The consumption of fish is integral to the Greek and the Mediterranean diets. While fish has played


an important role, mainly in the coastal areas, those in the mountainous areas (which make up 80% of the land in Greece) historically did not eat fresh fish on a regular basis because fish were unavailable. These populations traditionally consumed more preserved fish that was either cured or marinated, such as anchovies and sardines.


Herbs, more so than spices, are used generously in Greek cooking. Herbs commonly used include


oregano, spearmint, dill, parsley, and garlic. Olive oil is present in almost every dish in the Greek cuisine. Almost all homes have their own olive groves and produce their own olive oil, so it is readily available. Olive oil is not only used as fat to cook vegetables but also as a means to add calories and satiety at times when only vegetables were available. Olive oil is also used for sweets and desserts. Greek cuisine has a large number of recipes for cakes, cookies, and other sweets that use olive oil rather than butter.


Wine and alcoholic beverages are an important part of the Greek cuisine and diet. Traditionally, wine


is consumed with lunch and dinner. The wine is usually a local house wine. In addition, ouzo, tsipouro, and other spirits that are distilled from grapes are consumed in the afternoon or evening accompanied by small bites of a variety of foods (also known as meze), such as tomatoes, olives, marinated fish, and meatballs. It is important to note that traditionally alcohol is rarely consumed without food. Greeks also consume many types of herbal teas such as chamomile and mountain tea.


Historically, Greeks have consumed a fairly small breakfast. Usually it would include some sort of


herbal tea with a rusk or just plain dry bread, or coffee, again with a simple rusk. Farmers and shepherds, who required a larger breakfast to sustain them consumed a type of pasta called trahana or eggs and bread. Today breakfast is still a somewhat small meal but similar to most other European countries may include cereal or a pastry with coffee. Sometimes there are eggs, honey, marmalade, and bread.


A midmorning meal is also very common. Since breakfast is small and lunch is later, many times there


is a snack around 11 o’clock or noon. This usually consists of a pie, such as cheese or spinach, or some rusks or breadsticks with cheese.


Lunch is the main and largest meal of the day and is consumed between 1:30 PM and 3 PM. It consists


of either a vegetable-based dish or a meat dish. Salad is almost always served on the table with bread and cheese. However, in the past 20 to 30 years, work schedules have changed drastically and as a result many Greeks are working longer hours and are not able to eat their main meal at that time and instead eat it in the evening.


In the afternoon Greeks may have coffee accompanied by a small cookie or sweet. The evening meal is late, around 9 PM to 1 PM. Customarily, it is a smaller serving of what was served


at lunch or it may consist of yogurt with some fruit and bread with cheese. However, again due to the change in work schedules, dinner often becomes the main meal. It can consist of a meal as noted above or, especially for younger generations, it may be fast food delivery, such as pizza, hamburgers, souvlaki (a skewer of small pieces of meat and/or vegetables), or even Chinese food.


Meze or ouzaki, small dishes, are not quite a meal but not quite a snack. When ouzo, wine, or other


drinks are consumed, they are accompanied by a variety of small meze or ouzaki. This can be as simple and small as one piece of tomato, one olive, and one piece of cheese, or larger portions that may include large platters of meats, seafood, cheese, and vegetables. There are eateries called mezethopoleia and ouzeri that exclusively serve these types of small dishes.


While traditional eating habits of the Greek diet are still followed to some extent, particularly in the


older generations, it is generally being abandoned (21). This has been noted in other Mediterranean countries such as Italy, Spain, and Malta, which are also experiencing an increase in overweight and obese


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