No diples are not what cute people get when they smile!

As a Church of with Greek ethnic roots, we get asked a lot of questions about food! Greek food is famous around the world as being both tasty and healthy. If you've seen the movie "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" you may have some idea about our relationship with Greek food!

Here is our dictionary (or glossary) of Greek food items that we thought you might find handy. Kali Orexi! (good appetite!)

Arni:

Lamb. A Greek delicacy! This is especially popular on Greek Easter.

Avgolemono:

An egg and lemon mixtures used as a sauce or a soup base. Very tasty with a dash of pepper and some simple saltine crackers.

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, and its nutritious too; being high in calcium, phosphorus, riboflavin and vitamin B12.

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

Tyria (Greek Cheeses)

Haloumi:

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

Kefalograviera:

a mild Gruyère-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 purée

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

 

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