Greek Food and drink

Greek Salad

A Greek menu can be overwhelming if you are not used to Greek food. My advice for two people for lunch would be to choose a salad, a dip and one cooked item to share. For dinner we would each choose something cooked and have maybe a salad or dip on the side, depending how hungry we were. Large fish can be pricey as there are not many big ones left, but small fried fish, octopus and squid are good value and nice to share.

For more info on eating out in Stoupa, click here.

For some of my favourite Greek recipes click here

Scroll to the bottom of this page for a recipe for Greek Coffee.

A hearty meal for two in a resort like Stoupa with a half litre of house wine should be in the region of 20- 30 Euros. A lighter lunch is closer to 20 Euros. If you head out of town to non touristy places it will be cheaper.

Many places offer a free starter or free pudding, or a free digestif drink or sometimes all three! YAY! So ordering one course is normally more than enough.

You will be served [and charged for] bread as is their tradition. This used to only cost around 50 cents but of late I have noticed that some establishments can charge around 2 Euros for a few slices of crusty bread which I see as a waste if you don’t actualy touch it. so sometimes I state that I don’t want any bread when ordering.

Most English peeps know about kebabs, but not about Gyros, the Greek version which is amazing, cheap and filling – especially stuffed in a pitta with some chips. Souvlaki is quality flame grilled meat on a skewer [normally pork or chicken], often served as a portion with pitta and salad and chips. I love Greek pitta, round fluffy flatbread, so much nicer than the oval pockets you get in the UK.

A bottle of beer in a restaurant in Stoupa generally costs around 3.50 Euros but out of town can be as little as 2 Euros. Don’t just go for Mythos, try Fix or Mamos or Alpha which are superior in my opinion. A half litre of house wine is generally around 3.50 Euros.

Greek Coffee

Greek coffee is rich, dark and strong. Traditionally made from very finely ground Arabica coffee beans in a slim pot known as a briki. It’s an acquired taste and I have now acquired the taste. I buy my ground coffee in Greece to take home. It’s not complicated to make, but it takes practice to make a perfect one.

To make one coffee- Here is how I make it: Heat up a small cup of cold water in your briki and stir in a couple of spoons of ground Greek coffeee with a teaspoon of sugar. [I actually prefer half a teaspoon- it’s up to you] Be patient as it starts to heat up and start to foam [see piccies below]. As soon as the foam rises pour it gently into a small cup with the foam. I don’t actually own the correct sized cup, but it still tastes fine to me. The coffee is to be savoured, not glugged. Allow the ground coffee to settle and then sip away.

Don’t drink the dregs at the bottom of your cup and don’t add any milk.