20 things I learnt about food in Greece

Highlights of my sun-soaked holiday

Jun 21, 2025

So, lucky me has just returned from a holiday in the Greek Islands, and I had the very best time. I thought I’d share some of my biggest food highlights, but mostly the food tricks and ideas I learnt and will carry on using now I’m home.

Capers and caper leaves

Did you know caper leaves are edible? I didn’t until I saw them preserved in jars and added on top of meat for the perfect bite! I’ve never seen capers used so often actually, but they were such a great little seasoning tool for salads that I’ll definitely use them more often. A little burst of salt and tang worked particularly well with onion, tomato or cheese. My favourite use for them, though, was as a garnish for another discovery: fava, a yellow split-pea dip with plenty of EVOO.

The real Greek salad

I don’t think I had the best example of a Greek salad, to be perfectly honest. That’s my fault though, tomatoes weren’t in season yet! But I’ve now learned the proper way to make it so I can try to recreate my very best Greek salad yet this summer.

You need: tomato, cucumber, green bell pepper, a sweet pink onion (like Tropea or even a shallot), capers, black olives, oregano, Greek EVOO and a whole block of feta on top.

I also discovered Dakos salad, a beautiful blend between Greek salad and pan con tomate: tomatoes grated onto a wholewheat rusk and topped with Cretan cheese (somewhere between ricotta and feta), capers and EVOO.

There’s more to cheese than feta and halloumi

Cheese was hard to ignore on restaurant menus, clearly it’s serious business! There are many Greek cheeses I’d never heard of before. Often grilled, whipped, fried or added to salads, my absolute favourite was talagani. This cheese, made from sheep and goat milk, is meant to be grilled; it’s basically a mintier, better version of halloumi (in my humble opinion).

Grilled fish is best when covered in lemon and EVOO sauce

We had some lovely grilled fish while we were there. Fresh, delicate and delicious, I’d give out a special mention to fagri (red porgy). Although I’m unlikely ever to recreate freshly caught barbecued fish in a small London flat, I will be making the lemon‑EVOO sauce again! It seemed to be a warm emulsion of EVOO and lemon juice: sensational! Basically a much lighter, grassier version of beurre blanc.

Greek wine is seriously underrated

Am I the only one rarely seeing Greek wine for sale in the UK, apart from the odd appearance in Lidl? So strange! We were never disappointed by the white wines we tried: crisp, floral with a slight acidity, perfect for a summer aperitif and fabulous with seafood. I’d compare many of the wines made from Assyrtiko and Malagousia grapes to a refreshing Portuguese Vino Verde. But the absolute standout was a natural orange wine (I know, but hear me out), made in the traditional way dating back over 8,000 years: fermenting skin‑on white grapes in large clay pots.

Unfortunately, filo pastry is so much nicer homemade

I wish this wasn’t true. Most chefs will tell you they often buy all‑butter puff pastry at home because it’s easier and still delicious. Until now, I thought the same applied to filo pastry… but honestly, the homemade filo (or phyllo) we tried in Greece was light years ahead of supermarket-bought versions. Crispy, delicate and slightly nutty, I’m not sure how I’ll go back (because, honestly, am I ever going to make my own…?)!

One filling I’ll recreate using shop‑bought filo is a fennel, spinach and dill pie that I really loved.

Why did no one tell me about orange pie?

While we’re on the subject of filo, can we talk about this orange pie? I believe it’s called portokalopita and I feel cheated of years of joy by not knowing about it! Essentially, it’s broken-up filo soaked in yoghurt custard, baked until crispy on the outside, then drenched in orange and cinnamon syrup. It’s the moistest cake imaginable, and a superior form of drizzle cake. I’ll be desperately trying to recreate this recipe.

The perfect seafood pasta

My love of Italy and Italian food almost holds me back from saying this, but it might be the best pasta dish I’ve ever had.

Firstly, the excellent extra‑virgin olive oil gave us a great start. We hunted around Milos for freshly caught seafood, thinking it’d be easy near fishing ports, but perhaps our mistake was waiting until 2 pm… We did end up finding frozen squid in a tiny supermarket, caught and frozen at the local port only two days earlier. It turned out to be the best squid ever! I saved the ink pockets for the pasta sauce, but the texture and flavour of the squid were unlike anything else: unbelievably sweet, moreish, and a perfect counterpart to the bitter EVOO. The other discovery was rock samphire (kritamo). Subtler than regular samphire, it had a lovely texture and gentle saline flavour. Later, I found it preserved in jars and even baked into bread (equally delicious). Add a bit of parsley, lemon and garlic, and you have the best pasta of my life. Also, the sunset view didn’t hurt.

Yogurt on moussaka

Terrifyingly large portion aside, I really loved this homemade moussaka in Exo Gonia, Santorini. I’d heard it’s traditionally topped with yoghurt, and it does not disappoint. I always thought moussaka had to use lamb mince, but this version used beef, plenty of aubergine and potato slices. Delicious.

Why did my biscuit taste of popcorn?

I really enjoyed Greek biscuits: small buttery braids that were the perfect sweet treat with coffee. My absolute favourite was orange‑flavoured koulourakia, but the traditional moustokouloura also caught my tastebuds. I couldn’t place the flavour until I realised it reminded me of roasted corn dipped in chocolate. Very niche, I know, but if you’ve tried that Lindt product, you’ll know what I mean. Essentially, it's a salty‑sweet popcorn flavour. These biscuits are sweetened with petimezi, a syrup similar to molasses, made from condensed grape must.

A few other stand outs:

Soft and sweet gigantes: slow‑cooked beans with carrots, akin to French Tarbais beans.
Oregano: fresh or dried, a sprinkle never goes amiss.
Pita: sourdough leavened then covered in EVOO, salt and oregano, these are hard to beat.
Sun-dried and grilled mackerel: gouna is a traditional dish from Paros which I tried reluctantly for work rather than pleasure. It consists of locally caught mackerel dried in the sun before being grilled on an open flame. I really had to eat my words! The fish was buttery, soft, slightly salty with all the smokiness of the barbecue. I loved it so much we ate it twice.
A cheeky sprig in EVOO: we were served bread and EVOO at the start of the meal and a sprig of rosemary had been delicately placed into the bowl of EVOO. I was taught afterwards that it was meant to be used as a brush for the oil. But I can confirm it worked a treat for dipping too as the oil was delicately perfumed, elevating the experience overall. I’ll be doing this at home.
Candied carrot: I was really struck by the kindness and generosity of locals while traveling around the islands. This was also displayed in restaurants where we were often offered free drinks, digestives and dessert. One of these desserts was greek yogurt topped with candied carrot. The flavour of the carrot was completely masked with sugar but it did bring a very satisfying texture to balance out the creamy yogurt.
Taramasalata: as a frenchie, I’m already a massive fan of tarama so this wasn’t news to me. But they were always absolutely delicious and still worth mentioning.
Espresso freddo: on the menu of every cafe and coffee shop is the option of espresso or cappuccino freddo. Offered with or without sugar, coffee is blended using a special machine which gives it an overall thicker consistency and a beautiful layer of froth on top.
Pickled chillies in cheese dips: pickled green chilis or guindillas are a classic Greek and Spanish import we readily find in the UK. A discovery though, was adding them to whipped feta to make a spicy tirokafteri dip. Easy and delicious.
Loukaniki sausages: we were really taken aback by the flavour of local sausages. Our favourite was a blend of beef with cinnamon, fennel seeds, cumin and orange peel. Incredibly fragrant, savoury and more-ish.
Sesame, sesame, sesame: Sold as 10kg bags in supermarkets, it’s easy to see how it’s made its way into everything, and I’m not mad about it! I particularly loved traditional sweet sesame bagels for breakfast. Crispy, sweet, nutty and savoury: perfect.