If you know me, you know that I love to eat and I eat a lot. My parents joke all the time, even though it’s sort of serious, about how much money they save on food when I’m not living with them. I love going out to eat and I’ve been trying more and more foods as I get older in terms of branching out and eating new foods rather than the basics like pasta. I typically eat gluten and dairy free at home, but here I decided to change my diet only for the semester so that I can try all the traditional greek foods and truly embrace the culture. I get so sick at home almost everytime I eat out and here I can honestly say the food is so fresh and so delicious, I never feel sick. All the students who go on school trips here get traditional greek meals, where we get to sample all new foods and I have had some of the best meals. Here are some of my favorites ..
- The Chicken Gyro
-
Gyros sandwiches/wraps in Greece consist of chicken, onions, tomato, lettuce, fries, and tzatziki rolled in a pita. They are actually the best comfort food. We have a couple places near us that sell them and my favorite one is called MILF (Meat I Live For!). I know you can get these in some Greek restaurants at home, but I had never had one until I got here, and I love them.
- Greek Salad & The Olives
-
Greek salad is made with pieces of tomatoes, sliced cucumbers, onion, feta cheese, and olives, typically seasoned with salt and Greek mountain oregano, and dressed with olive oil. This may seem basic because you can get a Greek salad almost anywhere and it was one of my favorites at home too, but it is so different here. There isn’t any lettuce, just all vegetables. It’s so incredibly fresh, I could eat it everyday.
- The Pancakes with Praline
-
For some reason, praline is HUGE here. The pancakes are always extravagant and decorated with fruits or candies. They look so heavenly and chocolatey, you can’t resist getting them. I have a friend here who actually gets them every single day.
- Fried Feta & Tzatziki
-
Fried Feta Cheese, also known as ‘Saganaki’ is one of the best things I’ve had here for sure. Tzatziki is made of salted strained yogurt mixed with cucumbers, garlic, salt, olive oil, sometimes with vinegar or lemon juice, and herbs such as dill, mint, parsley and thyme. These are both typically appetizers and I actually eat Tzatziki almost every day.
- Spanakopita
-
These are basically spinach pies! It’s a Greek, savory pastry. The traditional filling comprises chopped spinach, feta cheese, onions or spring onions, egg, and seasoning. These are so good and I tried it for the first time in downtown Athens on my class trip, and often get them before a flight.
- Orange Juice & Coffee
-
This may seem extremely basic like the greek salad because we have them at home, but the coffee and orange juice both taste completely different in Greece. The coffee is super strong; it is similar to turkish coffee. If you get traditional greek coffee it has grinds in it. I’m not the biggest coffee girl, but my friends love it. I LOVE the orange juice!!! It’s actually just a juiced orange, no other ingredients. It’s so fresh and perfect, I don’t think I can have orange juice at home after this.