A 10 percent tip is usually sufficient for restaurants. Restaurants usually have the 10 percent tip already included on the bill. It's easy to impress at the dinner table! Just take a few minutes to read through our table manners section and you'll be the most sophisticated diner at the table.
Visit our international dining etiquette section for more etiquette tips for your next trip overseas or hosting international guests! Evaluating wine involves four basic steps — looking, swirling, smelling, and tasting. Dining Etiquette dining etiquette international dining etiquette mediterranean europe etiquette greece etiquette. Greek Dining Etiquette international dining etiquette Dining etiquette for drinking.
Dining etiquette for toasts. Do not begin eating until your host invites you to. Dining etiquette for passing food. Pass all dishes to your left.
Dining etiquette for order of service. The oldest or most honored guest is served first. Previous Next.
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