Just because you are vegetarian doesn't mean you can't eat delicious dishes and enjoy amazing gastronomic experiences. Especially in Greece, you will be in a culinary paradise since the Greek cuisine has many vegetarian dishes. The Greek cuisine is based on vegetables in addition to meat and fish, and in Greece, you will have the opportunity to get familiar with a cuisine that will surprise you. Read here the best vegetarian dishes of the Greek cuisine, and be prepared for an abundant culinary adventure!
Greek salad
The Greek salad is a delicious and nutritious salad, famous all over the world, which consists of tomatoes, onions, cucumbers, green peppers, olives, feta cheese, oregano and olive oil. Without feta cheese, it is the ultimate veggie dish.
Dolmades
Dolmades are grape leaf-wrapped rice parcel, eaten as finger food. Some dolmades are also stuffed with pine nuts.
Courgette balls
Courgette balls (kolokythokeftedes) are crispy balls with zucchini, mint and creamy cheese on the inside. It is a veggie starter and a very popular dish in Crete, which however you can find all over Greece.
Tomato fritters
Tomato fritters (tomatokeftedes) are the alternative to courgette balls, if you don't like zucchini. Basically, they are dried tomatoes fried with flour. They are also a veggie starter and are very popular in Santorini.
Dakos
The most popular dish in Crete, which is however served in every tavern in Greece, is a combination of salad and appetiser. Barley rusks, which are soaked in water or olive oil to get softened, are topped with fresh tomato and cheese, feta or myzithra. Salt, oregano, pepper and Cretan olive oil give dakos an excellent taste.
Fava
Extra tasty, velvety in texture, nutritious and sweet, fava of Santorini has awarded PDO status (Protected Designation of Origin). Most commonly, it is pureed and served as a dip, sprinkled with lemon juice, olive oil and onions. However, there are many recipes with fava, such as with tomatoes, capers and other vegetables, and it can also be served as a soup.
Tsimetia
Tsimetia, a traditional dish from Ios, are zucchini's flowers filled with rice and then baked or fried. They are the ultimate vegan dish and offered as an appetiser.
Sefoukloti
Sefoukloti is a sweet-savoury pie with chards or wild greens, parsley, fennel, onion, mint and rice. You can taste this yummy pie in every traditional tavern in Naxos, and it is a perfect possibility to get familiar with the vegetarian cuisine of the islands.
Spinach pie
The pies are famous dishes of the Greek cuisine, and everywhere in Greece, you can find a bakery, which serves delicious pies with many and unique ingredients. Spinach pie is a favourite pie of all Greeks as it is a light meal, full of iron, protein and energy.