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nadellii

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Mezze is the ultimate Greek style of eating. If you didn’t know, mezze is similar to Spanish tapas. It’s when you order smaller plates for everyone at the table to share. Personally, my favorite mezze is fried calamari. You really can’t go wrong with it! What about you?
 
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fried calamari on its own does not make a mezze.you need at least 6 plates of different items.say cheese balls, meat balls, stuffed vine leaves, gigantes, fried fetta cheese & olives.
 
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The Greek ouzo meze is part of the drinking experience as it helps you drink ouzo or raki without getting intoxicated. More about the meze below. Yes, you need more that 5 items to make a meze. In the past, when I was young, I remember a tiny plate with cheese, meatball, sardine, tomato, cucumber, bread and olive (for my grandfather's ouzaki). https://www.thegreekvibe.com/the-greek-meze-its-story/
 
Saganaki me meli kai sousami (Saganaki with honey and sesame).

Kalamaria is probably a close second.
 
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Saganaki me meli kai sousami (Saganaki with honey and sesame).

Kalamaria is probably a close second.
Is saganaki with honey and sesame popular all over Greece? I haven't seen it in every restaurant as I do plain saganaki
 
Is saganaki with honey and sesame popular all over Greece? I haven't seen it in every restaurant as I do plain saganaki
Yes, it can be found all over. Most restaurants will have it on the menu.
 
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Mezze is the ultimate Greek style of eating. If you didn’t know, mezze is similar to Spanish tapas. It’s when you order smaller plates for everyone at the table to share. Personally, my favorite mezze is fried calamari. You really can’t go wrong with it! What about you?
Mezze is the ultimate Greek style of eating. If you didn’t know, mezze is similar to Spanish tapas. It’s when you order smaller plates for everyone at the table to share. Personally, my favorite mezze is fried calamari. You really can’t go wrong with it! What about you?
Spanakopeta, fava, loukaniko, ...all are good and delicious.
 
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Yesss loukaniko is the best!! Especially when it’s made fresh at the butcher.
Spanakopeta, fava, loukaniko, ...all are good and delicious.
 
Mezze is the ultimate Greek style of eating. If you didn’t know, mezze is similar to Spanish tapas. It’s when you order smaller plates for everyone at the table to share. Personally, my favorite mezze is fried calamari. You really can’t go wrong with it! What about you?
Anything that involves olives or octopus! Also, I sometimes enjoy loukoumades. Sometimes in bars/cafes in Greece they bring over loukoumades when you order a cocktail. Yummy!
 

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 is your favorite Greek potato dish?

Potatoes show up in so many Greek meals, and I think they are often at their best when they soak up plenty of olive oil, lemon, herbs, and cooking juices.

Greek lemon potatoes are probably the first thing that comes to mind for me. I love when they are roasted until they are soft inside, a little crisp around the edges, and full of lemon and oregano. Potatoes cooked alongside chicken or lamb are also hard to beat because they absorb so much flavor from the pan.

I also enjoy simple boiled potatoes dressed with olive oil, lemon, parsley, and salt, especially with fish or grilled meat.

What Greek potato dish do you make most often? Do you prefer lemon potatoes, potatoes roasted with meat, fried potatoes, or something else? And is there a particular seasoning or family method that makes your version especially good?

Is lamb or beef more traditional for giouvetsi?

I've been looking into traditional Greek giouvetsi recipes lately, and I'm curious about which meat is considered the most traditional. I've seen recipes that use lamb, others that call for beef, and even some that use chicken.

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?

For those familiar with traditional Greek cooking, which version do you prefer, and which would you recommend trying first?

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.

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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