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Favorite Greek Salads - Not Horiatiki?

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GreekGirlCooks

GreekGirlCooks

Active member
I absolutely love a good horiatiki—ripe tomatoes, crisp cucumber, olives, feta, oregano... it's perfection in a bowl. But I’m looking to branch out and try some other traditional Greek salads that aren’t the classic village salad. I know horiatiki gets all the attention, but I’d love to discover some regional or lesser-known Greek salads that are just as flavorful.

Do you have any favorites you make at home or have tried while visiting Greece? I’ve heard of things like patatosalata (Greek potato salad) and maroulosalata (lettuce with scallions and dill), but I’ve never made them myself. Are there any grain-based salads, bean salads, or warm veggie versions that are worth trying?
 
There’s such a wide world of Greek salads beyond horiatiki! One of my absolute favorites is fakes salata—a warm lentil salad made with brown lentils, red onion, chopped parsley, olive oil, vinegar, and sometimes crumbled feta. It’s hearty and packed with earthy flavor.

Patatosalata is also delicious and varies by region. Some versions use olive oil, lemon, scallions, and capers—no mayo in sight! It’s bright and tangy, perfect for summer.

Revithosalata (chickpea salad) is another great option—try it with red onion, tomato, cucumber, parsley, and a dressing of olive oil, lemon, and oregano.

You might also enjoy dakos from Crete—barley rusks soaked slightly and topped with chopped tomatoes, mizithra or feta, oregano, and olives.

And for something light and green, maroulosalata with lettuce, dill, scallions, and a lemon-olive oil dressing is refreshing and so underrated.
 
GreekGirlCooks said:
I absolutely love a good horiatiki—ripe tomatoes, crisp cucumber, olives, feta, oregano... it's perfection in a bowl. But I’m looking to branch out and try some other traditional Greek salads that aren’t the classic village salad. I know horiatiki gets all the attention, but I’d love to discover some regional or lesser-known Greek salads that are just as flavorful.

Do you have any favorites you make at home or have tried while visiting Greece? I’ve heard of things like patatosalata (Greek potato salad) and maroulosalata (lettuce with scallions and dill), but I’ve never made them myself. Are there any grain-based salads, bean salads, or warm veggie versions that are worth trying?
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Have you tried a horiatiki from the cyclades featuring ksinomizithra rather than feta? Big difference!! It's my personal favorite, I can't eat it the regular way anymore!
 
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Greek cooking without a recipe?

I've been thinking about how much traditional Greek cooking relies on instinct rather than following exact recipes. Some of the Greek dishes I learned to make were taught to me by feel, with someone showing me what to do rather than measuring everything out.

I actually enjoy cooking this way, but I've noticed that it can make certain dishes difficult to recreate consistently! Sometimes everything comes together perfectly, and other times I wonder what I did differently.

I'm curious how others approach this. Did you learn Greek cooking by watching your yiayia, mother, or other relatives? Do you measure ingredients, or do you just know when something looks, smells, or tastes right?

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I love the idea of slowly cooking the meat in a rich tomato sauce with orzo until everything becomes tender and flavorful. However, I'm wondering whether lamb or beef would be the more authentic choice.

Is one traditionally preferred in certain regions of Greece? I've read that lamb is often associated with older Greek recipes, but beef seems to be very common in modern versions of giouvetsi.

I'm also curious whether the choice of meat changes the way the dish is prepared. Does lamb require different seasonings or cooking times than beef?

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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.

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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?

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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.

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What herbs do you use when making Greek stuffed zucchini?

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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?

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