Harry's Greek Food and Wine Guide
Traditional Greek Main Courses: Classic Greek Dishes
There is usually a Piato ths Meras or plate of the day in tavernas and restaurants. This is an incomplete listing of Greek traditional dishes. Basically if I have a picture of it, its here. For a more complete list of Greek traditional dishes visit the recipe section of this site.
Mousakka is a common Greek eggplant casserole layered with ground beef, cheese, butter and spices. Pastichio is equally common and consists of pasta baked with ground beef. Kokoretsi is delicious dish of skewered and roasted lamb innards: sweetbreads, heart, liver, kidney and finally wrapped in intestines. Roast pigs are common in outlying areas and recommended.
Rice dishes such as pilafi with tomato sauce or pasta with keema ground beef are fairly common and basic. Main courses may be baked tou fournou, boiled vrasto, fried tighanito, roast psito or grilled ths skaras.
Below are pictures of a wonderful traditional tavern I discovered in Naufplion in the Peloponnese called "O Kanarhs" and I highly recommend it too! Bou-bou-lee-nas St #1, Tel: 27668. Naufplion is one of the nicest towns in Greece too.The beauty of traditional Greek Food is that one may find it just about everywhere in Greece and with some interesting local variations. To find it in Athens see the Athens Restaurant Guide where many types of cuisine are available. Vegetarians need not fear as there are lots of dishes to choose from in Greece. Avoid imported meat whenever possible, particularly Belgian meat! Fortunately, that is almost always possible, especially out of Athens. Pork, chicken, lamb and goat excellent are the most common meats in Greece.
Beef is 'iffy' Domestic Greek meat or Dope-ee-O Kreas
I just had
to throw in this picture of the owner Mr. Karamanlees, with a face
only a mother could love, who was sitting there in the middle of the
afternoon drinking whiskey and keeping an eye or three on things.
Below left, the lovely proprietress, preparing a dish. Below center right are meat cuts of domestic pork and lamb straight from the meat locker. Bottom right is the stove top of the Kanarhis restaurant. Many restaurants cook most of the oven and stewed dishes early am and again in the afternoon to have them ready. They are kept warm on the stove top. Cuts of meat and fish orders are prepared after your order is placed. These types of places are called magheria.
From left to right below we have baked turkey: Gallo-poula Fournou, Baked eggplant: Meli-tza-nees Fornou, Baked eggplant with Feta cheese: Meli-tza-nees Fornou me Feta, and lastly lamb chops: Pi e dakia
From left to right below we have Octopus stew: Octopodee, Oven roasted pork: Hee- ree-no Fournou, cuttle fish stew: Soup-yes, and stuffed tomato's: Ye-mee-stees Tomatoes.
From left to right below we have Meat with Orzo: You-vet-si, String Beans in tomato sauce: Fa-sole-yia, Baked Sea Bream: Skathari Fournou, Stuffed Cabbage Leaves: You-var-lak-yia.
