It took me a while to finally visit Greece, which is surprising as it's cheap, popular and sunny. We went in 2002, during a school vacation, as I was teaching high school at the time, so consequently, all our fellow travellers were also teachers. We booked one of those very cheap package deals the day before we left, with our destination marked as 'Athens'. Prepared for a week long city break, we could hardly believe what happened. On arrival at Athens at 1am, we were all hoarded onto a bus for a 2 hour drive to a port where we waited until 6am for a 1 hour ferry ride to the island of Aegina. Our destination was actually a sleepy little island village and because we booked in October, our party were the only people on the island, so most of the larger bars, restaurants and hotels were already closed for the season.
Even so, it was one of the most enjoyable holidays I have ever had, due to the fact that we managed to pack so much into our week, including a trip to Athens itself on a hovercraft called a Flying Dolphin, where the seats were old airplane fixtures, complete with seat belts.
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| Our first afternoon. Enjoying a beer with a Flying Dolphin boat in the background |
I imagine Greek food is popular the world over. It is certainly loved in both the UK and Canada, so logic would dictate that this is true everywhere. What is the essence of this cuisine that is so popular? In many restaurants here the portions are large and carbohydrate laden, usually including rice, potatoes and pita bread. Lemon, oregano and salt seem to be the main flavourings and lamb the meat of choice. But beyond these staples and the most well known dishes such as souvlaki, Moussaka and lamb shank, there are many more Greek dishes and ingredients that really shine.
As with most cuisines, eating it in it's place of origin usually reveals the true nature of the food. There is a reason most countries have their own tastes, the ingredients are local and seasonal. On our very first afternoon I tried rabbit. It came with a creamy sauce flecked with lemon and was succulent and sweet with a slight bitterness usual to most wild meat. It seemed that this small town was going to help us understand authentic Greek food, the kind the locals would eat as only the smaller establishments were open and mainly full of Greek people. We had escaped the dreaded tourist traps.
Every meal began with a small bowl of olives, usually black and wrinkled, a plate of white, salty feta and some green extra virgin olive oil to dip the crusty, soft bread into. We had never tasted olives like these before. They came from the many olive trees that dotted the landscape, bearing green and purple fruits. I tried one straight from the tree, a mistake as they need to be brined first to make them less bitter.
Fish seemed to be a big catch as you can imagine from an island, tiny red mullet simply grilled with lemon and salt, octopus marinated for a day in oil, lemon and some paprika, then grilled very quickly on a barbecue. Mixed fish grills of squid, white fish and prawns, probably all taken out of the crystal waters that morning. Sometimes it was battered lightly or breaded, but I preferred it plainly grilled with a squeeze of lemon or lime and livened up with a sprinkle of salt. They were all served with the waxy, lemony potatoes so ubiquitous with Greek food and the rice flecked with saffron or oregano flakes.
We travelled to a nearby fishing village, 45 minutes on a winding bus ride along dusty roads as the sun set. It was called Perdika and we were the only people there that evening. All the fish was laid out in ice filled drawers to be chosen before cooking. I chose small red mullet and Neil squid. The owner told me I should suck out the head meat but I couldn't do it the Greek way, as he showed me. After the main course he brought out some cut apple sprinkled with cinnamon which was refreshing and reminiscent of apple pie. We were touched by his generosity and kindness until we realised he had charged us for it and probably other things we hadn't ordered.
One lunchtime, I ate Kleftiko, lamb baked for a very long time, sometimes as much as 24 hours, slowly in an oven whilst wrapped in parchment. The only other ingredients are lemon, garlic, salt and oregano. The meat falls apart with the most intense flavour, even stronger along the crusted edges which turn a dark mahogany. I ate this once before in Cyprus with my parents, where the restaurant chef had improvised an oven out of a cement mixer, creating a sort of wood fired oven. The smell of the meat cooking all day breezed throughout the whole town.
Feta was everywhere. Served on a plate with a drizzle of fruity olive oil. Baked until soft and golden brown, similar to Saganaki, served with half a lemon. Crumbled into colourful Greek salad. Baked on top of a moussaka until melted and creamy and mixed with spinach to create the filling for Spanakoptika. We bought some to take back home, but then worried about customs, so ate it in our room with vodka and bread.
One day we travelled to the nearby 'big town' for dinner. They were in the middle of an election and the place was electric. We found a small, busy restaurant in a back street, full of loafer wearing sailors who had anchored up for the evening, ordering plate after plate of mezze: vine leaves stuffed with rice, spinach, raisins and ground pork, octopus, squid, all grilled quickly on a charcoal grill, afelia, pork cooked in red wine, saganaki and lots of wine. We took their lead and just pointed at things we wanted, this place being so local that hardly any English was spoken.
On our final night, we ate in Athens. Souvlakia for a snack, bought from a streetside vendor with a small charcoal brazer, chicken with olive oil, salt and some chili powder and then later at a restaurant in the main street, La Plaka, with the Acropolis looming majestically over our heads, lit up for the evening. We ate crayfish and prawns, still dressed in our summer holiday clothes, flip flops and t-shirts, feeling ridiculous as glamorous young women in jeans and high heels enjoyed dates around us.
Other notable Greek dishes
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