Top 10 Greek Foods

Souvlaki is Greece's beloved street food — small pieces of pork, chicken, or lamb marinated in lemon juice, olive oil, oregano, and garlic, then skewered and grilled over charcoal, typically served in a warm pita with tzatziki, tomato, and onion. It is the most consumed fast food in Greece and has been documented in a form recognisable to the modern dish since at least the 17th century BC, with ancient Santorini stone supports for the skewers among the oldest cooking implements ever found. The Athens souvlaki shop (souvlatzidiko) is a beloved institution, with over 3,000 operating across the capital.

Spanakopita is a flaky phyllo pastry pie filled with a mixture of spinach, feta cheese, egg, and herbs including dill and spring onion, baked until the dozens of buttered phyllo layers shatter and crisp. It is one of the most emblematic preparations in Greek pastry tradition and is made in virtually every Greek home, bakery, and restaurant. The word phyllo (meaning "leaf" in Greek) reflects a technique of stretching dough to paper-thinness that spread throughout the Eastern Mediterranean and Middle East during the Byzantine Empire period.

Tzatziki is Greece's most internationally replicated condiment — a thick, cool dip of strained Greek yogurt, grated and squeezed cucumber, garlic, olive oil, and fresh dill or mint that accompanies grilled meats, bread, vegetables, and mezze across the entire Greek culinary tradition. Greek yogurt (strained yogurt with a fat content of at least 10%) is a distinct product protected at EU level and has driven a global premium yogurt market worth over $40 billion annually. Tzatziki closely related dips appear across Turkish, Iranian, and South Asian cuisines, reflecting the shared culinary heritage of the ancient Greek and Ottoman trade networks.

Pastitsio is the Greek equivalent of lasagne — a layered baked pasta dish made with thick tubular pasta (usually bucatini or ziti), a layer of spiced minced beef or lamb in tomato sauce, and a thick bechamel topping with grated kefalotyri cheese. It is one of the most substantial and beloved dishes in Greek home cooking, typically prepared for large family gatherings and Sunday lunches. Like moussaka, the modern version was standardised by chef Tselementes in the early 20th century under French culinary influence, layering classical Greek ingredients with European technique.

Loukoumades are crispy, honey-drenched Greek doughnuts — small balls of deep-fried yeasted dough drizzled with thyme honey, dusted with cinnamon, and often scattered with crushed walnuts or sesame seeds. They are one of the oldest known confections in the world, served to Olympic Games winners in ancient Greece as "honey tokens," and were described by Callimachus in the 3rd century BC. Today loukoumades are a street food staple at Greek festivals and outdoor markets, with dedicated loukoumades shops (loukoumadzidika) appearing in major cities.

Horiatiki — the classic Greek village salad — is a simple but perfect combination of thick-cut tomato, cucumber, green pepper, red onion, kalamata olives, and a substantial slab of feta cheese, dressed only with good olive oil, dried oregano, and sea salt. It differs crucially from most international versions in that it contains no lettuce and the feta is served as a single slice rather than crumbled — purisms consider these distinctions essential to authenticity. The Greek name means "village" or "rustic" salad and it reflects the core Mediterranean philosophy of transforming exceptional seasonal ingredients with minimal intervention.

Baklava is a rich phyllo pastry layered with chopped pistachios or walnuts, baked until golden, and then saturated with a honey and sugar syrup perfumed with cinnamon and clove. While shared across Turkish, Lebanese, and Middle Eastern cuisines, Greek baklava holds a distinct identity using thyme honey, cinnamon, and predominantly walnut filling, with roots in Byzantine and later Ottoman culinary exchange. Greece produces approximately 16,000 tonnes of pine nuts, pistachios, and walnuts annually for use in confectionery, and regional variations of baklava from the Peloponnese, Crete, and the islands each have distinctive local characters.

Grilled octopus is one of the most iconic images of Greek seaside dining — tentacles tenderised by beating against rocks (a traditional technique still practised), sun-dried, then charred over a charcoal grill and dressed with olive oil, lemon, and fresh oregano. Greece is the largest consumer of octopus in the European Union, and the sight of octopus hanging to dry outside tavernas on Aegean islands is one of the most photographed culinary scenes in Mediterranean travel. The dish is inseparable from the experience of waterfront dining at Greek island ports from Mykonos to Rhodes to Kastellorizo.

Galaktoboureko is one of Greece's most beloved traditional pastries — a crisp phyllo case enclosing a rich, set semolina custard flavoured with vanilla and lemon zest, baked until golden and then soaked in a lemon-scented sugar syrup. The name derives from the Greek for "milk" (gala) and the Turkish for "pastry" (borek), reflecting the centuries of Ottoman-Greek culinary fusion that shaped much of the Greek pastry tradition. It is a staple of Greek pastry shops (zacharoplasteia) and is considered one of the most technically demanding traditional Greek preparations, requiring precisely cooked custard and perfectly crisp phyllo.

Souvlaki is Greece's beloved street food — small pieces of pork, chicken, or lamb marinated in lemon juice, olive oil, oregano, and garlic, then skewered and grilled over charcoal, typically served in a warm pita with tzatziki, tomato, and onion. It is the most consumed fast food in Greece and has been documented in a form recognisable to the modern dish since at least the 17th century BC, with ancient Santorini stone supports for the skewers among the oldest cooking implements ever found. The Athens souvlaki shop (souvlatzidiko) is a beloved institution, with over 3,000 operating across the capital.

Spanakopita is a flaky phyllo pastry pie filled with a mixture of spinach, feta cheese, egg, and herbs including dill and spring onion, baked until the dozens of buttered phyllo layers shatter and crisp. It is one of the most emblematic preparations in Greek pastry tradition and is made in virtually every Greek home, bakery, and restaurant. The word phyllo (meaning "leaf" in Greek) reflects a technique of stretching dough to paper-thinness that spread throughout the Eastern Mediterranean and Middle East during the Byzantine Empire period.

Tzatziki is Greece's most internationally replicated condiment — a thick, cool dip of strained Greek yogurt, grated and squeezed cucumber, garlic, olive oil, and fresh dill or mint that accompanies grilled meats, bread, vegetables, and mezze across the entire Greek culinary tradition. Greek yogurt (strained yogurt with a fat content of at least 10%) is a distinct product protected at EU level and has driven a global premium yogurt market worth over $40 billion annually. Tzatziki closely related dips appear across Turkish, Iranian, and South Asian cuisines, reflecting the shared culinary heritage of the ancient Greek and Ottoman trade networks.

Pastitsio is the Greek equivalent of lasagne — a layered baked pasta dish made with thick tubular pasta (usually bucatini or ziti), a layer of spiced minced beef or lamb in tomato sauce, and a thick bechamel topping with grated kefalotyri cheese. It is one of the most substantial and beloved dishes in Greek home cooking, typically prepared for large family gatherings and Sunday lunches. Like moussaka, the modern version was standardised by chef Tselementes in the early 20th century under French culinary influence, layering classical Greek ingredients with European technique.

Loukoumades are crispy, honey-drenched Greek doughnuts — small balls of deep-fried yeasted dough drizzled with thyme honey, dusted with cinnamon, and often scattered with crushed walnuts or sesame seeds. They are one of the oldest known confections in the world, served to Olympic Games winners in ancient Greece as "honey tokens," and were described by Callimachus in the 3rd century BC. Today loukoumades are a street food staple at Greek festivals and outdoor markets, with dedicated loukoumades shops (loukoumadzidika) appearing in major cities.

Horiatiki — the classic Greek village salad — is a simple but perfect combination of thick-cut tomato, cucumber, green pepper, red onion, kalamata olives, and a substantial slab of feta cheese, dressed only with good olive oil, dried oregano, and sea salt. It differs crucially from most international versions in that it contains no lettuce and the feta is served as a single slice rather than crumbled — purisms consider these distinctions essential to authenticity. The Greek name means "village" or "rustic" salad and it reflects the core Mediterranean philosophy of transforming exceptional seasonal ingredients with minimal intervention.

Baklava is a rich phyllo pastry layered with chopped pistachios or walnuts, baked until golden, and then saturated with a honey and sugar syrup perfumed with cinnamon and clove. While shared across Turkish, Lebanese, and Middle Eastern cuisines, Greek baklava holds a distinct identity using thyme honey, cinnamon, and predominantly walnut filling, with roots in Byzantine and later Ottoman culinary exchange. Greece produces approximately 16,000 tonnes of pine nuts, pistachios, and walnuts annually for use in confectionery, and regional variations of baklava from the Peloponnese, Crete, and the islands each have distinctive local characters.

Grilled octopus is one of the most iconic images of Greek seaside dining — tentacles tenderised by beating against rocks (a traditional technique still practised), sun-dried, then charred over a charcoal grill and dressed with olive oil, lemon, and fresh oregano. Greece is the largest consumer of octopus in the European Union, and the sight of octopus hanging to dry outside tavernas on Aegean islands is one of the most photographed culinary scenes in Mediterranean travel. The dish is inseparable from the experience of waterfront dining at Greek island ports from Mykonos to Rhodes to Kastellorizo.

Galaktoboureko is one of Greece's most beloved traditional pastries — a crisp phyllo case enclosing a rich, set semolina custard flavoured with vanilla and lemon zest, baked until golden and then soaked in a lemon-scented sugar syrup. The name derives from the Greek for "milk" (gala) and the Turkish for "pastry" (borek), reflecting the centuries of Ottoman-Greek culinary fusion that shaped much of the Greek pastry tradition. It is a staple of Greek pastry shops (zacharoplasteia) and is considered one of the most technically demanding traditional Greek preparations, requiring precisely cooked custard and perfectly crisp phyllo.