Greek salad: ingredients, history, interesting facts. The history of the origin of Greek salad

Not a single trip abroad is complete without getting to know the national cuisine. If we talk about sunny Hellas, then Greek salad is beyond competition. Food is prepared in every corner of the planet, both according to the traditional recipe for the classic Greek salad, and with new variations.

The article is devoted to the culinary masterpiece, which is so loved by all countries of the world. In the material, we will highlight the history of the appearance of the dish, talk about what products are included in the Greek salad and tell the secrets of local chefs. We will also give a dozen delicious recipes for vegetable dishes, so there will be no questions left about how to properly prepare a Greek salad on your own at home.

Vegetable salads are not uncommon in our time, so it's hard to believe that many of them were invented not so long ago. So, it is generally accepted that the birthplace of the current Greek salad is Ancient Hellas. Allegedly, almost the Olympic Gods were the first to know the taste of a dish of fresh juicy vegetables. Legends for tourists are made up everywhere, but history cannot be deceived and cannot be rewritten: the facts say that the origin of the now famous Greek salad chronologically dates back no earlier than the middle of the 19th century.

During this period, tomato consumption begins in Greece: tomatoes were imported into the country only in 1818. Until that time, the Greeks did not even know about such a vegetable, and after the import, tomatoes were grown as ornamental plants - the fruits of tomatoes were considered poisonous. But already 8 years later, by 1825, the use of tomatoes for food spread everywhere. Consequently, only from this time mark could a delicious vegetable Greek salad begin to exist, in which the tomato is one of the main ingredients.

The savvy of an emigrant

The first legend says that the ingredients and method of preparing Greek salad were invented quite by accident.

Allegedly in 1909, a Greek emigrant was returning home from America. The reason was more than weighty: the sister called the man to her son's wedding. Without thinking twice, the "American" got ready and went to congratulate his beloved nephew on such a significant event. On the way, the man had a terrible toothache: the pills dulled the pain, but did not completely eliminate the disease.

And so the guest arrived at the wedding with sincere congratulations and a persistent toothache. As usual, in honor of the arrival, a sumptuous table with rustic dishes was laid. Over the years of his life in America, the man terribly missed Greek products, but now the aching tooth prevented him from fully enjoying the desired treat.

Note that in those days nothing was slaughtered in the Greek villages. Tomatoes, cucumbers and sweet onions were simply bitten off: just like apples or peaches are eaten today. Cheese was also eaten with a thin flatbread. But because of a tooth, it was unpleasant and painful for an emigrant to bite food, so the man decided to break the food into large pieces. He took an earthenware bowl and shredded all the vegetables in it, placing a wide layer of cheese on top and dousing everything for greater softness with olive oil.

Having tried a spoonful of the resulting mixture, the man was so delighted that he even almost forgot about the toothache. He offered to try the miracle of cooking to his sister: she was also impressed by the unusual taste of the dish. The dish was so liked that it was prepared for the wedding table. The guests of the celebration were delighted and asked the hostess for a recipe for a hitherto unseen culinary masterpiece. And so the flattering reviews about the Greek salad spread around the world, which, by the way, is still cut into large chunks. And in Greece itself, this dish was given the name χωριάτικη σαλάτα (pronounced HoriAtiki salad), which means “village salad”.

tourism boom

However, there is an opinion that only a person closely associated with cooking could come up with a very tasty Greek salad, because. products match perfectly. The legend about the savvy emigrant is just a fiction that entertains tourists.

Indeed, the benefits and taste of Greek salad began to be cultivated in the 60-70s of the XX century. It was then that the first wave of tourist boom came to post-war Athens. Thousands of travelers went to see the cradle of the ancient civilization, but the country's infrastructure was not yet ready for such increased demand.

Hotels, taverns and cafes were crowded with tourists. Chefs literally did not leave the stove for days on end, fulfilling continuously incoming orders. But still there were those who were dissatisfied, who were disgusted by the long wait for dishes. Then one of the chefs came up with something to entertain tourists while waiting for a hot dish - he quickly shredded the vegetables, added cheese and olive oil for a delicate taste, garnished his recipe with lettuce leaves and ordered it to be served as a "dish of the day from the chef."

The success of the new recipe has been overwhelming! Every tourist wanted to try a dish of traditional Greek products, and the simplicity of preparation allowed the chefs to feed customers and save time for other dishes. Since then, Horiatiki Salad has been on the menu of any Greek restaurant.

And even later, when a healthy lifestyle came into fashion everywhere, the beneficial properties found in Greek salad played a significant role in popularizing the dish. Fresh vegetables seasoned with olive oil and sour-milk cheese are just a storehouse of vitamins and nutrients. And this is not all that Horiatiki (Greek salad) is useful for: thanks to the properties of the products, the dish prevents vascular diseases, gastrointestinal tract, the development of diabetes and obesity, and also contributes to the rapid recovery of damage to the body.

Thus, several factors played a role in the spread of the Greek recipe around the world:

  • available ingredients;
  • ease of preparation;
  • delicate and unusual taste of the dish;
  • health benefits of greek salad.

It is also important that thousands of tourists visit Greece every year, who, upon returning home, talk about their impressions, popularize Greek culture and culinary traditions.

Making Greek salad at home does not require a long search for rare delicacies. The composition of the dish is extremely simple: all the ingredients for the Greek salad can be collected in the nearest supermarket in 5 minutes. But if possible, it is better to buy components for Greek salad from farmers: natural vegetables, carefully grown in the garden, are tastier than agricultural products from large suppliers.

So, what is included in the Greek salad, which is called “Rustic” at home? Yes, everything that is usually put on the dining table by the inhabitants of any village in Greece. Namely:

  • tomatoes;
  • cucumbers;
  • bell pepper;
  • sweet onion;
  • pitted olives;
  • Chees Feta.

In addition, more spices are added to the Greek salad with cheese and olives: salt, pepper, and oregano. There are a couple more subtleties in how to cook Greek salad. So, for beauty, the products included in the Greek salad are placed on lettuce leaves, and for a rich taste, the mixture is poured with a special fill. In the usual recipe, Greek salad is seasoned with olive oil or lemon juice, but there are also refined options.

Greek salad dressing

So, an integral part of every Greek salad is filling with spices.

The classic recipe is based on olive oil, which is mixed with lemon juice or vinegar. But over the years, the Greek dish has acquired many filling variations. For example, salad dressing can be made with soy sauce, white wine, or orange zest. Apple cider vinegar and red pomegranate juice will add a tart taste to vegetables, and Greek honey, diluted with olive oil and mustard, will add notes of sweetness to the salad.

For a spicy taste, spices and herbal spices are added to the salad dressing. In the classics, they prefer to use oregano and basil, but there are no restrictions for homemade recipes. Housewives add pepper, thyme, parsley, garlic, salt and other spices to the dressing. It all depends on the choice of the chef and the taste preferences of the guests.

And we also note that, although the serving of the cooked Greek salad occurs immediately before use, it is advisable to leave the filling for it for several hours. During this time, the spices will infuse, and give the sauce a unique aroma and rich taste.

Preparing Greek Salad

When you want to make a new dish, questions immediately arise about the recipe, time and cooking stages. Therefore, we propose to disassemble the preparation of Greek salad step by step. We will tell you in detail how much and what you need to take, how to cut a Greek salad and how to season it. But since the composition of the products that are put in the Greek salad depends on the cooking recipe, we offer to analyze the different options for the dish.

Classic recipe

Classic is the fastest and easiest Greek salad recipe. It will take a standard set of ingredients and 15 minutes of time.

Also do not forget to prepare salt, pepper and dried herbs for the Greek salad. We’ll make a reservation right away that with individual intolerance, you can cook a Greek salad without onions or without pepper, but you yourself understand that then the dish will lose its classic taste.

So, the composition of the products is selected - we proceed to cooking. To begin with, the vegetables must be washed, dried with paper towels and cut into large slices, as Greek salad has been done for centuries. Cut the tomatoes in half, and then divide each slice in half again. Cucumbers are cut into thick semicircles, onions into rings, and bell peppers into strips. We put all the vegetables in a salad bowl and add whole olives to them. The Greek classic salad recipe involves the addition of pitted olives, but pitted olives can also be used.

The salad is almost ready, it remains to prepare the dressing and add the cheese. For pouring, mix olive oil, squeezed lemon juice and spices: ground pepper, salt and Greek oregano. We season the vegetables and put the cheese in the salad. There are two ways to do this: cut the feta into cubes, or simply put a layer of cheese on top.

The dish is ready! You can invite "Greeks" to the table and surprise them with homemade Greek salad.

Changing the classics

Not a single recipe is reproduced exactly by chefs: everyone brings a bit of their vision into the preparation, creating, in fact, a slightly different dish. Horiatiki also got a lot of options: some make Greek salad by adding green salad directly to vegetables, others make Greek salad without olives (olives), and still others manage to cook Greek salad without cucumbers at all!

How many people - so many opinions and tastes, and each of them has the right to exist. Therefore, do not limit your imagination and do not strive to do everything strictly according to the classics. Let the traditional Greek salad be prepared with bell pepper and olive oil, but if these ingredients are not to your taste, make the Greek salad in your own way: without pepper and with vegetable oil. And if you don’t like large cuts, cut the vegetables into cubes, and the Greek salad will become much tastier for you.

Replacing feta cheese

Of course, to prepare a Greek salad the way it is prepared in Greece, you need to have the same products on hand. It is clear that we have no less tomatoes, cucumbers and peppers, and finding sweet onions is not a problem. But the cheese that is added to the Greek salad is difficult to acquire, if only because it is produced only in Greece. The country has officially patented the Feta brand and does not allow any global company to use the original recipe and name.

But it is the cheese that gives the Greek salad a delicate creamy taste. Of course, real Feta can be found in specialized stores, but it is still available to a small part of the population. Therefore, there is nothing else left but to replace Greek cheese with a similar Russian product. There are several options available to our hostesses:

  • Fetax;
  • Sirtaki;
  • Mozzarella;
  • tofu;
  • Adyghe cheese;
  • Cheese;
  • Suluguni.

Each of the cheeses is characterized by its own flavor, as described in the next article. So even without Feta you can make, if not 100% Horiatiki, then certainly a delicious salad with vegetables and cheese based on Greek motives.

Add meat or fish

A little higher, we have already listed what was included in the classic Greek salad, and mentioned that you can safely change the composition of the dish.

So, lovers of hearty and high-calorie dishes can add Greek meat ingredients to the salad. Usually it is chicken, which goes well with vegetables, beef or ham. And you should not be skeptical about such recipes: if you are already preparing a Greek salad without cucumbers and peppers, then why not add meat for a change. Moreover, in Greek taverns, ordering a traditional Greek salad rarely goes without a delicious meat side dish.

In general, Horiatiki goes well with side dishes, so you can experiment with the dish as much as you like. So, sometimes seafood is put in a Greek salad: cod, crab meat, shrimp, salmon or trout. In this case, the calorie content of the food also increases.

But the opposite is also true: if we have a diet, or just a preference for vegetarian food, then we prepare a lean Greek salad with a minimum of fat. It is enough to replace high-calorie Feta with dietary Tofu and not overdo it with the addition of olive oil.

Greek salad - top 10 recipes

All of the above suggests that housewives do not always have to cook Greek salad according to the classics. Who, if not cooks, knows that the same taste of a dish quickly becomes boring, and the recipe for a traditional Greek salad is no exception. Therefore, we offer original options and ideas for Greek salad for cooking at home.

Layered Greek salad with shrimps

This recipe is suitable for those who are thinking how to make a Greek salad at home for a holiday or family reunion. To prepare the dish, you will need the following ingredients:

  • Artichokes - 400 gr.;
  • Sweet onion - 0.5 pcs.;
  • Tomatoes - 2 pcs;
  • Fresh cucumber - 2 pcs. ;
  • lettuce leaves- 300 gr.;
  • Olives- 1 can (seedless);
  • Feta - 200 gr.;
  • Shrimps - 300 gr;
  • Cherry and Pepperoncini peppers, chopped - 1 tbsp each;
  • Natural yogurt - 200 gr.;
  • Mayonnaise - 100 gr.;
  • Lemon juice - 1 tbsp;
  • Dill - 1 tbsp;
  • Vegetable oil - 1 tbsp;
  • Spices and seasonings - to taste.

Let's prepare the filling first. Mix yogurt, mayonnaise, lemon juice and add dill. Let the sauce sit in the refrigerator.

We cut the vegetables and lay out our Greek salad in layers. Lay lettuce leaves on the bottom, then layers of artichokes, tomatoes and peppers. The salad is topped with diced cheese, olives and onion rings. Salt can be added if desired, but the flavor imparted by pickles to a Greek salad is usually sufficient. Cover the dish with a lid and put it in the refrigerator for several hours.

And just before a festive lunch or dinner, we begin to fry shrimp (previously sprinkled with spices). Enough for 1 minute on each side. We take out our salad, decorate with shrimp, add dressing and serve. Enjoy your meal!

Greek salad with cheese

And this dish resembles a Shopska salad, with the only difference being that the Greek version is a salad with olives. We give the composition of the products and the technology of preparation.

Ingredients
Tomatoes cucumbers Onion Brynza Bulgarian pepper Olives
2-3 pcs.

(or "Cherry" 300 gr)

2-3 pcs. 1 PC. 150 gr. Large, 1 pc. 150 gr.
Fill: vegetable oil (2 tablespoons), lemon juice (2 tablespoons), oregano (10-15 gr.), salt, pepper, spices (to taste).
Cooking steps
1. Wash and cut vegetables: in a Greek salad, tomatoes should be cut into large slices, cucumbers into thick rounds, onions and peppers into half rings. Cheese is cut into cubes, olives are allowed to be put whole or cut lengthwise.

2. Put everything in a salad bowl, pepper and salt to taste.

Choriatiki with chicken and avocado

Taverns often serve Greek salad with hot meat or fish side dishes. In this recipe, we propose to combine meat with vegetables in one dish. And also move away from the classics and cook a Greek salad with avocados, without peppers and cucumbers.

Ingredients:

  • Chicken - 1.5 kg;
  • Tomatoes - 4 pcs.;
  • Green salad - 2 heads;
  • Avocado - 2 pcs.;
  • Feta - 200 gr.;
  • Green onion - 100 gr.;
  • Olives - 100 gr.;
  • Lemon juice - 3 tablespoons;
  • Olive oil - 5 tablespoons;
  • Oregano, mint, parsley - 1 tsp each

Wash, chop and fry the chicken. Chop lettuce and tomatoes into large pieces. Cut the onion feathers together with the white part. Place all ingredients in one salad bowl. Wash the avocado, remove the pit, cut the fruit into cubes and pour over the lemon juice.

In a separate plate, break the cheese with your hands, and sprinkle it with dried spices. Prepare filling. Beat olive oil and lemon juice, add pepper and salt to taste. Pour the infused cheese to the vegetables and chicken, mix the salad and pour everything with the prepared dressing. Top the serving with greens and a slice of lemon.

Greek Salad with Tofu

Classic recipe, free from extra calories. We take the usual list of ingredients and replace the sweet onion with onion and Feta cheese with Tofu cheese. The cooking sequence is the usual: cut the vegetables, prepare the dressing, mix everything and spread the cheese on top. The result is a light Greek salad according to a classic recipe.

Greek salad with pasta (macaroni)

Grocery list
Pasta Tomatoes Olives Red bell pepper Feta green onion Olive oil Wine
300 gr. 500 gr. 1 can 1 PC. 150 gr. 50 gr. 120 ml. 120 ml.
Spices: garlic 2 cloves, dry oregano (1.5 tsp), dry basil (1.5 tsp), ground pepper (0.5 tsp), salt (0.5 tsp) , sugar (0.5 tsp)
Cooking steps
1. Cook pasta, drain water, let cool.

2. In a separate large saucepan, set on low heat, mix olive oil, vinegar and spices. Stir, bring to the desired condition and turn off the fire.

3. Put the pasta in the prepared filling, add chopped vegetables there, mix everything.

4. Cover with a lid and send to infuse in the refrigerator. The salad is ready to eat in 2 hours, but if you leave it overnight, the taste of the dish will become even richer.

And this recipe involves not only new ingredients for Greek salad, but also an unusual way of cooking.

Greek salad in lavash

An unusual treat for the table is a Greek salad wrapped in a simple pita bread. The salad is prepared according to the classic recipe, only it is not laid out in a common salad bowl, but wrapped in pita bread in portions.

Salad "Greek motives" with crab meat

And this is a step-by-step recipe for Greek salad cooked with crab meat. We will need olives, crab meat or sticks, sour cream, lemon and fresh vegetables: Bulgarian pepper (1 pc.), Cucumbers (2 pcs.), Tomatoes (2 pcs.) And green onions (100 gr.).

We cut all the ingredients, mix in a salad bowl, season with sour cream, salt and pepper to taste. For piquancy, drip lemon juice on top and decorate with a sprinkle of green onions. Bright and delicious Greek salad is ready!

Greek salad on croutons

Another way to make Greek salad at home and serve it in an unusual way.

We start cooking with croutons. While the oven is preheating, chop the garlic and mix it with olive oil. Lubricate the slices of bread with the prepared filling and put on a baking sheet. Bake the bread for 2-3 minutes (until crispy), take out, grease again with oil and leave to reach in the oven.

At this time, we are preparing a Greek salad according to the classics: we cut the vegetables, pour them with oil, decorate with olives and Feta cubes. The final touch remains - put the croutons on a large dish and spoon the chopped Greek salad onto them. Sprinkle the finished snack with sesame seeds, pine nuts and serve.

Greek salad with shrimp and yogurt dressing

Not only on the basis of olive oil there are recipes for the most delicious Greek salad. For example, a delicious dish with green salad leaves, boiled shrimp and yogurt dressing.

Ingredients:

  • Romaine lettuce - 1 head;
  • Feta - 200 gr.;
  • Shrimps - 500 gr.;
  • Cucumber - 1 pc.;
  • Tomatoes - 2 pcs.;
  • Olives - 150 gr.;
  • Yogurt - 200 gr.;
  • Lemon juice - 2 tablespoons;
  • Salt, pepper, garlic - to taste.

We load cheese into a blender, pour yogurt and lemon juice, add garlic, salt and pepper and grind. Cut the cucumber, add the shrimp and season with the remaining yogurt. Put the mixture from the blender on portioned plates, add shrimp with cucumber on top, decorate with olives and tomato. The dish is ready!

Greek squid salad

According to reviews, the recipe for Greek salad with squid and potatoes is also good.

Shred tomatoes, bell peppers, carrots and boiled potatoes. Squids are boiled and finely chopped into a cooked Greek salad. Pour vegetable oil, lemon juice and sour cream into a salad bowl. Mix, add seasonings and sprinkle with herbs. Ready!

How beautiful to serve a Greek salad

Above in the recipes, we have already mentioned ways to serve Greek salad beautifully and unusually. But there are other options as well.

Chefs go crazy as soon as possible: the salad is served in a boat of bell peppers, lettuce or in an avocado peel. They also build turrets from vegetables, separating each layer with a Feta cube. Salad is often served with bread or in pita bread.

In any case, Greek salad is consumed immediately after cooking, because. fresh vegetables do not keep for a long time. The only exception is the "hot" version of the salad.

Bon appetit and see you soon!

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Classmates

“Horiatiki” (“Horiatiki”) is the original name of the favorite southern dish, in translation it means something like the phrase “there is nowhere easier”.

And this name of the dish is not accidental, because the history of Greek salad, in fact, as well as the technology of its preparation, are quite simple.

The treat that we prepare for a special occasion was previously made by ordinary peasants for dinner, but it only benefited from such a non-aristocratic origin.

Greek salad: the history of creation

Version #1: The Legend of the Greek Emigrant

Salad, which many of us consider exquisite and festive, used to be called nothing more than “village”. And this is not surprising, because the recipe for the now popular dish, according to one of the legends, was invented by the peasants. Although it is impossible to say that it was invented on purpose, rather, it simply arose by chance.

According to legend, Greek salad appeared in 1909, thanks to a Greek immigrant who grew up among peasants and from childhood adored olives, olive oil, Greek feta cheese and various fresh vegetables. All these products were an integral part of the peasant diet, and over time became the constant content of the Horiatiki salad.

Over time, the man emigrated to America and lived there for a long time, until one day, by the will of fate, he had a chance to return to his homeland. On the way from distant America to sunny Greece, the man had a toothache, and although he calmed the pain a little with aniseed vodka, nevertheless, he could not completely get rid of the unpleasant pain.

Once finally in his native land, the first thing he wanted to do was taste all the goodies that he had been used to since childhood. But since it was difficult for him to fully bite the food because of the pain, he came up with a cunning and at the same time simple way - to chop his favorite foods coarsely into a salad. It is easy to guess which food components were included in the classic recipe for a southern dish.

He and his family liked the resulting salad so much that the next day the emigrant's sister prepared an appetizer for the wedding table on the occasion of her son's marriage. The guests, having tried a new treat, were delighted, since then, the dish has not left the diet of the Greeks.

What's more, the recipe has spread all over the world - and now an exquisite Greek salad (whose history, as you can see, is quite simple) is served in many restaurants around the world. However, this origin of Greek salad is nothing more than a legend.

Version #2: Greek appetizer invented for tourists

More plausible is the version that Horiatiki was invented in the 60-70s of the twentieth century in the taverns of the historic district of Athens, especially for tourists.

In order to treat vacationers with some simple, tasty, summer dish that would be quickly prepared and did not require special expenses, tavern chefs invented a recipe for Greek salad that was unique at that time.

The idea brought success to the creators, and therefore the dish quickly became popular and very soon turned into a national culinary "symbol" of Greece. Origin of Olivier salad How to make a delicious Greek salad

Greek salad: the history of the origin of the composition of the dish

Over the years of the existence of the Horiatiki dish, its composition has changed several times: something was added, something, on the contrary, was removed, but the basis has always remained unchanged.

In addition, in its original form, the products did not crumble, but were cut very large, practically fit into pieces in a plate. This appetizer has already acquired a more sophisticated look.

However, no matter how you cut the ingredients, this will not greatly affect the taste, but replacing the main products in the composition can greatly affect the taste. Therefore, the main components must be used as in the original recipe.

The composition of a light summer snack must include:

  • tomatoes;
  • cucumbers;
  • Chees Feta;
  • olive oil.
These ingredients are required. If you replace them, then you will no longer have a "village" salad, but the author's recipe for any other cheese and vegetable salad.

Of course, now many housewives are trying to bring something of their own to the classic recipe, adding pasta, spices, all kinds of sauces, various fresh vegetables and many other ingredients to the appetizer.

Sometimes, feta (originally Greek cheese) is replaced with cheese, but such a replacement violates the original technology. The same goes for dressing a delicate salad with mayonnaise or sour cream. They should not fill the dish, use only olive oil.

This product is special for the Greeks, and therefore olive oil is used to season almost all Greek dishes. And this is not surprising, because it is very tasty, healthy and does not interrupt the main taste of the seasoned dish (regardless of what it is: meat, fish, vegetables).

If you want to season the salad with some spicy sauce, then take only olive oil as the basis for its preparation. There are no special restrictions for spices, you can use whatever your heart desires.

This is such a delicious and beloved Greek salad. Its origin and history are as simple as the dish itself. If you love this appetizer and are looking for recipes for a feast, then our step-by-step recipes for preparing your favorite summer dish will definitely come in handy in your kitchen.

Information about the origin of Greek salad will help you better understand its taste characteristics, as well as reveal the secrets and traditions of Greek cuisine in general.

But be that as it may, the history of Greek salad is unique, and we have something to say “thank you” to the Greeks for. After all, now our festive tables are annually decorated with this wonderful vitamin dish, without which it is already impossible to imagine your diet.

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Dishes of the peoples of the world. - The history of Greek salad. - Simple homemade recipes.

Dishes of the peoples of the world. » The history of Greek salad. » Simple homemade recipes.

A very popular and beloved Greek salad appeared in our country a long time ago. For all of us, the appearance of the Greek salad was something unusual, and all because it had fresh vegetables in its composition, which is not new for us, but in addition to these simple vegetables, it contained olives, feta cheese and olive oil. For the Russians, this combination of products was new, so everyone began to actively share the recipe for this wonderful salad and cook it for holiday feasts.

So why did our compatriots like Greek salad so much, probably, because, compared to such salads as Olivier, Vinaigrette, Under a fur coat, Greek salad contains fresh vegetables, cheese, olives and is seasoned with olive oil.

Today, almost any product is available to the consumer, so preparing a Greek or any other salad will not be difficult.

If you are at a loss with the choice of a salad recipe, you did not find a suitable one on our or another culinary site, I advise you to look at the recipe here. Origin of Greek salad. Preparing different dishes every day for our family or guests, we do not even think about when this or that dish appeared and who invented it. It’s the same with Greek salad, many probably don’t even think about who came up with the recipe for a real Greek salad and when this wonderful salad first appeared. There are several origin stories for Greek salad. The first of the stories says that the salad was invented by Greek chefs in the 60-70s, when the first influx of tourists began to Greece. In order to quickly and tasty feed their visitors, the owners of small cafes decided to prepare a salad for tourists from chopped vegetables, cheese and olive oil, adding olives for piquancy. Tourists liked the salad and thus sold all over the world. But there is another version of the origin of Greek salad. According to this version, the basis for the Greek salad was invented by an emigrant who came to Greece to visit his relatives from America. So he then came up with the idea, coarsely chop all the vegetables, cheese, season with olive oil and add olives. Everyone liked the salad performed by him, and the next day, his sister, already in full, regaled her guests with a new dish. It is no longer possible to know exactly when and where the Greek salad was invented, we can only enjoy its taste. But speaking of taste, do not forget about its beneficial properties for the body.

As part of the Greek salad, complete harmony and balance.

This salad organically combines vitamins, which are found in large quantities in greens, protein, which is part of the cheese. Fiber, which is found in vegetables, as well as unsaturated fats, which are part of olive oil.

Greek salad calories per 100 grams.

We prepare salads in large portions, and therefore, if we take, for example, the classic composition of a Greek salad, that is, bell peppers, tomatoes, cucumbers, olives, cheese, onions, and plus dressing, olive oil, lemon juice, then on average it turns out about 1.5-2 kilograms. The average calorie content of Greek salad per 100 grams is 100 to 200 kilocalories per 100 grams. Why is this not an accurate definition of calories? And all because you yourself can regulate its calorie content. The most high-calorie products that make up the Greek salad are olive oil and feta cheese. Therefore, the calorie content of the salad can be reduced by adding another less calorie cheese, such as feta cheese, or by adding less olive oil. There is no special technique in the preparation of the Greek salad, everyone prepares it according to the same technology, that is, vegetables, herbs and cheese are cut into large pieces, and then all this splendor is salted, peppered and seasoned with lemon juice and olive oil.

Everything seems to be very simple, but one rule should be observed here, the Greek salad must be mixed immediately before serving, because if you mix it in advance, it will lose its attractiveness, the vegetables will let the juice in, and the salad will look unpresentable.

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Greek salad

The world-famous "Greek salad" in Greece itself is called "Country Salad" ("Horyatiki Salad").

This is a very popular salad among all the inhabitants of the country, which is present both at the everyday meal and on the festive table. It can be ordered in any Greek tavern or in the best restaurants in the world. In a word, this salad can be described as a “cosmopolitan salad”, which symbolizes not only Greece, but, in general, the entire Mediterranean cuisine, being its “main representative”.

"Greek" or "Country Salad" is a bright, colorful and tasty salad that can adequately replace the main course, since it contains proteins, carbohydrates and fats.

What is the history and origin of this wonderful accompanying dish, and for some, as we have already said, the first dish on the menu?

There is no clear and precise information on this matter, but, nevertheless, there are several well-established versions.

So, the Greek salad, due to its ease of preparation (as they say, in a hurry) and richness, was a common everyday dish for the villagers, since all its ingredients, in the literal sense of the word, were at their fingertips. From here he got his name.

It should be noted that the main component of the Greek salad are tomatoes, which first appeared in Greece only in 1818. That is why, according to one version, Greek salad appeared in Greece at the end of the national liberation revolution of the Greek people, that is, in the 20-30s of the XIX century. However, since then tomatoes and even onions were eaten whole, biting, not slicing, it is believed that the appearance of lettuce dates back to the beginning of the 20th century, when one of the Greek emigrants who moved to America in 1909 came up with the idea of ​​​​mixing coarsely chopped tomatoes, onions and cheese in one dish.

True, many people believe that the “Village Salad” appeared in connection with the influx of foreign tourists into the country in the 60-70s of the last century and that it represents the creation of owners of taverns located in the historical district of Athens on Plaka, who quickly and deftly cut for their visitors a refreshing, truly summer salad of traditional Greek products seasoned with virgin olive oil.

No matter what they say, one thing is for sure: the ingredients of the Greek Salad (summer vegetables, as well as traditional Greek products - olive oil, regan, olives and feta) allow the Greeks to say that the Village Salad is "the whole of Greece in one dish "!

They say that even the proverb “put the villager at the table - he and his feet on the table” appeared precisely in connection with the appearance of the “Village Salad”, which took a firm place on the table of the inhabitants of Greece, becoming his favorite dish.

This salad has a very high nutritional value: thanks to tomatoes, it is rich in vitamin C and antioxidants. In addition to tomatoes, the salad has olive oil, which is also famous for its antioxidants and vitamins, and, besides, it has a positive effect on heart activity and lowers bad cholesterol.

Olive oil and tomato juice, which have settled on the bottom of the bowl, where you can dip slices of bread, wetting them with a delicious mixture, represent the most delicious part of the meal. Of course, this does not correspond to the rules of good manners, but the pleasure of “ladobukies” (“oil bites”) is simply indescribable!

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Greek salad: the history of appearance and theory of cooking

Oddly enough, there is no “Greek” salad in Greece. The fact is that in the Mediterranean countries this dish is called by other names. However, any restaurant waiter will assure tourists of the presence of a "village" salad on the menu.

The history of the dish

It is generally accepted that Greek salad is as old as Greece itself. However, tomatoes, which are an indispensable ingredient in salad, were brought to the country only at the beginning of the 19th century. And this despite the fact that tomatoes came to the European continent almost three centuries earlier. The monks of one of the Catholic orders helped the penetration of tomatoes into Greece, who used them as ornamental plants on their lands.

There is another fact that speaks in favor of the assumption of a later time for the appearance of lettuce. The fact is that only after the revolution of 1821 in Greece, the inhabitants of the country began to grow tomatoes everywhere and eat them. Until 1825, tomatoes were considered poisonous plants. Having found out that the fruits are not dangerous to humans, the Greeks began to eat them, like other vegetable crops - biting off and eating a cake.

There is a legend that an emigrant who returned home from the United States to Greece became the unwitting inventor of the salad. He came to his homeland to celebrate the marriage of his nephew. During his stay away from his native places, he missed his favorite olives, olive oil, cheese and an abundance of vegetables. However, on the way to the house there was a nuisance - a tooth ached. This circumstance greatly upset the man, as he risked not trying his native food because of the pain. But this Greek was probably an old descendant of the cunning Odysseus.

To make it less painful to eat, he cut the food into large pieces, placed them in a bowl, added olives, sheep's cheese and poured generously with olive oil. The man ate the prepared dish with pleasure and offered to try his sister, who liked it. The salad became the decoration of the wedding table the very next day. The guests were treated to a salad with great pleasure, and the rumor about it went all over Greece.

More plausible is the version about the invention of the village salad, which is associated with a tourist boom in Greece in the 60s and 70s of the 20th century. Enterprising owners of taverns in Plaka, the historical district of Athens, are considered the inventors of this salad. The hot climate is not conducive to heavy food, so local culinary specialists quickly cut traditional products, which were generously flavored with excellent olive oil.

Today, in any Greek institution you can taste this wonderful salad, which has gained worldwide popularity.

salad ingredients

Having dealt with the various versions of the appearance of Greek salad, you can find out in more detail what products it is prepared from. The main rule when choosing ingredients for a dish is quality.

Tomatoes


The most suitable for Greek salad are tomatoes grown in the open field.

The history of lettuce began with the once mysterious tomatoes, so their choice should be approached responsibly. You can buy beautiful greenhouse tomatoes that will give the dish an attractive look, but will not add aroma and unique taste to it.

The correct Greek salad involves the use of tomatoes that have grown in the open field. Only such tomatoes can give the salad the energy of the sun and the aroma of the earth. Therefore, you should opt for farm vegetables, and in the ideal case, put your work into growing them.

There is no fundamental difference which variety to use for salad. It all depends on personal taste preferences. It can be fleshy fruits of red color, filled with juice pink, black with a concentrated taste, or neutral yellow.

Olives

Olive fruit can be green or black. It depends on how ripe they are, and the type of plant itself. More than 50% of the composition of olives are fats. In addition, they are rich in vitamins. Protein and fiber in these fruits is 6 and 9 percent, respectively. Thus, olives are a nutritious product that can easily satisfy hunger. In addition to their nutritional properties, they are considered a good preventative for cancer and a number of other diseases.

When choosing olives, you should focus on a product that does not contain preservatives, and try to find pickled ones brought from Italy or Greece. Stuffed olives are an interesting and tasty product, but they are completely unsuitable for making a salad.

Olive oil

Olive oil is an invariable component of many Greek dishes, so sauces have not taken root in Greece. The reason for this attitude is simple. Olive oil is available in abundance, and its taste and aroma cannot be replaced by anything else. In addition, Hippocrates also spoke about its healing properties. Modern medicine considers olive oil an excellent antioxidant and a storehouse of vitamins. It has a beneficial effect on the functioning of the heart and can lower cholesterol levels in the body.

Most celebrity chefs believe that the presence of high quality olive oil in a salad is one third of the success of the entire dish. Thanks to him, the tastes of various products are combined into a single chord. It is recommended to use Extra Virgin oil. It does not contain any additives other than those given by nature. The color of the oil ranges from yellow to amber, but with rich herbal notes, and the taste is slightly bitter and subtle.

cucumbers


Cucumbers should be fresh and juicy.

The requirements for tomatoes are completely fair in relation to cucumbers. They should be plucked from the garden, be elastic, juicy and fragrant.

The inner voice will definitely tell you which cucumber is needed for the Greek salad. Not always the assortment offered by retail chains can be called high-quality. Sluggish vegetables without taste and aroma are not the best choice.

Preparing cucumbers before using them consists only in washing them, but not in any way removing the skin. Clean fruits are cut along with the peel - this should be remembered.

bell pepper

By definition, a salad is a rustic dish, so sweet peppers should come from there, but not from supermarket shelves. When choosing pepper, you should pay attention to the condition of the fetus and its stalk. The vegetable itself should be elastic, and the stalk should be fresh. Signs of her lethargy signal that several days have passed since the pepper was harvested. Such a fruit is suitable for other dishes, but is undesirable in a Greek salad.

Feta

Feta cheese is a special ingredient in Greek salad. It is he who gives the salad a national flavor. If you exclude it from the composition of the dish, you get an ordinary vegetable salad.

This cheese is made from the milk of sheep or goats. The color of the cheese is white or creamy, and the smell has delicate cottage cheese notes. The taste of feta allows it to be used, in addition to Greek salad, in any dish of fresh vegetables and herbs. Cheese has a characteristic structure. It breaks easily, but spreading it or cutting off a thin slice will not work, which makes it easy to distinguish real cheese from fake or low-quality.

According to Homer, the first to make feta was the Cyclops Polyphemus. The recipe for this cheese was first described in 1494 by an unknown traveler. The essence of the process was, according to the description, to cutting cheese prepared in the traditional way into large pieces, which are poured with brine from sea water. The result is a unique taste - tart, slightly salty with subtle notes of sourness. The aroma of feta is the smell of Greek meadow herbs.

For fasting people, fatty feta in a salad can be replaced with soy cheese - tofu.

Onion


Before adding onion to the salad, it must be marinated.

The onion that grows in Greece is difficult to find in our area, so the vegetable familiar to us must be cooked before adding it to the salad. There are many options for pickling onions, but they are all designed to remove bitterness and stiffness from the vegetable. This allows you to spice up the dish and instill joy in it.

The easiest way to make marinade for onions is to mix a small amount of salt and a spoonful of sugar in water. The onion, peeled and cut into half rings, is placed in the solution for a while. The bow should not lose its shape, so be careful when removing it.

There are also marinade options based on olive oil and herbs. When choosing a method of pickling onions, personal preferences are followed.

oregano

This herb is one of the main ingredients in most Greek dishes, which takes on the characteristic color of oregano. The addition of basil, rosemary, cilantro or the usual salad for us is not ruled out, but this element will make the dish not quite Greek.

Under the beautiful name of oregano, oregano is hidden, which has wonderful properties. In order to get closer to Greece, it should not be neglected.

classic greek salad recipe

As such, there are no unambiguous recommendations on the amount of one or another component of the salad. As a rule, knowledge of the proportions of the components of a dish comes with experience, however, as a guide, we will give a recipe that can be used as a base. In this case, you should not be afraid to experiment and select the necessary additives.

To prepare the salad you will need:

  • cucumber - 1 pc;
  • tomato - 1 pc;
  • bell pepper - 1/2-1/3;
  • onion - 1/2;
  • feta - 80 g;
  • olive oil - 50 ml;
  • salt, dry oregano.

Cucumber, tomato, pepper are washed and cut into large pieces, which are placed in a salad bowl. If necessary, the onion is marinated according to the method described above. If this is not required, then it is cut into half rings and placed in a salad bowl. Olives are also put there, but their brine is not added to the dish.

The contents of the salad bowl are salted and gently mixed. A few slices of cheese are laid out on top. It is more correct, according to village traditions, to lay one with impressive dimensions. Cutting cheese is a technology for making fast food.

The resulting dish is generously sprinkled with oregano and poured generously with olive oil or seasoned with sauce.

Flavoring

Classic Greek salad dressing is prepared in two ways. The first of these involves mixing olive oil with lemon juice and herbs, in particular oregano. The second is to add wine or balsamic vinegar to the oil.

When choosing a dressing, you should rely on your taste or focus on the preferences of those who will eat the salad. It is recommended to prepare the dressing a little earlier than the dish will be served. This will allow her to get enough of the taste and smell of herbs.

How to make the right Greek salad?

In order to avoid mistakes when preparing a Greek salad and get it, and not some other dish, you should follow certain rules.

The size of the pieces of vegetables during their cutting should be as large as possible. In large pieces, the taste of products is better preserved. In addition, an everyday dish should not take much time to prepare.

You can safely use your hands to mix the ingredients of the dish. This approach will add warmth and soulfulness to the salad, and will also keep the vegetables safe and sound.

When using olive oil, in addition to quality, you should also think about its quantity. Not a single hostess in Greece will spare oil in a salad, so traditionally the dish is poured abundantly with it. This is done with a long-range view, because when the contents of the salad bowl are eaten, a delicious mixture of vegetable juice, cheese and dressing will be waiting for the eaters at the bottom. It is already a separate dish in itself. In Greece, it is soaked with pieces of fresh bread, calling this process ladobukies, that is, oily pieces. Moreover, any rules of etiquette when soaking the contents of the plate are completely swept aside.

Cheese should not be cut, it is better to take one large slice and put it on top of vegetables. This dish looks beautiful, and the taste is closer to real Greek.

The salad is prepared just before serving. Moreover, as a rule, an empty salad bowl is removed from the table. Fresh and high-quality products do not require long infusion, they are ready to eat.

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Greek salad, as we call the world famous salad, which is loved and often prepared in Greece. For the Greeks, the salad is of course not “Greek”, but “village or rural”, as its name sounds in direct translation.

We have already prepared a Mexican salad -, Russian -, Korean, or rather Asian -, Now let's try Greek.

I had to eat a Greek salad performed by an old Greek. You know, at first I was just a little disappointed when I saw what he put on the table. But after trying, I realized that the most important thing is delicious fresh products, and not cutting or serving.

In Greece, such a salad is usually cut into large pieces. So for example, a tomato will be cut into 4, maximum 8 parts, and cheese can be served in general as a whole piece.

Greeks put olives in a salad with a bone, of course, their own, Greek. They are larger than Spanish ones and have a more oily taste.

The most important ingredient in a Greek salad is, in my opinion, feta cheese.

The main herb in the salad is oregano and a little bit of basil.

Shallots, cucumbers, olive oil are also used in the salad.

In general, Greek salad is a simple version of a rustic salad made from the most basic ingredients that every village Greek housewife has in her home.

Therefore, we will cook according to the same principle that we have in the house from ingredients similar to those indicated in the recipes, and then we will use it.

For example, instead of shallots, take a sweet salad onion or any onion. Instead of olive oil, any vegetable.

Olives, olives (in general, this is the same thing) which is better without pits. Instead of feta cheese, if we don’t find it, Adyghe cheese, feta cheese or another similar one.

Add lettuce, other spices, other herbs. Let it be not exactly a Greek salad, but a very tasty, summer salad, and we will still call it Greek.

Menu:

1. Greek salad classic recipe

Ingredients:

      • Tomatoes - 3 pcs.
      • Cucumbers - 4 pcs. (small)
      • Onion - 1 medium head
      • Garlic - 1 clove,
      • Sweet pepper - 1 pc.
      • Feta cheese - 180 g.
      • Olives - 100 g.
      • Basil - 0.5 tsp
      • Oregano - 0.5 tsp
      • Lemon juice - 2 tsp
      • Olive oil - 50 ml.
      • Salt, pepper - to taste

Cooking:

1. First, let's prepare the dressing for our salad. Add lemon juice, oregano and basil, ground black pepper to olive oil and squeeze a clove of garlic here. We mix everything well. The filling is ready, while we set it aside.

2. Cut the tomatoes into medium pieces.

3. We cut cucumbers almost in Greek. First, cut the cucumber lengthwise, and then, folding the two halves, cut across into slices about 8 mm thick. or even a little more.

4. Cut the sweet red bell pepper into medium pieces too.

5. Cut the onion into half rings and disassemble, making straws.

6. Put all the vegetables in a deep cup, add pitted olives and season with our dressing. Mix everything gently.

7. Cut the cheese into cubes, the size corresponding to the size of the vegetables.

8. We cover the dish with lettuce leaves and put our salad there.

9. In principle, the Greek salad is ready. But there is still no main component - cheese.

Lay cheese cubes on top. Now the salad is completely ready. Fragrant, juicy.

Serve salad and wine on the table. White wines are best suited to Greek salad: Sauvignon Blanc, Sancerre, Vino Verde. Turn on a strong lamp instead of the sun. Well, here you are in Greece and eat Greek salad.

Enjoy your meal!

2.

Greek recipe - Greek salad

Ingredients:

      • Cucumbers - 3-4 pcs.
      • Tomatoes - 3 pcs.
      • Bulgarian sweet pepper - 1 pc.
      • Onion - 1 head
      • Olives (olives) - 1 can
      • Sirtaki cheese (feta or brynza) - 200g
      • lettuce leaves
      • Olive oil - 100 ml (you can use any vegetable oil, but olive oil is better)
      • half a lemon
      • Spices (we have basil, thyme, rosemary) - to taste
      • Black ground pepper to taste
      • Garlic - 1 clove

Cooking:

1. Cut cucumbers, tomatoes and sweet bell pepper into large cubes. We put the vegetables in a deep salad bowl.

2. Cut the onion into half rings, lightly salt and mash with your hands so that it gives juice and add it to the vegetables.

3. We send onions to cucumbers with tomatoes and peppers.

4. Prepare salad dressing. Grind spices in a mortar or by hand. Squeeze some garlic, pepper. Squeeze the juice of half a lemon, pour in olive oil. We mix everything well. The gas station is ready.

5. Add olives to vegetables and mix everything thoroughly.

6. Cut the cheese into cubes. We will add it just before serving.

7. Serve the salad. Arrange lettuce leaves on a large plate.

8. Put the chopped and mixed vegetables on the leaves and put the pieces of cheese on top. You can salt the salad to taste, but keep in mind that the cheese is salty. I don't salt. The salad is ready, it remains to season.

Enjoy your meal!

3. Greek salad recipe with oregano, dill and mint

Ingredients:

      • Tomatoes - 300 g.
      • Cucumber - 2 pcs.
      • Sweet yellow pepper - 1 pc.
      • Black olives
      • Mint leaves - a pinch
      • Dill
      • Wine vinegar - 1 tbsp. l.
      • Vegetable oil - 3 tbsp. l.
      • Oregano - 1 tsp
      • Salad onion - 1 head
      • lettuce leaves
      • Feta - 200-300 g.

Cooking:

1. Cut the cucumbers. Do not grind, cut into medium pieces.

2. Since our tomatoes are small, cherry, cut them into 4 parts.

3. Put cucumbers and tomatoes in a deep cup.

4. Cut the pepper into thin strips.

We took yellow pepper in order to create a contrast of colors. Red tomatoes, green cucumbers and yellow peppers.

If it were summer and there were a lot of different tomatoes, I would take varieties of three different tomatoes and always yellow. Then I would take red pepper. It is sweeter, and again for contrast.

5. We send pepper to cucumbers and tomatoes. We mix.

6. Cut the onion into thin half rings and disassemble into straws. We also send vegetables.

7. Chop mint leaves and dill finely, finely. Who does not like, can do without mint.

8. Finely chopped mint and dill are added to the general pile of vegetables, in a cup. Salt the salad and mix.

9. Add olives. We mix everything.

Preparing salad dressing

10. We take 3-4 tablespoons of olive oil, or other vegetable oil, pour a teaspoon of wine vinegar here, if it seems that there is not enough acid, add more vinegar up to 1 tablespoon, you can replace it with apple cider vinegar. Stir and add half a teaspoon of oregano.

11. Mix everything well again. We fill the salad with our dressing, leaving a little in the cup, about a teaspoon or a little more. Let's mix again.

12. Put lettuce leaves on a dish and put half of the mixed vegetables from a cup on them. Distribute evenly throughout the dish.

13. Cut the cheese into cubes the size of an olive. Put half of the cheese in a cup with the remaining spoonful of dressing. We mix. The cheese looks very nice and the pieces do not stick together.

14. We send the cheese to a plate, to the laid out half of the salad.

15. Spread the second half of the salad on top of the cheese. Smooth out carefully.

16. Put the remaining cheese in a cup where the salad was, add a spoonful of oil, sprinkle with oregano and mix everything.

17. Put the cheese in the salad, distribute it over the surface and sprinkle a little oregano. In total, we left somewhere a teaspoon of oregano for the whole salad.

Decorate the salad with a mint leaf. Our Greek salad is ready. Can't wait, sit down at the table.

Enjoy your meal!

Write comments. Do I need to write the recipe in such detail? What else would you like me to change. Do you like salads

4. Video - Classic Greek Salad Recipe

The history of Greek salad is as simple as, in fact, the recipe for its preparation. It is not surprising that the Greeks themselves call this salad nothing more than “village” or “horiatiki”. This is a popular treat that appears with equal regularity both in the daily meal and on the festive tables of the most demanding gourmets. You can order this rightfully “cosmopolitan” dish both in the simplest Greek tavern and in the best restaurants in the world.

The historical aspect of Greek salad

Greek salad is a bright representative not only of Greece itself, but of the entire Mediterranean cuisine. Despite its amazing taste and bright appearance, the proposed salad has a rather ordinary history. It arose in a simple village kitchen, the owner of which simply collected all the ingredients at hand, mixed them and, without even thinking about it, created a real culinary masterpiece. Since all the components of the dish are products that can be found in the refrigerator of any local housewife, they didn’t think about the name of the treat for a long time and simply called it “rustic”. This is already outside of Greece, the salad received its other, "geographical" name.

Let us draw your attention to the fact that the traditional Greek salad recipe contains tomatoes that appeared on the territory of Greece only after 1818, so we can say with full confidence that the date of the appearance of horiatika is 20-30 years of the 19th century. At the same time, some culinary historians argue that the Greek salad is an innovation dating back to 1909, when one of the Greek emigrants who moved to America had the idea to mix his favorite ingredients in one dish: tomatoes, onions and cheese.

All Greece in one dish!

Whatever the history of Greek salad really is, only its great taste and high nutritional value remains unchanged. Not surprisingly, the locals like to remind tourists that "the village salad is all the gifts of Greece in one dish!".

The main feature of this dish is not the usual chopped, but coarsely chopped vegetables. In addition, the Greeks themselves prefer not to mix its components before serving the treat, but to do it immediately before eating the dish.

Fresh and bright vegetables, as well as white cheese - a treat in itself is wonderful. However, in some Greek taverns, Horiatiki also offer a couple of anochous or dolma stuffed with rice to guests, which makes the dish even more original and unique. We present to your attention the classic Greek salad recipe, which will decorate your table and will appeal to even the most demanding gourmets.



Probably everyone knows the saying that in Greece there is absolutely everything. This outlandish saying glorifies the abundance of the hot land, its beauty and good nature. For some, this magnificent country is associated with a good holiday, while for others it is nothing more than the birthplace of the famous salad.

Greek salad is a light and quite nutritious dish that suits people who take care of their health and figure, Greek cuisine meets absolutely all the requirements of the Mediterranean diet - a guarantee of beauty and longevity.

The history of this dish is unusually simple and majestic. In Greece itself, it is called "Horiatiki", which means "village salad". And this is absolutely justified, since its main ingredients are fresh vegetables, cheese, olives and olive oil ... That is, everything that could always be found in excess in the bins of Greek peasants.

According to one version, the Greek salad recipe was compiled in ancient times, back in the Hellenistic era. It simply included everything that solar Greece produced in abundance. And everything would be fine, only tomatoes, which are considered one of the main ingredients of the classic salad, appeared on the Greek table relatively not so long ago. It is believed that they were brought to Europe by the Spanish conquistadors in the 16th century, and they got to Greece only in the 19th century (1818) along with potatoes. They were brought here by wandering monks, who used these fruits as ornamental plants to decorate their monastic lands, because they were then considered poisonous. And only since 1825, tomatoes began to be grown for human consumption in almost the entire territory of Greece. At the same time, at first, local residents used tomatoes exclusively as exotic fruits, biting off pieces of them and eating bread and cheese. But what can I say, even if onions in those days were not supposed to be chopped.

Many people think that Greek salad appeared only in the 60-70s of the last century due to the influx of tourists into the country. And that it is nothing more than the invention of the owners of taverns located in the historic Plaka district of Athens, who quickly and nimbly cut for their visitors a refreshing, truly summer salad of traditional Greek products seasoned with excellent olive oil. Be that as it may, but today there is, perhaps, not a single tavern in this wonderful country, where you would not be recommended to try this magnificent dish.

It is worth noting that the recipe for this dish today has many options. And there is a pattern to this, because each country has its own distinctive feature of preparing Greek salad. Culinary experts from all over the world bring their own improvements to the recipe for this salad, delighting us with new discoveries of tastes.

Perhaps a Greek salad can be found in any institution. Not a single festive table is complete without this salad, while it can be used very often in everyday cuisine.

You can order salads with delivery in Volgograd both by phone and using our website. Salads will make your lunch full and healthy.