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Glossary of Greek Cuisine

by Lou Seibert Pappas

General Terms

Arni
lamb

Avgolemono
An egg and lemon mixtures used as a sauce or a soup base.

Baklava
the most famous Greek dessert, made of layers of fila pastry, chopped nuts, and a honey-flavored syrup

Bourekakia
fila puffs made with various fillings

Dolmades
grapevine leaves stuffed with rice or meat

Feta
the classic white goat cheese of Greece

Fila, filo, or phyllo
the paper-thin pastry dough essential for appetizers, entrees, and desserts.

Gouvetsi
the Greek word for casserole, or baked in the oven

Garides
shrimp

Kafes
coffee

Kalamaria
squid

Kalamata
probably the most famous Greek olive

Kasseri
creamy farm cheese with a bitey flavor

Kefalotiri
a hard, salty cheese, good for grating

Kourabiedes
butter cookies topped with powdered sugar

Mezethes
small savory appetizers

Moussaka
a layered casserole usualy made with eggplant and chopped meat, and topped with a custard sauce

Orzo
tiny melon seed-shaped pasta

Ouzo
a colorless alcoholic drink flavored with anise.

Pastitsio
a layered casserole of macaroni and chopped meat topped with a custard sauce

Pilafi
rice boiled in broth and flavored with onion and spices

Psari
fish

Retsina
white or rose wine flavored with pine resin

Rigani
oregano, an indispensable herb used in countless dishes

Skordalia
garlic sauce

Souvlakia
skewered food

Spanakopeta
spinach fila pastries

Tahini
crushed sesame seed paste

Tarama
fish roe from gtray mullet

Taramosalata
fish roe spread

Tiropita
fila stuffed with Greek cheese

Tsatziki: cucumber yogurt dip

Definitions for the following Greek cooking terms are from Steve Ettlinger's book The Restaurant Lover's Companion.

Tyria (Greek Cheeses)

Haloumi
A semisoft cheese, not very salty; usually made from sheep's milk

Kefalograviera
a mild Gruyere-type cheese; made from either sheep's or cow's milk

Manouri
a soft unsalted cheese; made from sheep's or goat's milk whey; served with fruit

Mizithra
soft and hard varieties; made from sheep's or goat's milk whey

Greek Olives

Amfissa
black and round with a nutty-sweet taste; from the central mainland of Greece

Green
large and crunchy with a mild flavor; from various Ionian islands

Cracked green
made by cracking unripe green olives, placing them in water for several weeks to remove their bitterness, then storing them in brine

Black
small, wrinkled, dry-cured olives with a very strong flavor; from the island of Thassos

Glykismata (Desserts)

Karidopeta
Single-layer, dark, moist nut cake (made with coarsely chopped walnuts or almonds) topped with a light honey/sugar syrup

Pasta Flora
a lattice-topped tart filled with apricot puree

Ravani
Golden yellow cake made with farina or semolina and topped with a light sugar/honey or orange-flavored syrup

Fenikia or Melomakarouna
Oblong, honey-dipped cookies covered with chopped nuts

Diples
Thin strips of dough tied, folded, or twisted into bows or loops and deep-fried, then dipped in a honey syrup and topped with chopped nuts

Rizogalo
creamy rice pudding with a sprinkling of cinnamon on top

Loukoumades
made-to-order deep-fried honey balls topped with honey; served warm

Galatoboureko
A custard-filled dessert made with phyllo topped with a light honey/sugar syrup

Kadaife
Shredded dough filled with chopped nuts and cinnamon and topped with a honey/sugar syrup

Koulourakia
Crisp, golden-colored, subtly sweet cookies shaped by hand; sometimes covered with sesame seeds

Note: This information was accurate when it was published. Please be sure to confirm all rates and details directly with the businesses in question before making your plans.