Gais

close-up of slices of gais cheese from Greece

A cheese of Pontian origin made from fresh, semi-skimmed cow’s milk, prepared without the addition of salt. It has a braided shape and derives its name from the word gai which means ‘belt’. It has a soft filamentous texture and a mild milky and unsalted taste. Various spices are often added (mint, boukovo, krokos, raisins, […]

Galaktoboureko

Close-up of pieces of Greek ‘Galaktoboureko’ is sweet made of semolina custard in filo dough covered with syrup

Galaktoboureko is a Greek dessert made of semolina custard in filo (or phyllo) dough. It is a traditional syrupy or pan-baked sweet made throughout Greece. Galaktoboureko is prepared, to its golden crispy perfection, with layers of golden brown crispy filo, sprinkled with melted butter, filled with creamy custard and bathed in syrup, prepared from sugar […]

Galatopita

Close-up of plate with a piece of Greek ‘Galatopita’ means milk pie and a fork beside it

Galatopita means ‘milk pie’ and is a traditional, delicious sweet that comes in two versions: with filo (Ioannina prefecture) or without it (Messinia prefecture). The sweet has a rich semolina cream, eggs and sheep butter, and is baked in a pile of crispy crust pastry sheets topped with cinnamon and icing sugar. The Messinian galatopita […]

Galotiri

Close-up of bowl with Greek ‘Galotiri’ means fresh cream cheese

Galotiri is a cheese produced in the region of mount Pelion, in the prefecture of Magnesia, but also in Epirus and  Thessaly, and bears a Protected Designation of Origin (PDO).  It is prepared from very fatty sheep’s or goat’s milk or from a mixture of both collected from the animal 4 to 5 months after […]

Gamokouloura

Close-up of two Greek ‘Gamokouloura’ means decorative rolls bread

At every Cretan wedding, they make “gamokouloura”. It is such a longstanding custom that it has become a part of history. The decorative rolls are prepared a week before the wedding. A necessity for every wedding, the rolls are decorated with patterns and symbols signifying fertility and prosperity, such as snakes, seeds, birds, grapes, pomegranates, […]

Gamopilafo

Gamopilafo

Gamopilafo is a popular dish of Crete which is traditionally served at weddings. Nowadays, it is also served at christenings and engagement parties, as well as on holidays, when there are guests and whenever groups of friends and relatives get together. Made with rice, meat broth and stakovoutiro it is the basic dish for Cretan […]

Gardoumba

Gardoumpa

Gardoumba is made from the intestines of lamb or goat, wrapped with other innards in the shape of a small parcel and roasted in the oven. For baked gardoumba, the internal organs are first cleaned and separated. The heart is removed and discarded, leaving the liver, lungs and sweetbreads. The result is exactly what is […]

Gemista

Close-up of plate with ‘Gemista’ a pepper and a tomato stuffed with rice and baked in the oven

Gemista is a classic Greek dish. Vegetables, usually bell peppers and tomatoes, are stuffed with rice or minced meat or a combination of both and baked in the oven. The food is tastier when the tomatoes are ripe and juicy. The interior of the vegetables is scooped out with a spoon, but with care so […]

Giaprakia

Close-up of Greek ‘Giaprakia’ means cooked stuffed vine leaves

Giaprakia are a Macedonian meze made especially for Christmas-time celebrations because they symbolize Christ’s swaddling. Nowadays, they are eaten all over Greece at any time of the year. They are a dish that uses vine leaves or cabbage to wrap a filling, and gets their name from the Turkish work yaprak, meaning ‘leaf’. Thus, giaprakia […]

Gigantes

plate with cooked gigantes, Greek giant baked beans

Gigantes (literally Giants) or Greek giant baked beans, is a Greek dish of large white beans baked in a tomato sauce.

Giochades

Giofkades

Giochades, Gioufkades, or Giofkades,  Giochades (sometimes spelled gioufkades or giofkades) are basically homemade hilopites. They are a purely Thracian recipe brought to the town of Strymoniko by Thracian refugees. The name comes from the Turkish word Yufka which signifies large sheets of pasta that are generally round and widely used for making pita of all sorts. They are roasted […]

Giofkades

Close-up of Greek ‘Giofkades’ means lasagna pasta cooked with pieces of meet and tomatoes sauce

Giofkades, Gioufkades or Giochades Giofkades (sometimes spelled gioufkades or giochades) are basically homemade hilopites. They are a purely Thracian recipe brought to the town of Strymoniko by Thracian refugees. The name comes from the Turkish word Yufka which signifies large sheets of pasta that are generally round and widely used for making pitas of all […]