It has often been said that the true Mediterranean diet is based on traditional Greek cuisine, with its emphasis on vegetables, fruits, grains, seafood, fresh meat and dairy products, and pure wine.

Greece offers a bountiful array of raw ingredients and traditional products and a cuisine that is healthful, simple, yet rich and varied. Based on the olive, the staple of the Mediterranean, Greece’s cuisine can be enjoyed in simple tavernas, at traditional ouzeries, or in modern restaurants that offer daring interpretations of time-tested classics.

One of the joys of living or travelling in Greece is the ability to eat, drink, and be merry at sidewalk cafes, cozy estiatoria, or along a seaside quay. Locals and visitors enjoy meze of freshly caught seafood, cured and smoked meats, blazingly fresh salads, and favourites such as moussaka, souvlaki, roast lamb, and grilled specialties prepared to order.

Well-known items such as feta cheese, yogurt, and honey please millions of people daily, whether in Greece or abroad. Not surprisingly, though, interest in exploring new facets of the Greek table has led to a robust and exciting movement among younger chefs who are redefining age-old recipes and re-establishing an interest in creating new, bold, yet satisfying foods. These trail blazers are helping to elevate Greek cuisine to a level that is appreciated by gourmets around the world.

Tipples including ouzo and retsina have become identified as the quintessential accompaniments to a host of Greek specialties. Nevertheless, oenophiles around the world are taking note of Greek wine being made today from unique grapes and are heralding the fine quality and interesting character of the wines, whether made from the volcanic soil of Santorini or the rich soils of Nemea.

Following are some basic Greek ingredients

Olives and olive oil

Olive oil in Greece dates back 4000 years, but also has a significant present and promising future. It is globally acknowledged for its purity and exceptional taste and it is globally proposed as one of the features quality Greek products. It is the basis of all the Greek traditional recipes, thus proving its unique position within the Greek diet.
80% of the Greek olive oil is extra virgin, which is the top-ranked classification category in the world. This constitutes Greece as the world’s largest producer of extra virgin olive oil. Greek extra virgin olive oil’s superior quality is appreciated by the international trade, which is the reason why 150-200 thousand tons of our best olive oil are exported to Italy and Spain and sold at a premium price, in comparison to olive oils of other origins.
At an international level, Greece enjoys the largest per capita consumption of olive oil, with the average Greek consuming more than 15 kilos annually.

Honey

Far earlier than olive oil, long before wine, Greeks fell in love with honey. In ancient Greece, the bee, as well as its products, found itself in high place in the estimate of the people and the men in power. Proof of this constitutes the large quantity of mythological references and representations in ancient Greek vessels of mainly 6th century B.C. Greek honey is globally famous for its exceptional quality, its unique aroma and its rich taste. Its great diversity in terms of flavour and aroma sets it apart from its competitors, fuelling its international recognition. This advantage to a great extent derives from the rich Greek flora, which comprises numerous wild plants land herbs.
Honey still plays a major role in Greek cuisine. Honey is utilized not just in desserts, but often as an element in classic stews such as stifado and the intriguing kapama from Corfu.

Saffron

Saffron is the most precious and expensive spice in the world. The Saffron filaments, or threads, are actually the dried stigmas of the saffron flower, "Crocus Sativus Linneaus". Each flower contains only three stigmas. These threads must be picked from each flower by hand, and more than 75,000 of these flowers are needed to produce just one pound of Saffron filaments. "Crocus Sativus Linneaus" contains crocin, the source of its strong coloring property, bitter-crocin, which offers the distinctive aroma and taste and essential oils, which are responsible for its therapeutic properties. Saffron is well known since the beginning of its production for its healing attributes and its use in gastronomy. Today, the greatest saffron producing countries are Greece, Spain, Turkey, Iran, India, and Morocco. The largest saffron importers are Germany, Italy, U.S.A., Switzerland, U.K., and France.

Mastic Gum (Mastiha)

Mastic Gum comes from the resin that seeps like teardrops from the bark of the mastic tree (Pistacia lentiscus). It is an exclusively Greek product, because although the mastic tree grows in many places it only sheds its tears, thus producing its valuable crystals, in the Aegean island of Chios. From early July until late September, the men make vertical slits, 4-5 mm deep and 10-15 mm long, in the trunks and branches of every tree twice a week. The process is called kentima, a word that also means embroidery, but it more like the jabs one makes in a leg of lamb to insert a garlic sliver. A tree can receive from between 20 and 100 slits, depending on its age. Τhe most important thing about mastic is that its good for myriad ailments. For example, a research team from the UK’s Nottingham University has found that mastic can destroy bacteria that cause peptic ulcers and stomach cancer.

Ouzo

Ouzo is a globally famous Greek drink-aperitif. It is an anise-flavored liqueur that is widely consumed throughout the country. Ouzo is exported throughout the world and Ouzo is one of Greece's most sought after products.
The name dates back to the late 19th century, but is of uncertain originMany claim the history of ouzo - in one form or another - may date back to ancient times. Its precursor is raki, a drink distilled throughout the Byzantine and later Ottoman Empires. Ouzo drinking for Greeks is an art, and also a way of life. In modern Greeceouzeri can be found in nearly all cities, towns, and villages. The key to drinking ouzo is to eat mezedes-- appetizers such as octopus, salad, sardines, calamari, fried zucchini, and clams, among others.This well known aperitif, according to the European Union Law (1576/1989) has been accepted and established as a Greek product, and so Greece is the only country that has the right to produce it.

Feta

Greece, since the days of Homer produces quality dairy products. The first ever reference to cheese making comes in the Odyssey. Perhaps surprisingly, the first recorded cheese maker ever is not any idyllic shepherd but none other than the one – eyed giant Cyclops. As Homer explains it, Cyclops was quite the avid milk fan. After he drank swaths of it, he would leave what was left in his cold, dark cave only to become cheese shortly thereafter. Feta is arguably the best - known Greek food abroad. The European Union granted Greek Feta a PDO (Protected Designation of Origin) status and issued a decree prohibiting European countries other than Greece from using the name Feta. In Europe, similar cheeses now must be called “brined white cheese.” Within Greece, Feta can be made only in specific regions: Macedonia, Thrace, Thessaly, Central Mainland Greece, the Peloponnese, and Lesvos.

Wine

Greece, the renowned birthplace of Dionysus, the god of wine, has arguably the longest wine history in the world, as well as the richest heritage. Wine culture - the consumption of wine as a social event and the appreciation of it at a very sophisticated level was something developed for the first time by the ancient Greeks. There is clear evidence that in ancient Athens it was known that the forms of cups were affecting the taste of wine. Nowadays, Greece has a major role in the international wine culture and industry.In a wine world that is increasingly dominated by chardonnay, sauvignon blanc, cabernet sauvignon and merlot, indigenous grape varieties can provide a much needed point of difference. Greek wine producers, through better understanding of vine physiology, matching site and grape variety and attention to detail, have realised the potential of local viticultural treasurers.

For more information about Greek cuisine, please visit http://www.kerasma.gr/