Favorite Greek Food You Grew Up With?

[kcixcy]

I’ve been thinking lately about the Greek foods that were just part of everyday life growing up — the things that showed up on the table without much discussion, but somehow became the strongest memories. For me, it wasn’t always the big holiday dishes. It was the simple stuff: baked casseroles, roasted meats, lemon potatoes, lentil soup, bread with olive oil, things like that.

Now that I’m older, I realize how much those foods were tied to family routines and culture, not just taste. Some of them I still make. Some I haven’t had in years.

I’m curious what others grew up eating regularly. What dishes were normal in your house? Anything specific to your family’s region or traditions?

 

[k_tsoukalas]

I completely relate to this. When I think back on the food I grew up with, it’s not the big holiday dishes that come to mind first either. It’s the everyday meals that just appeared on the table without much discussion. In our house, things like lentil soup, fasolada, and roasted chicken with lemon potatoes were very normal during the week.

Another dish that showed up often was briam in the summer when vegetables were plentiful. It was just a pan of roasted zucchini, potatoes, tomatoes, and olive oil, but it always tasted incredible with a piece of bread on the side.

There was also almost always bread, olive oil, and sometimes olives on the table no matter what the main dish was.

Looking back now, those meals feel tied to family routines more than anything. They were simple foods, but they created a rhythm that still feels very Greek to me today.