Opa! Greek Festivals 101
I’ve always had a fascination with Greece. Greek food, culture, all of it. There’s something about all that blue and white that makes me want to get to the shores of Greece ASAP. We almost went last year, but ended up in Italy instead. Forget France– I’m going to Greece if I win PFB!
This weekend, we hit up the Central GA Greek Festival and I was reminded about how much I love Greek food. I thought I’d share with you some of my favorites so you can navigate your local festival like a pro.
First, the savory stuff. My favorite Greek classic is pastitsio, a lasagna-type dish with beef and a sweet cream sauce. Since I tasted it again this weekend, I’m dying to find a recipe and replicate it at home.
The hubs picked souvlaki, or grilled chicken kebabs. That man sure loves his grilled meats. Who can blame him? They smelled amazing as we walked into the festival.
Other classic savory dishes to look out for:
Spanakopita (spinach and feta wrapped in phyllo dough)
Dolmades (ground beef and rice in grape leaves)
On to the desserts!
At past Greek fests, I went straight to the baklava and forgot the rest. But this time I tried a few extra treats. Baklava, honey and nuts layered in phyllo dough, is the most popular Greek pastry. We tried finikia (honey dipped spice cookies) and kataifi (shredded phyllo dough filled with nuts), too, and I have to say, the finikia was my favorite! I loved the texture of the cookie- it seemed like it would be dry, but it was melt-in-your-mouth delicious.
Other desserts you might run into:
Koulourakia (braided butter cookies)
Kourambiede (powdered sugar dusted cookies)
Karithopita (moist spice cake in syrup)
Loukomades (Greek-style doughnuts with honey and cinnamon)
The drinks are fun, too! You’ll usually run into some imported Greek beers and maybe some Ouzo, an anise-flavored liquor. We found this little gem at the festival- Ouzo-flavored soda!
Someone was pretty into the soda bottle, if you can’t tell.
It was so good to get a taste of Greece again. If I’ve given you an appetite, too, here are some Greek F&W recipes to try:
Greek Baked Pasta (Pastitsio)
Bacon Baklava (umm.. what??? I need to make this!)
If you’ve got a great Greek recipe, please share! I’d love to try it out. I really hope I get to Greece some day, but for now, Greek festivals and daydreams will have to do!
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mmmm, looks so good!
I’m making gyros this week with lamb and turkey and homemade pita bread.
My whole family LOVES when I make spanakopita … the kids beg for it. 🙂
and who DOESN’T like baklava? it’s heavenly! I just may have to make some of that when I do the gyros…
This is awesome! Found your blog through jessagirl and her officer. I lived in Augusta, Atlanta, and Columbus and never knew they had this festival with such authentic Greek food! I am soooo jealous. My husband has some Greek in him and we love the food. We went to Greektown in Detroit, which is a must eat if you are ever there!
What fun!! You have a cute little Greek baby there 😉
Foodbuzz love comin’ right back at ya! Greek is GREAT!
They say that whenever you drink red wine you are getting in touch with the spirit of the Greek God Dionysus. He is the ancient Greek God of the grape harvest and the ruler of madness, ecstasy, festivals, celebrations, eating well and the theater. Aside from grapes and a big goblet of wine he was also strongly associated with Satyrs – the mythological half man, half goat creatures that were known for being overly romantic.
Try some greek wines westchester has.