Food in Greece

The food that you will find in Greece will be very much like the food that you find at your Greek restaurant, maybe just a bit fresher and a bit more authentic.
There is nothing unusual about food in Croatia--just depends on your taste and choices.

In my experience, the food in Greece will be MUCH better than anything you can get in the US. Partly it is due to the freshness of the ingredients, and partly it is the "lost in translation" that happens with just about every ethnic cuisine you get in the US. Expect to find a lot of fresh grilled fish and lamb. The salads are amazingly fresh. The feta is also different; I don't much care for it in the US but eat it in Greece. You can find the "Americanized" dishes in Greece, especially at tourist-oriented restaurants, but if you avoid those, you can avoid them. Another good thing is to have mezedes to try lots of different things. You can also get wonderful liquors that are extremely hard to find in the US. Mastiha is a sweet liquor that only comes from the Island of Chinos. Tentura is a cinnamon and clove liquor from Patras. Try them as an aperitif after dinner.

I agree, you'll find some dishes that are more authentic, not "americanized"i.e., "Greek salad" ( =village salad = horataki) in the US often includes lettuce;in Greece, never. Also, for seafood, at reasonable prices u can enjoy octopus, calamari, shrimp, and small fish like sardines and "Marides" (tiny 'whitebait' fishes, battered/fried, eaten whole) ... but larger fish are MUCH more expensive, like €30 per kilo (2.2 lbs). That's because the Med & Aegean are almost "fished out" of larger species... and of course things like Swordfish are frozen. The smaller types are delicious & affordable. ALSO -- ask for whatever the taverna has prepared "Fourno" (oven-baked) for that day. Usually a small taverna will make 3-4 dishes "low & slow" --- Chicken legs/thighs, lamb or pork stew (keftiko), eggplant "imam" -- rich, tender full of flavor.

Hi from Wisconsin, At a family run, small restaurant...it will be fresh, quality. Here in the fly over zone of the USA I think fresh stops at the coasts. And in the USA what we most covet is quantity. So a lot for a little is out motto. In so much of Europe quality counts for a lot. Enjoy,
wayne iNWI

I've been to Greece a couple of times, though not for several years now. But I still remember how great the "domato salata" were. Super-fresh, with the tomatoes like the best $5.00/lb. heirloom tomatoes you can find in the states; great feta too, and a lot of it. Having said that, my favorite meal was simply an incredibly good olive oil from Crete (sorry don't remember name) with (also great) bread and cheese. I had this every day for lunch, and more than once for dinner. I've been an olive oil junkie ever since. Thank goodness there is a Greek food importer near me that has Sitia olive oil, which is excellent though not as good as that stuff from Crete. BTW I've been to Tarpon Springs--that row of white buildings by the water really does look like a street in a Greek island village! Have a great trip.

".......Sitia olive oil, which is excellent though not as good as that stuff from Crete." Sitia olive oil IS from Crete!