“Mezedes” is the Greek equivalent of mezze in Middle Eastern countries. These are small dishes served simultaneously, similar to Spanish tapas. They can be taken both as an appetizer and as a main course, and are usually accompanied with ouzo or raki. Hundreds of dishes can be counted in this category, but I have chosen here the 25 that I consider to be the most common and that are my favourites.
(Photo: Greek salad with Oia, Santorini as a background).
Good travelers know this rule very well: avoid the touristic restaurants and find the ones where the locals go. And above all, do not stop at those whose menu is translated into multiple languages and with photos of each dish. And in case this plan gets complicated when visiting Greece, always have this guide of typical mezedes on hand!
Alphabetical guide to the most common Greek mezedes
Bouyourdi: baked feta cheese with tomato, pepper and olive oil, eventually with onions and olives too.
Chtapodi: octopus. The tentacles are usually first boiled and then finished on the coals, and served either alone or accompanied by fava.
Dakos: consists of double-baked bread (a typical Cretan speciality) with tomato, olive oil and Mizythra cheese.
Dolmadakia: wine leaves stuffed with rice and herbs, sometimes also with ground meat.
Elies: olives. The most common are the Kalamata and Koroneiki types.
Fava: yellow split beans puree. There is a type of fava with a designation of origin from the island of Santorini, which is only found there.
Garides: prawns. Of special mention are those known as “Symi prawns”. They are small and are fried and whole.
Gavros / Maridaki: small fried fish. In English they are usually called under the generic name of “baitfish”, since they are used by fishermen for that purpose.
Halloumi: typical cheese from Cyprus, resistant to cooking, for which it’s usually eaten grilled. Other cheeses that are also ideal for grilling are Mastelo and Talagani.
Hochli: a snail stew, typical of the island of Crete.
Horiatiki salata: the famous “Greek salad”, with tomato, cucumber, green pepper, onion, olives, feta cheese and olive oil.
Kalamarakia: battered and deep-fried squid rings.
Keftedes: meatballs or fritters. The similar Turkish term köfte generally refers to meat balls, but in Greece we can find revithokeftedes (made from chickpea), kolokithokeftedes (from zucchini), tomatokeftedes (from tomato, a Santorini specialty), etc.
Lakerda: bonito (tuna) marinated in olive oil. It’s a difficult preparation to find all year round and on all the islands. If it’s of good quality and fresh, it should have a reddish color and not be very salty. If the color is pale or greyish, the product is canned.
Loukaniko: regional sausage of pork, beef or lamb and various spices.
Melitsanosalata: eggplant puree cooked on the coals and seasoned with different spices.
Pita: Greek flat bread.
Saganaki: slice of cheese, usually feta, pan-fried. The term can also refer to a main ingredient cooked with cheese, such as garides saganaki (prawns with feta cheese).
Skordaliá: garlic spread, thickened with mashed potatoes or bread.
Souvlaki: “brochette” of meat or chicken.
Spanakópita: The suffix -pita does not refer to pita bread, but to a phyllo pastry, while the first part refers to the main ingredient of the preparation. Spanakópita is probably the most common and means spinach pie; spanakotirópita: spinach and cheese pie; kasserópita: Kasseri cheese pie; etc
Talagani: delicious cheese cut into round slices, which is usually served on the coals and accompanied by tomato jam.
Taramasalata: mashed fish roe spread, thickened with bread or potato and olive oil.
Tyrokafteri: Feta cheese spread with Greek yogurt, chili, and extra virgin olive oil.
Tzatziki: Greek yogurt spread, with cucumber, garlic, lemon and olive oil. Along with skordaliá, it is the most popular and versatile dressing or spread.
Bonus: at a table with different mezedes dishes you should not miss ouzo, raki, tsipouro or tsikoudia. These are typical spirits that are similar in essence, although ouzo has a characteristic aroma and flavor of anise. It is also mandatory to try some mastikha liquor, an incredible product that exists only on the island of Chios.