What Does It Mean When a Food is Described As “Greek Style”?

Written by Greek Boston in Greek Cooking Comments Off on What Does It Mean When a Food is Described As “Greek Style”?

Greek cuisine has a lot of unique elements to it, and people all over the world love to eat it. There are certain dishes that are traditionally Greek, and are eaten constantly in Greek restaurants. These include dishes like souvlaki, or grilled, skewered meat, pastitso, a baked macaroni dish, and horiatiki, which is known as the traditional Greek village salad. Greek cuisine is filled with recognizable dishes such as these.

However, Greek cuisine is about more than just the dishes that are part of it, it’s also about the ingredients. These recognizable ingredients form the basis as to what transforms a dish into something that is considered “Greek style”. Here’s more information:

Greek Cuisine Vs. Greek Style Food

So what is the real difference between food that is part of Greek cuisine and food that is considered to be “Greek Style”? According to Wikipedia, Greek cuisine is defined as “the cuisine of Greece and the Greek diaspora.” This means that any dishes that are commonly made amongst the Greek people, no matter where they live. Greek cuisine has a few elements that sets it apart, but in general it is based off of common ingredients and methods of cooking that are found in Greece.

Greek style food is entirely different. Usually, something is defined as “Greek style” when simple dishes that are found in other cultures, such as stir-fries, pizza, and pasta dishes use a variety of traditional Greek ingredients. So, Greek style stir fries might include vegetables that are common in Greece, such as zucchini, peppers, and onions, and possibly garnished with feta cheese and oregano.

Use Greek Ingredients When You Cook

If you want to instantly transform anything you are cooking into something considered “Greek Style” all you need to do is incorporate Greek ingredients into your recipes. Here are some examples”

• Greek olive oil – This is the ultimate of traditional Greek ingredients. Cooking with Greek olive oil can help make any dish taste authentically Greek.
• Greek honey – Using traditional Greek honey in your dessert recipes can give them a Greek flair. For example, a Greek style ice cream sundae might be drizzled with honey and topped with some walnuts and whipped cream.
• Phyllo – This unique dough can be used to make desserts and savory dishes. Sure, there are plenty of these types of recipes in Greek cooking, but you can also get creative and create your own combinations.
• Greek oregano – This herb is one of the most common ingredients in Greek cuisine.
• Feta cheese – Sprinkling feta cheese on your food is an easy way to turn it into something considered “Greek style.” For example, if you sprinkle some feta cheese on your pizza and top it with Greek oregano, you have now Ade it “Greek style”.

It’s true that there are a lot of recipes that are part of Greek cuisine. However, if you simply take a recipe that isn’t normally a part of Greek cooking and use traditional Greek ingredients while preparing it, you have just transformed it into soothing that is considered “Greek style”.

Categorized in: Greek Cooking

This post was written by Greek Boston