What is Greek Food, Then?
Defined broadly, Greek food is any ingenious way of making a simple meal using lots of fresh vegetables, lamb, fish, chicken, Feta cheese, olives, capers, and tomatoes. Herbs and spices generally include oregano, dill, fennel, bay leaves, cinnamon, allspice, and nutmeg. Greek cuisine relies on the tastes of the freshest produce available. There are also subcategories of Greek cuisine: cooking in large casseroles, stews, grilled meat and seafood specialties, and filo items (pites). Each type of cooking is represented by a specialty restaurant. Greeks specialize in pre-prepared casserole items (Moussaka, Pastitsio, vegetables stuffed with rice), which are plated out at a moment’s notice. Psistaries serve only grilled meats, which are ordered by the kilo for large parties. Pites, filo pastry pies stuffed with greens, are generally bought from bakeries and eaten on the run.
