A sunny, mild climate allows Greece to grow many crops.
Since the 1970s, people wanting to eat more healthy foods have looked to the Mediterranean diet for inspiration. The foods of Greece have been a large part of that diet. Blessed with a sunny, moderate climate and an ocean view, Greek people have been eating healthy foods for thousands of years, including minimally processed olive oil, lots of fish, beans and legumes, nuts, fruits, vegetables and yogurt.
Olive Oil
Olive oil is the most well-known staple of Greek cuisine.
"Olive trees grow miraculously out of dry, rocky earth, that's why there's more olives here than anything else," says Nikki Rose, a chef and founder of Crete's Culinary Sanctuaries, an ecotourism company in Crete. Greeks use olive oil for everything from cooking, to a dip for pita bread and baguettes, to salad dressing, to marinades. Not only does olive oil lend a spicy flavor to all their dishes, it's also the best source of the omega-3 fatty acid that scientists have now determined is essential for good health. Of course, the olive trees also produce olives themselves, another staple Greek food.
Legumes
Fava beans are very large and flat.
Legume is simply another word for beans, which grow their fruit in a pod. Chickpeas, lentils and fava beans are the most common in Greek cuisine. Chickpeas, or garbanzo beans, are eaten in stews, in salads, in meat dishes and are made into hummus, the dip made from mashed chickpeas, olive oil, garlic and parsley. Fava beans are eaten fresh, with their ripening pods seen as one of the first signs of spring, and are used dried in soups and stews.
Vegetables
Feta cheese, cucumbers, tomatoes and onions make a typical Greek salad.
The list of vegetable staples in Greece is long and varied and includes, according to Rose, artichokes, eggplants, parsley, peppers, tomatoes and zucchini. Tomatoes are eaten dried with an olive oil marinade, made into sauces, eaten fresh in salads with sliced onions and capers and are used in soups and stews. Rose also mentions avgolemono, an egg and lemon sauce that is used over the top of vegetables like cauliflower, artichoke hearts or stuffed grape leaves.
Yogurt and Cheese
Many Greek people make their own yogurt.
Traditional Greek yogurt is thicker than the yogurt most often eaten in the U.S., although since the Mediterranean diet has become popular you are able to find Greek yogurt in most grocery stores. Yogurt is eaten plain with toppings such as honey, fruit or nuts and is normally made from sheep or goat milk. Most Americans are familiar with feta cheese, also made from sheep or goat milk, which is frequently used in Greek salads along with olives and tomatoes. Rose mentions other staple cheese as well, such as mizithra, which is softer than feta, and kasseri, which is a hard cheese with a strong flavor.
Tags: made from, beans eaten, eaten fresh, Fava beans, from sheep, from sheep goat, goat milk