Greeks …out to have lunch

We tend to think of Greece as a place where the weather is always sunny and people are happy. Greeks are helpful and hospitable, but also quite reserved with foreigners. Families often go out to have dinner in various restaurants which specialise in meat or fish dishes. Dinners usually consist of many courses and dessert is served automatically at the end, even if we did not order one. It is generally yoghurt with honey and nuts after meat dishes and seasonal fruits with cinnamon after fish. Greek cuisine is not as homogeneous as we tend to believe. Sea food is dominant on the islands and the seaside, while simpler dishes made from lamb are more popular in the mountains. . Greeks eat a lot of fruit and vegetables. They always use olive oil for cooking and frying and olives are consumed frequently. There are over 50 methods for treating and flavouring olives. Gyros is a typically Greek food. It is a mistake to think that it’s made from lamb or goat, because it is generally made from pork. Marjoram is a very popular spice used for practically everything. Salads and savoury dishes have a very important place in Greek cuisine. Dzadziki is probably the best known among these. The yoghurt used for dzadziki is different from our yoghurt, with a lot more fat in it and it is made from lamb or goat milk. Aubergine is also used for making a wide variety of dishes, like mousaka.