One of the best things about the culture of Greece is the food. Greek restaurants are spread throughout the Greek world and recipes are popular for their flavor and great cooking method. The food has the taste of the Mediterranean countries and was particularly influenced by Italian cuisine and the Balkans. Olive oil is a constant element of the dishes and olive trees, have always been places in the landscape.
The land is suitable for the breeding of sheep and goats, rather than beef and goat meat and lamb are much more frequent. Locally fish take considerable Greek menus, especially in coastal areas. There is also an emphasis on fresh vegetables in Greek recipes, the most popular being the green beans, okra, eggplant, tomatoes and onions. Yogurt is another favorite and there are many types of honey available. A large number of varieties of honey from fruit trees such as lemon and orange. The combination of yogurt and honey are often served as a dessert. Cheese is an important export and there are distinct varieties, as Kasseri, feta and Mizithra. Many dishes use filo pastry, which is very thin and scaly.
A Greek meal often starts with an aperitif, known as the Greek Meze revenue. These are intended to stimulate the palette and are generally served with wine or ouzo (liquor flavored with anise). There may be hollow with bread, including the Greek pita bread. Tzatziki is a dip, made yogurt, mashed garlic and cucumber. Another is Taramosalata Meze, which is moistened with breaded fish eggs or boiled potatoes.
There are a variety of main dishes, some of which will be familiar to people living outside of Greece, from their restaurant or vacation experiences. The most famous is probably Moussaka. This contains eggplant pan fried and spicy minced lamb topped with a thick cheese sauce. Another on the menu is the basis Dolma. Traditionally used vine leaves wrapped around the lamb, rice, onions, herbs and spices. If you’re at home, cabbage leaves are a good substitute. Both recipes are Greek success when adapted for vegetarians.
The desserts are delicious, Greece, by standards. Baklava is popular, a sweet, filo pastry with chopped walnuts or pistachios, sometimes sweetened with honey. There are different breads to commemorate major holidays and Tsoureka is the softness of bread eaten at Passover. It is similar to the texture of the brioche. The perfect way to finish a meal of revenue is of Greek origin to sit under an olive tree with a glass of Metaxa, sweet life, and watch the sunset.