I’m starting a series on Greek food, which I will add to as we travel around the country. I hadn’t eaten a lot of authentic Greek food prior to the trip. What I had eaten was very meat heavy, so I was very surprised when I got there to find that vegetables was a major part of their diet, and what we thought as ‘Greek’ (lamb on a spit, moussaka etc etc) was actually reserved more for special occasions. We were staying with a colleague of my husband’s, so luckily we had a local to show us how to eat Greek-style.

The appetiser is very important to Greeks, perhaps even more than the main course! It’s when the dips, cheeses, simply prepared veges, and other assorted nimbles came out.

Eggplant dip.

Meatballs.

Boiled greens with olive oil and lemon. The greens were apparently a kind of dandelion! Well, they were as good as any spinach or silverbeet, so why not.

Coleslaw, Macedonian style.

Hubby’s favourite – grilled banana chillies!

Our overall favourite – sesame and honey glazed grilled feta.

Served with some bread, it’s actually a meal in itself. The mains were mostly charcoal grilled meats, again prepared quite simply, and served with assorted carbs.

Chicken souvlaki with fried potatoes and rice.

Pork chop with chips and rice.

Sometimes we found something different. Lamb, tomato and risoni casserole was particularly good.