Food in Thessaloniki

Hi again

This post will give you some ideas for food you can have in Thessaloniki. Thessaloniki is quite famous in Greece for its many restaurants and food shops. Of course you will find all the touristy delights (feta cheese, greek salad, mousaka, souvlaki etc) but I would suggest to be more adventurous and try the real Greek food.

I will list the some foods in catecories that I think you should try

Pastries: One of the most famous specialties of Thessaloniki is bougatsa. In Thessaloniki it is found as savoury or sweet and it can be filled with either cream/custard (sweet) or cheese (savoury). It can also be found filled with mince. The ones filled with cheese or cream are very popular as breakfast. DO NOT TRY BOUGATSA IN ATHENS-THEY DON'T KNOW HOW TO PREPARE IT. Other popular pastries is cheese, spinach, leak, meat pies. You can spot shops selling pastries all over Thessaloniki. They smell great (unlike Gregg's!!) and you could try a few different tastes.

Meat: If you are in Greece you should try gyros (even in Athens...). It is the greek kebab but it tastes like real food! It is made of pork (not lamb as in the uk) and tastes like heaven! It is usually served with pita bread, french fries or chips and salad. You can also add tzatziki or other sauces. Usually the portions in Thessaloniki are much larger than the ones served in Athens even though they cost a bit more (very cheap again-with 2.80E you can be full for a day!). Best fast food in the world! It does not taste like the kebab in UK...you have to try.

In most taverns in Thessaloniki you can usually buy a selection of various meat specialties. If you order one of them they will bring you a big tray of meat (!!) with many different tastes to try. They all taste great! Try to taste soutzoukakia (a type of greek meatball), souvlakia (meat skrewers), lamb chops, kontosouvli and kokoretsi (not for everybody-made from lamb intestines).

Fish and seafood: You can find very good fish and seafood in Thessaloniki. Usually the best fish can be eaten in specialized restaurants, and can be a bit expensive. There are good sea food restaurants in the Perea area of Thessaloniki. Prawns, mussels, squids are very popular. Especially in Halkidiki you can find good fish and seafood very easily.

Mezedes: This is very typical greek. Mezedes is a selection of small dishes, quite similar to tapas in Spain (mezedes just taste better however). In Thessaloniki especially most tavernas serve mezedes. The type of mezes depends on the area. In Thessaloniki all the tastes are heavily infuenced by Asia Minor (turkey) tastes. If you are near the sea probably you are going to have sea food mezedes. This web page gives a good discription of the meze culture: http://www.greecefoods.com/meze/index.htm . The places that serve this type of food are called ouzeries, because this type of food is usually accompanied by ouzo. The most famous ouzeri in Thessaloniki is Ouzou Melathron (co-owned by my cousin) and I strongly suggest to visit it: http://www.ouzoumelathron.gr/. Also the Athonos area of Thessaloniki is full of ouzeries that you could visit. Both Ouzou Melathron and Athonos are in the centre of the city.

Sweets: Try tsoureki from Terkenlis sweet shop. Landmark sweet shop in Thessaloniki. Just follow the smell and you will find it. There is one in Agia Sofia square and one in Aristotle square. Tsoureki is a sweet bread and is very common in Easter time. For more info: http://www.terkenlis.gr/En/proionta_Tsourekia.htm

Also you should visit Hatzis sweet shop. In operation since 1908, when Thessaloniki was still an Ottoman city, this sweet shop is specialized in the tastes of old Constantinople. After Hatzis, you'll never ask for a simple 'baklava' again. Thats all for now. I will try to update the food section very soon with some healthier choices...I am hungry and need some calories so bye!