Greece Travel Guide

Greece's most famous dish — layers of aubergine, spiced minced lamb and creamy béchamel sauce baked until golden. Made properly in a Greek grandmother's kitchen or a good Athenian taverna, it's a completely different proposition from the versions served elsewhere.

Greek tavernas in island ports serve fish caught that morning — grilled whole with lemon and olive oil, or in the case of octopus, dried on a line until tender then charcoal-grilled. Eating fresh-caught red mullet at a harbour table in the Aegean breeze is one of Europe's great simple pleasures.

Greek meze culture — small shared dishes of tzatziki, taramasalata, dolmades, feta, spanakopita (spinach-feta filo pastry) and gigantes beans — consumed over hours with ouzo or wine. The best meze meals happen by accident when you find the right family-run taverna.

Greece's street food kings — souvlaki is pork or chicken grilled on skewers; gyros is slow-roasted meat shaved off a vertical rotisserie. Both are stuffed into pita with tomato, onion, tzatziki and paprika fries. The Athenian version at Thanasis in Monastiraki sets the standard.

Deep-fried honey doughnut balls dusted with cinnamon and crushed walnuts — the world's oldest recorded dessert, served in Athens since the first Olympic Games. Paired with thick Greek frappé or traditional muddy kafes, it's the Athenian afternoon in edible form.