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blopez34

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Meeting local Greek farmers is one of the best ways to experience Greek culture and eat and try the native Greek food. Wherever you visit in Greece, you can ask around from the locals and find out where the farms are. Most people in Greece are very friendly and kind and will be willing to show you around and offer you some vegetables or olives to try.


 
In my experience Mytilene and Crete are the best islands for farm-to-table enthusiasts, but this advice is correct…just ask a local and even in the most touristed areas, you’ll find restaurants that feature local produce.

In Chania, Crete I highly recommend Dounias (just beyond the Therisso Gorge - about 45 minutes outside the city). If Stelios isn’t too busy he’ll give you a tour of his farm, but at the very least, you’ll see the daily dishes being cooked up in clay pots over open fire. Reservations are recommended for this casual, but very popular place!
 
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In my experience Mytilene and Crete are the best islands for farm-to-table enthusiasts, but this advice is correct…just ask a local and even in the most touristed areas, you’ll find restaurants that feature local produce.

In Chania, Crete I highly recommend Dounias (just beyond the Therisso Gorge - about 45 minutes outside the city). If Stelios isn’t too busy he’ll give you a tour of his farm, but at the very least, you’ll see the daily dishes being cooked up in clay pots over open fire. Reservations are recommended for this casual, but very popular place!
Agreed, Crete is the place to be. It has some of the most advanced yet traditional agriculture in all of Greece.
 
Meeting local Greek farmers is one of the best ways to experience Greek culture and eat and try the native Greek food. Wherever you visit in Greece, you can ask around from the locals and find out where the farms are. Most people in Greece are very friendly and kind and will be willing to show you around and offer you some vegetables or olives to try.


Agreed, this has been my experience in Greece, particularly on Crete because I visited a lot of farms while there. Did a Raki tasting at a farm and we pretty much had dinner there during the tasting, they had a nice spread of traditional Cretan foods to try while we were tasting. Plus, I noticed that Greeks don't seem to want people to drink without food - they always bring food over even at cafes and bars, even if I just ordered a drink. I remember my sis and I ordered cocktails at a cafe and they brought over loukoumades on the house.
 

How Much Garlic in a Batch of Tzatziki?

How much garlic do you usually put in a batch of tzatziki? I think I may be using a little too much. I usually make mine with about 2 cups of Greek yogurt and 4 cloves of garlic, along with cucumber, olive oil, and the other usual ingredients.

It tastes great when I first make it, but we usually take about three days to finish the batch. By the second or third day, the garlic flavor and smell become really strong. Some people in my household love that and don’t mind it at all, but others think it becomes a bit overpowering. I’m starting to agree that four cloves might be too much, especially since the garlic seems to get stronger as it sits.

What do you all do? How many cloves would you use for about 2 cups of Greek yogurt?

Favorite Greek Cheeses Beyond Feta

Feta gets most of the attention when people talk about Greek cheese, but there are so many other varieties worth trying. I’m curious which Greek cheeses everyone enjoys most beyond feta.

Graviera is one of my favorites because it works so well on a cheese plate, grated over dishes, or just eaten with bread. Kasseri is another one I really like, especially melted. I’ve also been interested in trying more regional cheeses like metsovone, manouri, kefalotyri, and formaela.

Some Greek cheeses seem to be much easier to find outside Greece than others, so I’d also love to know which ones people regularly buy and where they usually find them.

What Greek cheeses do you keep coming back to? Are there certain ones you associate with a particular region, dish, or family tradition? And if someone has mostly eaten feta, which Greek cheese would you recommend they try next?

What herbs do you use when making Greek stuffed zucchini?

I've been thinking about making Greek stuffed zucchini (kolokithakia gemista), and I'm curious about which herbs everyone uses in the filling. I've seen quite a few variations, and it seems like the combination of herbs can really influence the overall flavor of the dish.

Some recipes use plenty of fresh dill and parsley, while others include mint or even a little oregano. I've also noticed that some people add green onions for extra flavor. I'm wondering whether certain herbs are considered more traditional, especially when making stuffed zucchini with rice and ground meat.

Do you use a combination of herbs, or do you prefer to keep the seasoning fairly simple? Does your family have a particular recipe that has been passed down through generations?

I'm especially interested in how the herbs complement the avgolemono sauce. What combination do you think gives Greek stuffed zucchini the best flavor?

Do You Make Avgolemono Thick or Brothy?

I usually prefer avgolemono somewhere in the middle. I don’t like it so thick that it feels almost like a cream soup, but I also don’t want it completely thin and brothy. For me, the best version has enough egg and lemon to give the broth some body while still keeping it light.

A lot probably depends on what kind of avgolemono you’re making, too. In chicken soup, I like it a little more brothy because I want the rice or orzo and chicken to still stand out. With something like lahanodolmades, I don’t mind the avgolemono sauce being thicker because it is coating the food rather than serving as the soup itself.

The lemon level matters just as much as the thickness. I like enough lemon to make it bright and noticeable, but not so much that it overwhelms everything else. I think balance is really the key.

What is the secret to making really good Greek lemon potatoes?

I've been making Greek lemon potatoes for years, and it's one of those dishes I make completely by feel. I don't measure anything, and I never really thought about how I make them because it's all second nature to me.

Recently, I tried teaching someone how to make them. Everything seemed straightforward while we were cooking together, but when they went home and tried making them on their own, all kinds of things went wrong! The potatoes weren't cooking evenly, the texture wasn't quite right, and the lemon flavor didn't come through the way it should.

It made me realize how much I rely on instinct when cooking traditional Greek food. I rarely write down recipes, so explaining every little detail is harder than I expected!

For those who make Greek lemon potatoes regularly, what tips would you give someone who's just learning?
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