Archive for the ‘Greece’ CategoryFor my last post on Greece I’m writing about a subject close to most traveller’s hearts - eating on a budget. Dining out at restaurants in Greece is all well and good, but the consequence is that your waist expands in inverse proportion to your wallet. Apparently Greece’s entry to the European Union (EU) and adoption of the Euro led to price inflation. I can believe it. In most restaurants, ordering 3 -4 mezdes (which admittedly won’t leave you hungry) and wine or beer will set you back around 25 Euros (A$40). So while eating out is fun, and worth a regular splurge, it’s not something a vegetarian budget traveller can afford all the time. But that’s OK, because there are ways to eat more cheaply:
Vegetarian in Greece: More posts on Greek veggie food V Rating: VVV Our Greece Lonely Planet warned of the onslaught of tourism in Thira (or Fira), Santorini’s capital, and gave a stinging review of the restaurant scene, lamenting its poor food, exorbitant prices, and rude service. This description drove us to the quieter village of Oia, and ensured our first visit to Thira for the sunset was filled with trepidation. Fortunately, our Thira experience didn’t match the horrors recounted by Lonely Planet. Yes, tourists were there in hordes, but it was possible to escape the bulk of the tourist shops (and tourists) if you didn’t mind a walk. From our sunset vantage point on a high, public balcony I even witnessed a miracle. As the sun fell in the sky, silence descended. I looked down at the town, seeing all the squares filled to brim with people, but the only sound was the wind skipping over the sea and the reverential click of cameras. The reason for the silence is that Santorini is a largely submerged volcano. The caldera curves like a smile through the sea, forming a thin, high ridge on which the scattered island towns perch. From the height of the caldera, you stare back into its vast, sea-filled centre, knowing that you’re gazing into the heart of a still active volcano responsible for the largest eruption in recorded history. If that doesn’t inspire awe, nothing will. After watching the sunset, we went in hunt of food. Cautious thanks to Lonely Planet’s scathing reports, we decided to try a restaurant called Ampelos which overlooked a small square on the outskirts of Thira. We knew nothing about Ampelos, but its understated exterior and strong vegetarian selection caught our attention earlier in the evening. Thankfully, it didn’t contain any of the evils described in the guide book. In fact, Ampelos won me over early, when the compulsory bread basket came filled with fresh, brown bread and a delicious olive paste.
We ordered the special of artichoke heart stew with peas, potatoes, carrots, dill, green onions and tomatoes. This was the only time we saw this dish on a Greek menu, which was a shame because the artichokes made a hearty vegetarian base for the stew, and a respite from briam.
We weren’t leaving without trying the sublimely soft stuffed eggplant, filled with tomatoes, garlic, onion and fresh parsley, one of the better versions we had in Greece.
The stuffed tomato and capsicum, which came with a creamy, risotto-like, rice filling mixed with pine nuts, dill, parsley and onion, and served with roast potatoes, was another good vegetarian choice.
I can’t vouch for the rest of Thira’s food, but Ampelos had a pleasant, friendly atmosphere, a good range of well-priced meals and some decent local Santorini wine. Vegetarian in Greece: More posts on Greek veggie food On the small island of Thirisia, smack bang in the caldera of Santorini and a product of one of its larger eruptions, we came across some more examples of Greek vegetarian food.
Briam is a vegetable stew, akin to a Greek version of ratatouille, and a good choice for vegetarians so snap it up if you see it on the menu.
A fava bean casserole was also on offer from the bain marie self-service restaurant. Unlike every other version of this dish we tried in Greece, it came in a thin gravy base, rather than a tomato sauce with dill. I prefer the tomato version, but was pleased to find a variant on one of our favourite meals to break up the monotony. Vegetarian in Greece: More posts on Greek veggie food Santorini, may be a tourist-heavy Greek island….
…but Thira, the capital, is a beautiful place to enjoy a glass of the local red and white wine, chilled of course.
Oia, a smaller town in Santorini’s north is famous for its breathtaking sunset views over the Caldera. There can’t be many better places in Greece to contemplate your mortality (Santorini is the site of the largest volcano eruption ever known) over olive paste, sundried tomatoes and bread. Vegetarian in Greece: More posts on Greek veggie food Time and tide may wait for no man, but neither do Greek ferries. With all boats to Santorini full on the day we’d planned to depart, Andy and I had a bonus day and night in Athens. We made the most of our pitstop by visiting the colourful Athens fruit and vegetable markets. By lunchtime the number of stallholders was small, but that didn’t stop them from staging a festival of colour and fresh produce. Olives were abundant.
Ripe, red tomatoes were a pretty enticement.
Summery nectarines, peaches and cherries sat plumply in their containers.
What better evokes fresh Mediterranean produce than grapes?
Now we know why the stuffed eggplant is so good here.
After our market shopping we had lunch in a basement restaurant opposite the market called Diporto Agoras. There was no menu as the restaurant only served a fixed number of dishes daily. I was taken over to the chef to point to our lunch.
The chef was bemused that I skirted over the popular sardines in lemon and meaty stews in favour of the chickpea soup and fresh salad… sadly I had forgotten the Greek word for vegetarian and couldn’t explain my choice. We washed down our lunch with a glass of white wine from the large barrels lining the restaurant wall, a fitting end to an uplanned, but fun, Athenian day out. Vegetarian in Greece: More posts on Greek veggie food
There’s something strange about the value and quality of a mountan refuge, 2000 metres above sea level and unreachable by car, exceeding that of a youth hostel in a capital city. But like in Norway, when we pushed open the small wooden gate of Refuge A on Mount Olympus we were greeted by a charming wooden chalet, reception desk, and restaurant. After a Mythos beer on the outside terrace overlooking the ocean, plains and wooded valleys of lower Olympus, we adjourned to the dining room.
Refuge A has a fully staffed kitchen with a simple, but satisfying a la carte menu. We ordered the filling fava bean soup…
vegetable soup with noodles…
and a bowl of tzatzki with bread, but there was also a vegetarian pasta for those looking for a more subtantial option on the eve of the big climb. Breakfast the next morning included yoghurt with honey, and bread with jam, and there was also a range of energy food (chocolate, nuts, fruit) available to buy from the reception to sustain climbers you on the approach to the summit. If you’re looking for Dutch courage, the refuge offers a selection of wines and beers, along with non-alcholic drinks. I’m fast becoming an admirer of the European trekking hut system - my only worry is that I’ll find it hard to go back to tents and camping food in Australia. Vegetarian in Greece: More posts on Greek veggie food
Litohoro is a pretty town at the foot of Mount Olympus. It’s the base camp for climbers and a ski resort in winter. In the 38 degree Greek summer, it combines the air of an alpine sanatarium with the attitude of a lazy beach resort.
We stopped off in the central square (plaka) for some carbohydrate loading before starting our trek up Mount Olympus. Our restaurant was situated diagonally across from the village church, with plenty of shaded outdoor tables. Andy instinctively chose the restaurant because its tables were filled, although the special ‘vegetarian’ section on its menu was an added bonus. His gut was right - we ordered two hot mezedes and a Greek salad and they were all hits. Stuffed vegetables (usually eggplant, tomato or capsicum) are a common feature of Greek menus in summer. This was our first taste of eggplant stuffed with tomato and cooked in the oven. It was superb.
The eggplant flesh was saturated with flavour, and soft enough to melt on contact with our mouths. The rich tomato filling gave some bite to the dish, and the combination was enough for Andy to declare this some of the best eggplant he’s ever had. The fava beans cooked in a tomato sauce with dill were also above average, partly thanks to the light touch of chilli, and the Greek salad was a refreshing counterpart to our hot dishes.
Hearing our delighted sighs at the eggplant, the restaurant owner came over to chat, explained that the Olympus restaurant specialised in home cooking, not tourist food - just what we were looking for before starting our ascent of the restaurant’s namesake. Vegetarian in Greece: More posts on Greek veggie food |
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