Any time you go to Greece you will need to read or understand what there is on the menu. Now below, i have created a simple dictionary of ingredients from the Greek food where you can find all the different dishes and ingredients you might end up finding in Greece.
Hopefully that will help you understand better what you eating or know what you need in case you need to cook something Greek. The column on the left describes everything in Greek language, the middle is Greeklish – an effort to pronounce everything with latin letters and the third English explanation.
Enjoy!
| Τρόφη | Trofi | Food |
| Αλάτη | Alati | Salt |
| Αλεύρι | Alevri | Flour |
| Αμυγδαλοτά | Amigdalota | Cookie often made on the islands and served at weddings and baptisms |
| Αρνί | Arni | Lamb. |
| Αστακός | Αstakos | Lobster. |
| Αυγό | Avgo | Eggs |
| Αυγολέμονο | Avgolemono | A warm sauce made with eggs and lemon. Served with meat, in soups, with vegetables. |
| Αρακάς | Arakas | Peas |
| Μπακαλιάρος | Bakaliaros | Cod, most often consuming the salted preserved cod, which was desalted and cooked with tomato sauce or fried. |
| Μπακλαβάς | Baklavas | Pastries made with phyllo, honey and walnuts |
| Μπάμιες | Bamies | Okra. Usually cooked with tomato sauce in a stew or roasted in the oven with tomatoes. |
| Μπιφτέκι | Bifteki | Beef patty. The hamburger! Usually a mixture of ground beef along with herbs, breadcrumbs and egg. |
| Μπισκότο | Biscoto | Cookie |
| Μπριάμ | Briam | A mixture of vegetables including potato, zucchini, eggplant and onion stewed or roasted in olive oil |
| Δίπλες | Diples | Pastry made with dough, fried in olive oil and dipped in honey |
| Ντολμάδες | Dolmades | Rice or meat wrapped in vine leaves, often served with avgolemono |
| Ντομάτα | Ntomata | Tomato |
| Ντοματοκεφτέδες | Ntomatokeftedes | Tomato patties. Patties made with tomatoes, flour and herbs fried |
| Ελιά | Elia | Olive |
| Ελαιόλαδο | Elaiolado | Olive Oil |
| Εξοχικό | Eksohiko | Meat cooked with peppers, tomatoes, onions and cheese in wax paper. |
| Φάβα | Fava | A puree made with fava beans which are yellow spit peas. |
| Φακές | Fakes | Lentils, traditionally cooked in a thick soup with olive oil and served with vinegar. |
| Φασολάκια | Fasolakia | Green beans. They are usually cooked with tomato sauce and olive oil. |
| Φασόλια | Fasolia | A general term for beans |
| Φέτα | Feta | Semi-soft cheese made from sheep and goat milk |
| Φραπέ | Frappe | A popular iced coffee made from instant coffee |
| Φρούτα | Frouta | Fruit |
| Γάλα | Gala | Milk |
| Γαλακτομπούρεκο | Galaktobouriko | A sweet made with phyllo and a custard filling |
| Γαρίδες | Garides | Shrimp |
| Γαύρος | Gavros | Anchovies. They are either marinated in vinegar and salt or fried. |
| Γραβιέρα | Graviera | A hard yellow and salty cheese made from sheep’s milk |
| Χωριάτικι Σαλάτα | Horiatiki (salata) | The village salad, classic salad you could eat in Greece. Made with tomatoes, cucumbers, green pepper, onion, feta and olive oil. |
| Χοιρινό | Hirino | Pork |
| Χυλοπίτες | Hilopites | A egg pasta usually cut in small squares. |
| Χόρτα | Horta | Greens. Boiled and consumed with olive oil and lemon. |
| Χορτόπιτα | Hortopita | Savory pie made with thick phyllo dough and greens. |
| Χταπόδι | Htapodi | Octopus. Served grilled or marinated. |
| Καφές | Kafes | Coffee |
| Καλαμαράκια | Kalamarakia | Calamari or squid. Often served fried as an appetizer. |
| Καριδόπιτα | Karidopita | Walnut cake. A cake made with walnuts and syrup |
| Κεφαλοτύρι | Kefaloturi | Hard yellow cheese made from sheep’s or goat’s milk |
| Κεφτέδες | Keftedes | Small fried meatballs usually made from ground beef and ground pork. |
| Κοκορέτσι | Kokoretsi | Organ meats and sweetbread pieces are passed through a skewer and wrapped with the intestines (usually of lamb) then grilled in a spit or grill until crunchy. Traditionally prepared for Easter. |
| Κολοκυθάκια | Kolokithakia | Zucchini |
| Κολοκυθόπιτα | Kolokithopita | Zucchini savory pie |
| Κολοκυθοκεφτέδες | Kolokithokeftedes | Zucchini Patties |
| Κοκκινιστό | Kokinisto | Food made with tomato, from the word kokkino which means red. |
| Κοτόπουλο | Kotopoulo | Chicken |
| Κουλουράκια | Koulourakia | Cookies, usually the shape of a ring or braided. |
| Κουνουπίδι | Kounoupidi | Cauliflower. Usually consumed cooked in tomato |
| Κουραμπιέδες | Kourabiedes | Christmas butter cookies covered with powdered sugar. |
| Κρασί | Krasi | Wine (A variety of famous wines exist in Greece) |
| Λάδι | Ladi | May refer to any oil, but usually means olive oil |
| Λαχανικά | Lahanika | Vegetable |
| Λάχανο | Lahano | Cabbage |
| Λαχανοντολμάδες | Lahanodolmades | Dolmades made with cabbage |
| Λαδερό | Lathero | Stewed dishes (sometimes roasted), usually vegetable based made with olive oil and tomato |
| Μαγειρίτσα | Mageiritsa | A soup made from lamb offal and avgolemono (egg-lemon sauce), served traditionally on the eve of Easter. |
| Μακρόνια | Makaronia | Spaghetti |
| Μελιτζάνες | Melitzanes | Eggplant |
| Μελιτζανοσαλάτα | Melitzanosalata | Eggplant dip |
| Μελομακάρονα | Melomakarona | Honey cookies. Cookies traditionally made for Christmas with honey, olive oil and walnuts. |
| Μεζές | Mezes | Small servings or tidbits of food to be served with a drink. |
| Μουστοκούλουρα | Moustokouloura | Cookies made from the must of wine. |
| Μουσακάς | Mousakas | Casserole made with potato, eggplant and ground beef. |
| Μοσχάρι | Moshari | Veal |
| Νερό | Nero | Water |
| Νιστίσιμο | Nistisimo | Foods that adhere to the Greek Orthodox Fast (nistia) |
| Ομελέτα | Omeleta | Omelet |
| Ορεκτικό | Orektiko | Appetizer |
| Ούζο | Ouzo | Alcoholic drink of anise distillation |
| Παγωτό | Pagoto | Ice Cream |
| Παπουτσάκια | Papoutsakia | A dish of baked eggplants stuffed with ground beef, cheese and tomato. |
| Παξιμάδι | Paximadi | A rusk, usually referring to Cretan barley rusk. |
| Παστέλι | Pasteli | A sweet made from sesame seeds and honey. |
| Παστίτσιο | Pastitsio | A casserole made with pasta, ground beef, béchamel and tomato. |
| Πίτα | Pita | Refers to the savory pies made with phyllo dough but also to pita bread |
| Πιπεριά | Piperia | Peppers |
| Ψάρια | Psaria | fish |
| Ραβανί | Ravani | A cake made with semolina and syrup. |
| Ρεβύθια | Revithia | Chickpeas |
| Ρίγανι | Rigani | Oregano |
| Ρύζι | Rizi | Rice |
| Σαγανάκι | Saganaki | Fried cheese |
| Σαλάτα | Salata | Salad |
| Σάλτσα | Saltsa | Sauce |
| Σαρδέλα | Sardela | Sardines. Usually served grilled or cured |
| Σύκο | Siko | Fig |
| Σκορδαλιά | Skordalia | A garlic dip made with garlic, bread or potato and olive oil |
| Σούπα | Soupa | Soup |
| Σουτζουκάκια | Soutzoukakia | Meat balls that are covered in spicy tomato sauce |
| Σουβλάκι | Souvlaki | Skewers with pork meat (sometimes with chicken) |
| Σπανακόπιτα | Spanakopita | Spinach pie made with phyllo and spinach and with or without feta cheese. |
| Σπανακόρυζο | Spanakorizo | Dish made with spinach an rice cooked with a bit of tomato. |
| Στοιφάδο | Stifado | Refers to a stew made with baby onions, tomatoes and spices, usually with veal but also made with rabbit or chicken. |
| Ταραμοσαλάτα | Taramosalata | Dip made from a mixture of fish roe, bread and olive oil. |
| Τηγανιτί | Tiiganito | Fried |
| Τυρί | Tiri | Cheese |
| Τυρόπιτα | Tiropita | Cheese savory pie usually made with feta cheese. |
| Τραχανάς | Trahanas | Pellet shaped pasta made with milk |
| Τσουρέκι | Tsoureki | A sweet bread made with eggs and various spices. Similar to a brioche. Traditionally made for Easter. |
| Τζατζίκι | Tzatziki | Dip made from yogurt, garlic, olive oil and dill. |
| Βασιλόπιτα | Vasilopita | Cake made for New Years Day to celebrate Saint Basil. A coin is hidden in the cake, the person who gets the coin is believed to have good luck for the year. |
| Βύσινο | Vissino | Sour cherry |
| Βυσσινάδα | Vissinada | Sour cherry drink, served often in the summer. |
| Βοδινό | Vodino | Beef (cow) |
| Βραστό | Vrasto | Boiled |
| Γεμιστά | Yemista | Stuffed tomatoes, peppers and/or zucchini with just rice or herbs or with ground meat. |
| Γιαούρτι | Yiaourti | Yogurt |
| Γιουβαρλάκια | Yiovarelakia | Beef and rice balls cooked in avgolemono sauce |
| Γιουβέτσι | Yiouvetsi | Casserole, usually a type of meat cooked with pasta |
| Γλυκό | Ylyko | Sweet/dessert |
| Γλυκό του κουταλιού | Ylyko Koutaliou | Spoon sweets. Preserves of whole fruits that are served to guests on small spoon and plate. |
| Ζάχαρι | Zahari | Sugar |
| Ζύμι | Zimi | Dough |
| Ζωμός | Zomos | Broth |