A Holiday in Greece: Food Highlights and Notes

I’ve recently returned from a holiday in Greece — with no regrets of allowing myself one week to travel with a close friend and surrender myself to this great country. It was my first time visiting and I surely was not dissatisfied. The weather could not have been better. It was the tail end of tourist season which meant that crowds were obviously present but much less than I would imagine summer months to be. T-shirts and shorts were worn most days with nights cooling off requiring pants and a light jacket. Perfect!

Not only was the sun out with beach and hiking in full effect but the cuisine was most definitely not a let down. I had a feeling I would enjoy the food as one of my favorite foods that I cannot get enough of is olive oil, and I did enjoy my fair share.

Since this is supposed to be a nutrition-related blog, I’ll focus more of my writing on the food that I experienced while exploring Greece — sharing some food highlights and notes.

Lamb 

I have always enjoyed lamb — some find it too gamey or strong-tasting but not me, especially if prepared properly with the right types of seasonings. I try to take a break from eating the same meat-based protein sources, and lamb is a perfect choice if you’re looking for meat that isn’t often treated with antibiotics and given hormones like chicken or beef.

My first meal in Athens was lamb cooked with some type of lemon sauce, quite simple but with a nice flavor which paired well with a traditional Greek salad and dolmas. You’ll find lamb served everywhere there from slow cooked leg of lamb to minced lamb in moussaka.

Sesame Seeds

While in Greece I ate plenty of foods containing sesame seeds and I really enjoyed them. I guess I never really realized that they were prevalent in Greek foods but they definitely were. The bakeries were loaded with all sorts of fresh-baked breads and some of them were topped with sesame seeds. I bought a homemade granola type of bar with sesame seeds, nuts, and dried fruit the day we trekked to the Acropolis and it was just the right type of energy packed snack that I needed. Tasty, a little bit sweet (but not too too sweet) and a nice treat. Pasteli, sesame seeds packed tightly with honey were a common sight https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sesame_seed_candy.

And nutritionally speaking, sesame seeds are an excellent source of the mineral copper, a very good source of manganese, and a good source of magnesium, calcium, zinc, phosphorus, iron, and dietary fiber (source: http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=84).

Olives

Just like in Italy and Spain, you’ll usually find bottles of olive oil at most restaurants sitting on your dining table. It would typically be offered instead of butter if a bread basket were served. I spotted many olive trees, especially on the islands I visited — Santorini and Folegrandros. And olives! Mostly the kalamata variety are what I experienced offered at most restaurants. I especially appreciated the hotel breakfast buffets where you could savor these delights your first meal of the day. Yes, olives for breakfast. Alongside dolmas and the makings for Greek salad — tomatoes and cucumbers. Rethink breakfast, folks!

I discussed this in an Instagram post recently — about how breakfasts don’t have to consist of cereal and pastries… https://www.instagram.com/p/BLAsXRsDovy/?taken-by=chewgoodstuff

Wine

Yes, I indulged in some wine drinking while traveling! It’s quite common to enjoy a glass of wine with your lunch while taking your time to eat a meal in various countries of Europe. You’ll probably even witness people on their lunch breaks at work enjoying a glass of beer or wine. Contrasting that to the typical rushed lunch of Americans. I particularly liked the white wines in Greece on a hot day, but I did taste the reds and rosés which were quite nice as well. And, not too expensive — house wines were much better than house varieties in the States.

And, if you ever happen to visit and go to Santorini, consider this wine museum with tour: http://www.santoriniwinemuseum.com — a very in-depth look into the brothers and family that started this winery way back in the day. This was not just a tasting tour, but more of a deep look into the history of wine making throughout the years — quite informative!

Octopus

Ok, I know I talked about this yummy cephalopod in my recent newsletter but I just can’t seem to get over how delicious this mollusk can taste if prepared properly.

My friend and I dined at one place that I guess wasn’t the best choice and the octopus was actually a little rubbery (overcooked). We thought that if we ventured further away from the crowded restaurants that we’d avoid the tourist traps but turns out those busy places were busy for a reason. Needless to say, we did enjoy an eggplant purée at our place which made up for the octopus.

So, octopus that is cooked properly — either grilled or sliced very thin, marinaded, and enjoyed raw (carpaccio style, like fish and sushi) are the way to go.

My last day in Athens I stumbled upon what looked like a nice beachfront local joint and it was a perfectly seasoned grilled octopus (drizzled in Grecian olive oil and vinegar) with some sea salt. Nothing fancy but simply delicious. See pic here: https://www.instagram.com/p/BLBd-DYj75A/?taken-by=chewgoodstuff

Cretan Greens

I actually ate a huge plate of these greens with the octopus that I just salivated over (in the same pic above). I did some research and Cretan greens (as they called them on the menu) are wild-picked greens that grow on the island of Crete which I didn’t have time to visit unfortunately. Horta is another name for them and they are wild-growing greens that are traditionally picked and cooked. Sometimes they could be dandelion greens or other types of native wild greens, depending on the availability and time of the year. They sort of reminded me of greens that I ordered at a restaurant in Vietnam, called Morning Glory. They were simple — probably steamed and then lightly sautéed with olive oil and fresh lemon and maybe a pinch of salt. I’d guess they are probably very nutrient-rich too if they were wild and fresh which they appeared to be.

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Well, there you have it — My Grecian food adventure. I definitely enjoyed other types of food while there but these were just some of the highlights that stood out in my mind.

I hope that you someday can visit this country and also enjoy the fine cuisine. And if you have already, what are some of your favorite foods you’ve experienced there?

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