Greece

To the land of the great philosophers we go, but what did they actually eat? Greek cuisine has records dating back to Ancient Greek times. It later influenced food around Europe and the world.

Arguably, the first ever cookbook was written around 330 BC by Sicilian Greek poet Archestratus. His humorous poem, The Life of Luxury, (all written in verse, Gordon Ramsey needs to up his game) is a unique take on where and when the best produce can be found. This is a beautiful insight into the ancient world of cooking, as he travelled, much like we are now, to find the best food around the Mediterranean. In case you do find yourself in the area, Archestratus recommends swordfish from Byzantium and wine from Lesbos, good luck!

Greek food is simple, yet so colourful and nutritious. Ancient Greek cuisine contained the “Mediterranean triad”: wheat, olive oil and wine. Meat was not commonly consumed until recently, when meat could be more readily available. Olives and olive oil, which is what gives Greek food its distinct flavour, spread across the Mediterranean and further due to the Greek colonisation.

Greek cuisine benefited significantly from the trade links going through Constantinople. Hence, some of the flavourings in Greek cooking are used more often than other Mediterranean cuisines do, like mint, dill, cumin or coriander.

Like all other cuisines we’ve visited so far, Greek cooking has also been influenced by other countries. However, unlike other places, Greek culinary “fusion” can be traced back to 350 BC. Alexander the Great reached India and certain influences were already being absorbed into the Greek cooking. When Greece fell to Rome in 146 BC, Roman cuisine also had an impact on local cuisine.

More recently though, the Venetian and Genoese rule between the 13-18th century meant that Italian influences became more prominent. The Ottoman cuisines (like Persia, Turkish and Byzantine) also had a great influence on Greek cuisine. Dishes like meze, tzatziki, aubergine, baklava, and more appeared from that mix. In the 20th century, French chefs mixed the cuisines of Greece and France to come up with modern takes on traditional greek food.

Locals eat out often in Greece, with many establishments serving affordable home cooked meals. Interestingly, unlike in many other places where the habit of having international food has set in, Greeks largely eat local cuisine.

Koutoukaki Souvlaki

As we move further south in Europe, we start our journey back west through the Mediterranean countries and our options for eateries are increasing. Koutoukaki Souvlaki came as a recommendation, and is a traditional Greek-Cyprian restaurant, serving ever changing, seasonally inspired small plates.

Arriving at Koutoukaki Souvlaki, it looks like a small take away establishment, but walking through it, there is plenty of lovely seating outside. A small area with half a dozen tables, and perfect for a hot summer's day. The walls around us were filled with black and white pictures of famous Greek artists, one wall was for the movies, the other for music. The bonus of eating outside was that it added to the Mediterranean atmosphere of eating in the fresh air.

Koutoukaki Souvlaki gets top marks for authenticity both with food and staff. Our waitress didn't really speak English, but luckily this time our party included a Greek, which made the ordering easier. The staff were really welcoming, even though there was a slight miscommunication on the booking time. They even brought us some homemade feta cheese, which was some of the best feta we’ve ever had; it was filling, but impossible to stop eating.

Our Greek friend was also able to confirm the menu contained many dishes that you would actually see in Greece. Such as the gyros, which is a popular Greek dish, often considered fast food. Another tip we gleaned is that the Greek drink beer with their meal. The suggestion of having wine was scoffed at by our Greek party member.

We made the most of the starters and ordered half a dozen different ones for the table, so we could share. You can never go wrong with halloumi cheese, but the courgette balls were definitely the highlight. They were absolutely delicious; even the people who don’t like courgettes are in agreement with this. The main dishes didn’t disappoint either, with the portion sizes beating most people at the table, especially the rather huge club gyros. The meat was well cooked and seasoned excellently, accompanied with fresh sides and lovely pitta.

We would say the prices for Koutoukaki Souvlaki were really good, especially taking into account the amount of food that we got.

Overall, Koutoukaki Souvlaki proved to be one of the highlights of our tour so far. It had the right combination of many parts that made the whole so enjoyable. Large amounts of tasty authentically Greek food, a lovely atmosphere, friendly staff and a great collection of people joining in the evening.

Recommendations

While we are only able to go to one place per country, we want to share with you some other awesome places we found/got recommended if you want to try it out and let us know

• Holy Pitta, N1 0NY - Gyros, wraps, skewers & other Mediterranean favorites
• Andy’s Greek Taverna, NW1 0BG - Comes at the top of many top 10 lists for Greek restaurants