Greek food products facts for kids

Retsina, a Greek white wine

Greece is a country in Europe known for its rich history and delicious food. It produces many unique food products that are enjoyed all over the world. These foods are a big part of Greek culture and daily life.

Amazing Greek Foods

Olive Oil: Liquid Gold

A bottle of Cretan olive oil

Greece is one of the top countries in the world for making olive oil. They produce over 1 million tons of olive oil every year! More than 75% of this is "extra virgin" olive oil, which is the highest quality. Greek olive oil is sent to many countries around the globe.

Olive oil is super important in the Greek diet. It's used as the base for many traditional dishes, making them healthy and tasty.

Sweet Honey

Honey from Greece is very special. It often comes from the nectar of flowers from fruit trees like lemon and orange. You can also find honey made from thyme flowers or from pine trees. Each type has its own unique flavor!

Mastic: A Unique Resin

Mastic is a special plant resin that only grows on the Greek island of Chios. It's used in many things, from chewing gum to food and even medicines.

Traditional Greek Drinks

Greece has several traditional drinks, often enjoyed with meals.

• Kitron: This is a sweet liqueur from the island of Naxos. It's made from a fruit called citron, which is similar to a lemon.
• Mastika: This liqueur comes from Chios. It gets its special flavor from mastic, the resin from the mastic tree.
• Ouzo: This is a popular drink with an anise flavor, like licorice. It's often mixed with water, which makes it turn cloudy.
• Tsikoudia: This strong drink is from Crete. It's a type of brandy made from grape leftovers after wine is made.
• Tsipouro: Similar to tsikoudia, this brandy is from mainland Greece. It can sometimes have an anise flavor too.

Delicious Greek Cheeses

Greek feta

Greece makes many different kinds of cheese, each with its own taste and texture.

• Anthotyros: This is a hard cheese, great for grating over pasta. It's made by aging another cheese called mizithra.
• Feta: Perhaps the most famous Greek cheese! It's a soft, crumbly white cheese. It's kept in salty water and made from goat or sheep milk.
• Graviera: This cheese is Greece's version of Gruyere. It's often eaten with meals or grated over dishes.
• Kasseri: A medium-hard yellow cheese, usually made from sheep or goat milk.
• Kefalotyri: This cheese is hard and very salty. It's mostly used for grating, especially over pasta.
• Manouri: A soft, unsalted white cheese. You can eat it plain or use it in both savory and sweet pies.
• Metsovone: This is a semi-hard smoked cheese. It's traditionally made in the town of Metsovo.
• Mizithra: An unsalted soft cheese made from sheep milk. It's eaten plain or used in pies. An older, slightly sour version is called xynomizithra.

Greek Cured Meats

Loukaniko

Greece also has a tradition of making cured meats, which are preserved for a long time.

• Apaki: This is cured pork from the island of Crete.
• Kavourmas: A type of cured meat from northern Greece.
• Loukaniko: A pork sausage often flavored with orange peel or fennel seeds. Its taste can be different depending on where in Greece it's made.
• Louza: Cured pork from the Cyclades islands.
• Syglino: Cured ham from the Mani region. It's boiled in red wine and then smoked.

Greek Wines

Greece has been making wine for thousands of years. It's a country that produces and enjoys a lot of wine.

• Mavrodafni
• Retsina
• Xynomavro
• Vin santo