Restaurants – Greek

Greek Cuisine

The Greek diet is the perfect example of traditional Mediterranean eating. It’s based around a variety of colorful and flavorful foods that are high in nutrients and low in animal fats.

Grain foods
Wheat has been cultivated in Greece for thousands of years and it’s a staple part of Greek cuisine. It’s used to make a variety of breads including pita bread and crusty whole grain peasant bread. Bulgur, which is made from cracked whole wheat, is eaten as an accompaniment to hearty stews or added to soups and salads. Pasta, which was introduced to the Greeks by the Italians, is also a popular wheat-based food.Another important grain food in the Greek diet is rice, which is used in pilafs and bakes, served with stews or wrapped in grape leaves to make dolmades.

Olives and Olive oil
Like wheat, olives have been cultivated in Greece since ancient times. The golden green oil extracted from the first cold pressing of olives is called extra virgin olive oil, and it is used in some form in most traditional Greek dishes. Crusty bread dipped in a little extra virgin olive oil is also a popular accompaniment to food.

As well as being used for their richly flavored oil, olives are also eaten whole. The most frequently eaten type is the plump kalamata olivewhich is added to stews and salads or eaten as part of a meze (appetizer) dish.

http://www.mediterrasian.com/cuisine_of_month_greek.htm