Greece

Throughout Greek cuisine, four prominent ingredients – garlic, oregano, lemon, and olive oil lays a classic flavour foundation for almost all Greek dishes, whether sizzling hot gyros or a fresh, crunchy salad.

Influences

When it comes to the authentic Greek oregano, however, fresh leaves are rarely used. It's all about the dried buds that are hung up in households throughout Greece to dry before use – this not only preserves it and makes it last much longer than their fresh counterpart but is the only way to get the authentic florally, earthy flavour and aroma of Greek oregano.

Jammed full of flavour.

As well as these classic staples, typical Greek flavours come from a variety of olives from green to black to red, cheese including types of feta, halloumi, saganaki and kefalotyri, and of course, seafood. Given Greece's proximity to, and love of, the ocean with a long line of anglers throughout history, seafood is king. Calamari, octopus, and local varieties of fish are just a few of the ocean delights you can find around the islands of Greece, and when it comes to preparation, simple is best. A touch of olive oil, paprika, oregano and of course, loads of lemon!

History & influences

Much of Ancient Greek cuisine was developed in order to get as much sustenance as possible for as little cost. Rooted in the 'Mediterranean triad' diet of wheat, olive oil, wine, the Greeks became resourceful farmers and fishers and learned to build on these everyday staples with whatever produce was local and accessible to them. The first cookbook ever written in history was by the Ancient Greeks.

Along with their own creations and food inventions, they have a lot of influence throughout history. Being so close to the trade hub of Istanbul, many fruits and vegetables from foreign regions were introduced over the centuries, as well as an abundance of herbs and spices from neighbouring Turkey. The Ottoman Empire was also responsible for influencing classic Greek dishes we know today, such as moussaka, borek, and tzatziki – all with Arabic, Persian, and Turkish origins.

Greece

Iconic Dishes

Drag and drop block options like heading, text, buttons, dividers, and more.Perhaps the most popular herb and spice combination used is within their national dish - Gyros. As with many Greek recipes, each family and region has their own stamp on a classic, however, the most common mix combines locally grown oregano, paprika,

Greece

Spiceology

Greeks have been adept herb growers and producers for centuries, dating back to Ancient Greece with native herb producer Theophrastus dubbed the father of botany. Common herbs grown and sold throughout include mint, oregano, basil, thyme, and rosemary – all used both culinarily and medicinally. Although herbs and spices have played a prominent role in Greek mythology, the delicate, aromatic blends and combinations have remained as popular today. The perfect combination of sweet spices like nutmeg and cinnamon, earthy aniseed flavour of cloves and coriander all blended with fresh, floral herbs and occasionally, a sprinkling of precious saffron threads.