In culinary terms, the Greek god is lamb. It’s served minced, minted, off the bone, on the bone, steaked, spit-roasted, chopped and totally kebab-ed – but almost always cooked to perfection. As in most Mediterranean countries, vegetables tend to be treated like fruit and are usually served raw. Good chips, though. When you do chance upon a cooked vegetable it will be thoroughly drenched in calorific, albeit delicious, olive oil and fried to a crisp.
Fish, though adored and revered, is becoming so expensive that it now plays second fiddle to meat. For a land full of fishermen it is a tragedy that they’ve overfished their Aegean to the extent that it has become something of an Achilles heel. Who said there are plenty more fish in the sea? Yet fantastic fish dishes, simply baked, sautéed or grilled, can still be had – at a price. If you’ve ever been to the Dodecanese islands you may have been lucky enough to taste the coveted and glorious sea urchin roe. The reddish urchins are split and emptied and their roe, which reputedly has aphrodisiac qualities, is eaten raw. Squid and octopus are still in plentiful supply and, fresh from the sea, make a wonderful meal.
If you’re a grazer or a nibbler, then the Greeks have got you sussed. Try the very Turkish-tasting meze. A protracted meal is made up of a selection of small starters, from humous and taramosalata to vine leaves, meatballs, squid, octopus and peppers, many of which are stuffed – which is exactly what you will be, long before the main course appears. But what a way to go. Vegetarians be warned – only the most tourist-conscious resorts will cater for you. There are some delicious standbys available everywhere, though – aubergine bakes, tzatziki, feta cheese salad, and that old faithful yoghurt and honey.