Typical Greek Bread Served on the Daily Table?

[ssherie_]

I cook Greek food all the time—it's second nature by now—but I realized I haven’t really explored the full range of traditional breads we serve at the table. Aside from the usual pita and horiatiko psomi (village-style bread), I’m curious what other types are part of our broader food culture.

Are there regional breads that don’t often get mentioned outside of their area? Or specific loaves tied to certain feast days or traditions beyond the obvious ones like vasilopita or tsoureki?

I also wonder if there are old-school fasting breads or ones that were made in villages during specific seasons. I’d love to dig deeper into this aspect of our food heritage—especially the types of bread that maybe don’t get the spotlight but have been part of the Greek table for generations.

Would love to hear what breads you grew up with or still make in your family today.

 

[k_tsoukalas]

Great question! I’ve also grown up with horiatiko psomi and pita being staples, but once I started talking to relatives from different parts of Greece, I realized how rich and regional our bread culture really is. For example, in Crete, there's eptazymo, a dense, tangy bread made with chickpea starter—often tied to fasting. In the Peloponnese, some families still make lagana beyond Clean Monday, especially in more rural areas. My yiayia in Epirus used to bake a simple, olive oil-rich bread during Lent that had no yeast, just flour, salt, and herbs.