The essentials of Greek cuisine

Although Rhodes and the whole of the Dodecanese have their own specialities, there are of course classic Greek dishes that are widespread throughout the country. And the same goes for the way meals are served. While breakfast is often frugal, lunch is more copious. In keeping with Mediterranean tradition, lunch is eaten later than in France, often from 2:00 pm to 3:30 pm. Except in restaurants catering specifically to tourists, it's not uncommon for dishes to be presented on large platters, with diners helping themselves to small portions of whatever's on the table: the Greek sense of sharing and conviviality. Desserts are not necessarily eaten at the end of the meal, but rather during the day, with a coffee for example. We also dine late, between 9pm and 10pm. This is the gastronomic moment of the day. As tourists often eat earlier than locals, many restaurants serve all day long.
As in the rest of the Mediterranean, Greeks start meals with mezzedes. Comparable to Spanish tapas, mezzedes (plural of mezze) is a Mediterranean gastronomic habit. It's a very convivial part of the meal: a variety of dishes are cooked and placed in the center of the table, leaving everyone to choose what they like. The famous tzatziki and tarama are not the only delicacies. In fact, the Greeks only eat tarama once a year, on Easter Monday... The rest of the year, it's up to the tourists! Mezzedes are accompanied by a few glasses of local wine or ouzo. The ouzerie is a specialized place for ouzo lovers, which is served abundantly with mezzedes. This aniseed-flavored brandy is served chilled and often diluted with water, like pastis, which has a similar taste.
Among the best-known mezzedes is the famous horiatiki or Greek salad made with tomato, cucumber, onion, olive and feta, topped with olive oil and oregano. Next comes tzatziki, a delicious yogurt cream with cucumber, dill and crushed garlic. It is served as an appetizer or with grilled meats. Tarama is a puree made from smoked fish roe and olive oil. Don't be surprised if it's pale yellow when served to you - that's its natural color. French manufacturers have got into the bad habit of adding colorants to give it a neon-pink hue when you buy it at the supermarket. Other creamy preparations to enjoy with bread include melitzanosalata, a lemony eggplant caviar, or hummus which, although of Arabic origin, is one of the most popular mezzedes in Greece. The irresistible dolmadakia (or dolma/dolmades) are vine leaves in brine stuffed with rice and onion, seasoned with dill and lemon juice. They are served hot or cold. Kalamarakia tiganita or fried squid are at least as popular as htapothi sti skhara, the famous barbecued octopus. More surprisingly, tomatokeftedes are fried tomato croquettes flavoured with mint and oregano. Last but not least, there are many savoury pastries - often eaten on the go throughout the day - such as tiropita, a puff pastry filled with feta cheese, or spanakopita, filled with spinach. Finally, feta psiti, or baked feta, is roasted with a few herbs and slices of tomato, and drizzled with olive oil.
Grilled meats are the main course, often taking up an entire page on Greek restaurant menus. Souvlaki takes the form of a large skewer of meat, most often pork or chicken, but sometimes beef or lamb. In the same vein, paidakia generally refers to grilled, finely spiced lamb chops, while kefkedes are minced meatballs flavored with onion, oregano, mint and dill. In addition to grilled meats, there are a large number of ready-to-eat dishes, such as moussaka , where minced meat alternates with candied eggplants, topped with béchamel sauce and au gratin, or pastitsio, where eggplants are replaced by macaroni. The term yemista is used to describe different types of vegetables (especially peppers and eggplants) stuffed with rice and minced meat and baked in the oven. Stifado is a hearty stew of beef - more rarely pork, rabbit or even octopus - confit in a sweet-and-sour sauce made with wine, shallots and cinnamon. On the street food side, it's absolutely unthinkable to miss out on the famous gyros, the Greek version of the kebab, consisting of soft pita bread topped with shredded meat (pork or chicken), French fries, tomatoes, onions and tzatziki. Ideal for small budgets, it rarely costs more than €3.
With some 15,000 km of coastline - three times more than France - it's undeniable that seafood plays a major role in Greek cuisine. Even more so on islands such as the Dodecanese. Red mullet, sea bream, swordfish, shrimps, octopus and squid are the classics, usually served grilled or fried, delicately seasoned and with a few lemon wedges. More elaborate dishes include psari plaki, baked fish covered with a mixture of tomatoes and onion confit, or garides me feta, a dish of shrimps simmered in a tomato sauce and covered with crumbled feta. Psarotavernas are restaurants specializing in fish and seafood.
Desserts often end with fresh fruit: peaches, melons, watermelons or apricots, especially in summer when the sometimes scorching temperatures call for a little freshness. Sometimes the meal can also end with a simple yoghurt drizzled with honey and a few pistachios. Many sweets are actually enjoyed during the day with a cup of coffee. These include a base of almonds, pistachios or sesame, flavoured with honey, orange blossom or cinnamon, such as baklava, a diamond-shaped cake made from filo pastry and dried fruit - notably walnuts - and soaked in cinnamon syrup. Quite similar, kataifi replaces filo pastry with angel hair. This very sweet cake is also known by other names in Turkey and the Arab world. Galaktoboureko is also made with filo pastry and a lemon-scented sesame-milk cream. There are several specialties linked to religious festivals, such as koulourakia, a vanilla brioche with sesame seeds prepared for Easter.
Finally, coffee plays an essential role in Greece. Typical Greek coffee (the equivalent of Turkish coffee) is not filtered, so it's best to wait a few minutes for the layer of grounds to settle to the bottom of the cup. Try it sweet(glyko), sugar-free(sketo), medium(metrio) with milk(me gala) or without milk(choris gala). Otherwise, the classic espresso is served in most bars and restaurants. Don't miss the iced version, perfect for cooling off in summer: freddo espresso.

The specialties of the Dodecanese cuisine

Situated along Turkey's western coast, the Dodecanese has a culinary tradition similar to that of other Aegean islands such as the Cyclades (Santorini, Mykonos, Naxos, etc.) and Crete. Traditional makaroun pasta is now a specialty of the island of Karpathos.
There are, of course, all kinds of mezzedes, such as the delicate meliasti, a crispy feta cheese turnover wrapped in filo pastry, topped with honey and sprinkled with sesame seeds. Pitaroudia, a Rhodian specialty, comes in the form of soft chickpea and herb croquettes, often accompanied by tzatziki. Simiako garidaki, small shrimps fried with garlic, are eaten whole with the shells now very crispy. This is an appetizer unique to the island of Symi. The more courageous can try fouskes or violet, an extremely iodized seafood whose creamy orange flesh is reminiscent of sea urchin coral. On the island of Kalymnos, the flesh is left to macerate in a mixture of seawater and bottled olive oil. This is called spinialo and is served with a dash of lemon juice.
On the cheese side, there's goat's milk kathoura , similar to feta, served as a mezze with a drizzle of olive oil. But there's also myzithra, a firm, white cheese with a very mild, slightly salty taste, which can be eaten both savory and sweet. For example, it is used to make Patmos tarts, which are filled with a mixture of myzithra and several other cheeses. More surprisingly, krasotyri is a cheese that is preserved in wine. A very old technique that still exists on the island of Kos, giving it an astonishing reddish-brown rind.
Some main dishes are native to the Dodecanese, such as giaprakia, a dish of cabbage leaves and onions stuffed with minced meat and stewed. Kapamas is a piece of goat meat (thigh, rib, etc.) stuffed with rice and candied onions, generously seasoned with cumin and cooked for hours until the meat melts. Finally, psarosoupa patmou is a fish soup garnished with vegetables: potato, tomato, celery, etc., traditionally found on the island of Patmos.
As for desserts, you can't miss melekouni. This is the name of Rhodes' traditional cake, made with sesame seeds, honey and almonds. It is eaten on special occasions such as weddings, engagements, christenings and birthdays. It has a soft, smooth texture, with aromas of orange zest, cinnamon and nutmeg. In the past, instead of wedding invitations, a small diamond-shaped melekouni was sent.Akoumia symiaka, from Symi, is a recipe for doughnuts made with rice dough and soaked in rosewater syrup. The crispier xerotigana is rolled into a spiral shape before being deep-fried and generously sprinkled with cinnamon, sesame seeds and chopped walnuts. Surprisingly, misokofti is somewhere between a pudding and a fruit paste, made from prickly pear, a cactus abundant on the Greek islands.

Ouzo and wine

Of all Greek liqueurs, ouzo occupies a central place. It is generally drunk as an aperitif. It can be drunk neat with an ice cube, or diluted in ice water to make it milky like pastis. Aniseed-flavored, it is generally around 40° proof. In a restaurant, it's often cheaper to order a small bottle for two or three people rather than separate glasses. Another more surprising liqueur,arbaroriza, is made from the leaves of the fragrant geranium plant. Tsikoudia (or tsipouro), made from grape marc, is of course native to Crete, but is very popular in the Dodecanese. Closely related, metaxa is a grape liqueur also flavored with rose and aromatic herbs, originating on the island of Samos in the northern Dodecanese. Finally, mastiha is a liqueur made from the resin of the mastic tree, a relative of the pistachio.
In general, Greece produces quite decent table wines. Retsina is the traditional table wine. In ancient times, jars were coated with resin to improve their watertightness. This custom has been perpetuated, giving the wine that special resinous aftertaste. A wide range of red, rosé and white wines can be found in Rhodes, such as zacosta, a dry red wine of the amorgiano variety,archontiko, with mandilaria and red grenache. For rosé, don't miss rouvinio, from the mountain vineyards. For whites, we recommend villaré, 100% athiri, or rodos 2400. All wines (even whites) are often served at room temperature. Finally, Rhodes produces many sparkling wines and liqueurs. Its amphorae, decorated with the sun god, were found in every port on the Mediterranean and Black Seas. And its white wine, made from athiri grapes, has contributed to the island's reputation. They were particularly renowned in the Middle Ages and appreciated by the Knights of the Order of St. John. Even today, major wineries such as Cair and Erop-Emery produce 100% athiri wine. Villaré blanc de blanc is the perfect example. This dry wine is named after a French knight of the Order of St. John of Rhodes and Malta. The island's finest restaurants feature this wine on their menus, along withIlios, Rhodes' other star. They go perfectly with fish, refined cheeses and desserts.