Rhodes, Greece
Melekouni
Μελεκούμι
A Rhodian bar of honey, toasted sesame and pistachio set between lemon leaves, handed at weddings and eaten at Easter — chewy, dense and intensely floral.
southern-europe
Greece
Explore 233 foods connected to Greece, from everyday staples to rare local specialties.
233 foods12 leading categories1 Essentials guides
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Greece Essentials
15 editor-selected foods for understanding the place through what people eat.
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Traditional foods from Greece.
233 foods in this view. Filter by category, type, rarity, or search every recorded name.
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Greece
Melitzanes Papoutsakia
Μελιτζάνες παπουτσάκια
'Little shoe' eggplants: halved eggplants filled with meat and tomato, topped with béchamel and baked. A taverna and home classic, rich and savory, a national dish, a festive and elegant specialty.
Greece
Melitzanes Tiganites
Μελιτζάνες τηγανητές
Greek fried eggplant slices, dredged in flour or batter and fried until golden. A meze and taverna classic, crispy and savory, served with tzatziki or feta, a summer dish.
Greece
Melitzanosalata
Μελιτζανοσαλάτα
Greek smoked eggplant dip of charred eggplant, olive oil, lemon, and garlic, blended until smooth. A meze staple, smoky and savory, served with bread, a summer favorite.
Greece
Melomakarona
Μελομακάρονα
Greek Christmas cookies: oval, spiced with orange and cinnamon, soaked in honey syrup, topped with walnuts. A Christmas tradition, soft and sweet, dairy-free for Lent, a national treat.
South Aegean, Greece
Melopita
Μελοπίτα
A honey-and-myzithra cheesecake of Sifnos baked without crust, golden on top and custardy within, cut small and served cool.
Greece
Metaxa
Μεταξά
Greek brandy blend of brandy, aromatic wine, and herbs, aged in oak, smooth and slightly sweet. A sipping and cocktail spirit, a national export, served neat or with ice, a Greek classic.
Epirus, Greece
Metsovone
Μετσοβόνε
A Greek smoked PDO cheese from Metsovo, Epirus, made from cow or sheep milk, stretchy and smoky. A pasta filata cheese, served in slices or grilled, a regional specialty, aromatic.
Greece
Mizithra
Μυζήθρα
A Greek whey cheese, fresh and soft or dried and hard, from sheep or goat milk. Used in pies, pasta, or desserts, a national dairy staple, a versatile and ancient cheese.
Peloponnese, Greece
Moschofilero
Μοσχοφίλερο
A Greek white wine grape from Mantinia, producing aromatic, floral, crisp wines. A national star, served with seafood and salads, a fragrant white wine, a Peloponnese specialty, a rosé too.
Armenia
Mountain Tea
Τσάι του βουνού
Greek herbal tea of sideritis (ironwort) flowers, dried and brewed in hot water. A national and healthy drink, aromatic and soothing, a winter and home staple, served with honey and lemon.
Greece
Moussaka
Μουσακάς
Greece's most iconic baked dish: layers of eggplant, spiced minced meat (lamb or beef), and tomato, topped with a thick béchamel, baked golden. A taverna centerpiece, rich and comforting.
Greece
Moustalevria
Μουσταλεβρία
Grape must and flour pudding.
Greece
Ouzo
Ούζο
Greece's national anise-flavored spirit, made from grape distillate and flavored with anise, fennel, and herbs. Served neat or with water and ice, turning milky, a meze companion, a cultural icon.
Greece
Paidakia
Παιδάκια
Grilled lamb chops.
Greece
Pantzarosalata
Παντζαροσαλάτα
Greek beetroot salad of boiled beets with garlic, olive oil, and vinegar, often with yogurt. A tangy, earthy, colorful side or meze, a taverna and home classic, served cold.
Greece
Pasteli
Παστέλι
Greek sesame and honey bar, a simple, ancient sweet, baked or raw. A healthy, chewy, sweet snack, a national treat, sold in bakeries and markets, a traditional and ancient dessert.
Ionian Islands, Greece
Pastitsada
Παστιτσάδα
A Corfu dish of rooster (or beef) simmered in a spicy tomato-pasta sauce, served with thick pasta. A Venetian-origin island specialty, rich and aromatic, a Sunday and festive dish, a Corfiot classic.
Greece
Pastitsio
Παστίτσιο
Greek baked pasta dish: bucatini with a spiced meat tomato sauce, topped with béchamel and baked golden. A Sunday and taverna classic, rich and creamy, the Greek 'mac and cheese'.
South Aegean, Greece
Patatato
Πατατάτο
A Corfu one-pot of beef and potatoes braised in tomato and red wine until silky, the island's everyday Sunday lunch.
Ionian Islands, Greece
Patates yahni me elies
Πατάτες γιαχνί με ελιές
Potatoes stewed in olive oil with tomatoes, olives and wild herbs until the sauce thickens — a Lenten dish of the Ionian islands.
Greece
Patatokeftedes
Πατατοκεφτέδες
Greek potato fritters of grated potatoes, herbs, and flour, fried until golden. A meze and island classic, crispy and savory, served with tzatziki, a vegetarian snack.
Greece
Patsas
Πάτσας
Greek tripe soup of pork tripe, garlic, and vinegar, a hearty, rustic winter dish. A traditional hangover cure, served hot with vinegar and garlic, a taverna and home classic.
Crete, Greece
Paximadi
Παξιμάδι
Greek twice-baked hard bread or rusk, from barley or wheat, a dry and long-lasting staple. Used for dakos and salads, a Cretan and island specialty, a rustic and ancient bread, a healthy base.
Peloponnese, Greece
Petoules
Πετούλια
Soft egg-and-flour dumplings of the Mani, boiled and finished in butter or tomato sauce, a shepherd's dish from Taygetos villages.
Israel
Pita Bread
Πίτα
Greek flatbread, soft and round, used for souvlaki and gyros wraps, or dipped in meze. A daily bread, baked in a pan or griddle, a national staple, slightly puffed and chewy.
Greece
Portokalopita
Πορτοκαλόπιτα
Greek orange pie: a phyllo-and-orange cake soaked in orange syrup, moist and fragrant. A modern café and home dessert, sweet and citrusy, a national favorite, served with ice cream.
Greece
Prassopita
Πρασόπιτα
Greek leek pie: phyllo filled with leeks, onions, and feta, baked golden. A taverna and home classic, sweet and savory, a national and winter specialty, a Lenten and rustic pie, a comfort dish.
Greece
Psarosoupa
Ψαρόσουπα
Clear fish soup with vegetables and lemon.
Attica, Greece
Retsina
Ρετσίνα
Greek white or rosé wine flavored with pine resin, a tradition since antiquity. A national wine, served chilled with meze and grilled fish, a distinctive and resinous drink, a cultural icon.
Istanbul, Albania
Revani
Ρεβανί
Semolina cake bathed in lemon syrup, baked golden and cut in squares — an Ottoman dessert that travelled across the Balkans and Greece under many names, served at cafés and home tables alike.
Greece
Revithia
Ρεβίθια
Greek chickpea soup or stew of chickpeas, olive oil, lemon, and herbs, simmered until tender. A rustic, vegetarian winter dish, served with bread, a national and island staple.
Greece
Rizogalo
Ριζόγαλο
Greek rice pudding.
Serbia
Russian Salad
Ensaladilla rusa
A creamy potato salad with carrots, peas, tuna, olives, and mayonnaire, topped with anchovy or piquillo pepper, a ubiquitous Spanish tapa.
Greece
Saganaki
Σαγανάκι
A thick slice of kefalograviera or kefalotyri cheese floured and seared in a dry pan until a crust forms, served sizzling with lemon to cut the salt. Named for the two-handled pan it is cooked in.
Greece
Saganaki Garides
Σαγανάκι γαρίδες
Shrimp saganaki: shrimp simmered in a tomato-feta sauce in a small pan, served bubbling. A taverna and island classic, spicy and savory, served with bread, a seafood meze.