Souvlaki is a popular Greek fast food, consisting of small pieces of meat grilled on a skewer, while tzatziki is a sauce made of strained yogurt--usually from goat or sheep milk--mixed with cucumbers, garlic, salt, olive oil, lemon juice and some herbs.
We don't have many Greek restaurants in Malaysia. Now that I think about it, I don't think I've seen any. That added a sense of adventure to our first visit to Greece last month.
We don't have many Greek restaurants in Malaysia. Now that I think about it, I don't think I've seen any. That added a sense of adventure to our first visit to Greece last month.
Souvlaki and gyros tavernas were everywhere in Greece. And they were affordable too. I had my first souvlaki at a restaurant in Nafplio. My partner and I ordered one plate of chicken souvlaki to share, and were glad we only ordered one. The portion was very generous--three skewers, one pita bread cut into four, potato wedges and a substantial side salad. It wasn't served with tzatziki unfortunately, but I did get to try the sauce the next day, in a gyro.
The gyro was an awesome meal. Simple, but very filling. The waiter asked me if I wanted to have fries with my gyro, and I said yes, expecting it to be served as a side dish, but as it turned out, the fries were inside the wrap. What I got was a perfect combination of different tastes and textures. Bacon, pita bread, tzatziki, tomato and fries in every mouthful.
The tzatziki tasted almost similar to tartar sauce, only slightly better. And as far as skewered chicken goes, I think the Malaysian satay is still the best. I'm not simply saying that because I'm Malaysian. Trust me, there are some Malaysian food that I totally wouldn't touch. I like Japanese food better than Malay food, but in my opinion not even the yakitori can surpass the Malaysian satay.
Apart from souvlaki and tzatziki, we also sampled some of the other Greek dishes:
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| Fava bean dip and grilled octopus |
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| Deep-fried tomato |
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| Moussaka |
My favorite out of all those has got to be the moussaka, a lasagna-like dish, baked and served in a clay pot. The top layer was egg custard and bechamel sauce, followed by minced meat in tomato puree, and at the very bottom a layer of sauteed eggplant.
Another favorite was the fava dip. I mopped it clean with warm bread. The grilled octopus was splendid and went well with the dressing it came with. The fried tomato could have been better if I had remembered to tell them not to put onion.
Another favorite was the fava dip. I mopped it clean with warm bread. The grilled octopus was splendid and went well with the dressing it came with. The fried tomato could have been better if I had remembered to tell them not to put onion.
It was the first time in Europe that I actually wasn't disappointed with the food. France was a huge disappointment, and so was Italy (I had such high expectations for both of them, so I think that was the problem). Sorry, French and Italian people! To be fair, I was only in Paris and Venice, probably not the best places to get authentic French and Italian food. But Greek food turned out to be something that I actually wouldn't mind eating frequently, if not everyday. I had thought it would be another trip where I would be eating bread and sandwiches all day long, but I was pleasantly gastronomically surprised!
