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Pasteli is a traditional honey and sesame bar that is sometimes made with dried nuts. Its roots can be found in Homer’s Iliad while Herodotus is the first historian who mentions this energy-boosting  food. The high nutritional value of Pasteli comes from its two main ingredients; honey and sesame.  Proven to contain a wealth of nutrients, Pasteli has  magnesium, iron, phosphorus and the dietary fibers that contribute to fitness and health.

Amygdalota is a traditional sweet associated with most family celebrations. Engagements, weddings, and christenings all call for these rose scented, candied cookies. Made primarily with almonds and sugar, Amygdalota are popular all over Greece and in the islands of the Aegean, as the almond tree can survive in dry weather and can be found even in the most barren places. The way they are made and the ingredients used differ from place to place, but in general the base materials are: ground almonds, flower water, rose water, eggs and“Amygdalota” are traditional almond cookies made for special occasions. Traditionally, known as ‘wedding sweets’ because of the white color. “Amygdalota” are crunchy on the outside, chewy on the inside and sprinkled with powdered sugar. There are variations in shape and ingredients from place to place but the main recipe remains the same. Customarily, the cookie is baked; however, in some places, the dough is sun dried and even eaten raw  sugar. They could be baked in the oven, dried in the sun or even eaten raw. Their shape varies just like their names.

Feta, the internationally- known, white, Greek brine cheese, is one of the most famous Greek cheeses.   Soft to medium hard, solid or with small holes and without skin, Greek Feta  is a cheese to please all tastes.  The flavor differs, from mild- sweet to sour and rich-full depending on where it is produced.  The aromas range from herbs and wood to butter and milk but also salty. A Protected Designation of Origin product, feta cheese is produced in the regions of Thrace, Macedonia, Thessaly, Epirus, Central Greece, the Peloponnese and Lesbos.

Stafidopsomo, or raisin bread, is a semi-sweet, yellow-brown loaf in round or oval shape.

Made with flour, yeast, salt, sugar and raisins, the dough is baked at moderate heat, at lower temperatures than bread. Stafidopsomo has a history of its own dating back to Ottoman Rule and, according to oral tradition, the bread was first made, and enjoyed, on Crete. Today this delicate sweet bread is a popular bakery product and made with different types of  flour; wheat, barley or corn.

Pastourmas is a typical cured meat in Eastern cuisine which is produced in the regions of Greece close to Turkey (Thrace, the Northern Aegean Islands, and Dodecanese). It is made with corned beef (in the Dodecanese with goat; originally with camel meat) and covered with a layer of spices, cumin, paprika, pimento. Pastourmas owes its distinct taste to the main spice called tsimeni or trigonella in Greek. The highest quality Pastourmas always follows the natural maturing process; air dried for 25 days, 7 days left to sit and then hung in a bright place (but never in high temperature ovens).

Honey plays an important role in daily life, not only as one of the most traditional ingredients in Greek cuisine, but for its health benefits. Known since antiquity, Hippocrates recommended honey for medicinal purposes .Today Greek honey is considered among the best in the world praised for its excellent quality, unique aroma and rich taste. Honey contains carbohydrates, mainly fructose and glucose, with low protein content and minimal fat. The rich variety of Greek honey comes from the countless wild plants of the countryside.

Sausages are the most popular cured meat and are still made at home although there are large cured meat producers throughout Greece.  Sausages vary from place to place and mainly differ in the percentage of smoked meat, or not. There are many varieties of fillings and combinations of spices and herbs and are often flavored with orange. The ‘soutzouki of Crete’ is sausage from pork meat combined with orange and oregano.

Koulouri is a ring- shaped bread roll covered with sesame seeds and sold by street vendors in the cities. Its origins date back to the Byzantine Era. Koulouri is made from white wheat flour, salt and very little oil. Before baking, it is covered in sesame seeds which give the bread its distinct taste. It is baked very early in the morning and sold fresh as it hardens quickly losing the sesame flavor.

Kasseri is a versatile, medium-hard, table cheese and favorite ingredient in cooking. It is pale yellow, mostly solid with a mildly sweet taste and pleasant aroma.  Molded in cylindrical shape or squares, the cheese has a medium-hard crust and is covered in cheese wax or other substances suitable for food. It is a Protected Designation of Origin product and made in the regions of Thessaly, Macedonia, Xanthi and Lesbos from sheep’s milk or very little, if any, goat’s milk (not exceeding 20%) of the mix.

Ksinomysthira, a traditional fresh cheese, is found in every corner of Greece.  It is a white cheese with a paste-like, grainy texture and without shape or crust. It is made from sheep and goat’s milk and also from cow’s milk. The famed variety on the island of Naxos has a Chantilly cream consistency with the slightly sour taste of yoghurt. Variations with different names are common on many of the Cycladic islands, such as the ‘souroto’ of Sifnos, ’chlorio’ of Santorini and the ‘chlorotyri’ of Andros.