Greek Food
Greek cuisine is a Mediterranean cuisine. Contemporary Greek cookery makes wide use of vegetables, olive oil, grains, fish, wine and meat. Other important ingredients include olives, pasta, cheese, lemon juice, herbs, bread and yoghurt. The most commonly used grain is wheat; barley is also used. Common dessert ingredients include nuts, honey, fruits and filo pastries.
It is strongly influenced by Ottoman cuisine and, especially in the cuisine of Anatolian Greeks, shares foods such as baklava, tzatziki, gyros, moussaka, dolmades and keftedes with neighbouring countries. To an even greater extent, it is influenced by Italian cuisine and cuisines from other neighbouring southern European countries.
Speciality dishes that are particular to Rhodes include
- Pitaroudia - chick pea fritters
- Makarounes - Handmade pasta
- Lakani - slow cooked goat or lamb
- Giaprakia - Stuffed vine leaves
- Seafood - Grilled octopus, calamari, sea bream
Not forgetting the old favourites of moussaka, taramasalata, calamari, fresh fish, octopus and, of course, Greek salad, full of the flavours of summer.
Wine & Drinks
Wine production on Rhodes goes back more than 2,000 years. In antiquity, Rhodian amphorae were traded throughout the Mediterranean, and the island was considered an important wine-exporting center.
Today, Rhodes produces a mix of:
- crisp dry whites
- aromatic wines
- robust reds
- sweet Muscat wines
The island’s warm climate, sea breezes, and higher-elevation inland vineyards help shape its style.
The best vineyards are generally inland at higher elevation, where nights are cooler.
Important wine-growing areas include:
- Embonas
- Siana
- Apollona
These villages on the slopes of Mount Attavyros are central to Rhodian wine culture.
However, on a hot day, it is much better to stick with a bottle of water, which can be bought from kiosks, mini markets or shops and is thirst-quenching and cheap.
A good alternative on a hot day is a fresh juice, with fruit picked from the tree there and then, or a nice cold Greek beer.