Greek salad

Greek salad

Horiatiki salad with Feta cheese as served in the Hellenic island of Hydra where the salad is eaten without the skin of cucumbers. In other regions of the country the cucumber skin is normally provided.
Place of origin	Greece
Main ingredients	Tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, feta cheese, olives (usually Kalamata olives), salt, oregano, olive oil
Cookbook: Greek salad  Media: Greek salad

Horiatiki salad as served in the Dodecanese Islands of Hellas

Horiatiki salad, also called Mediterranean salad or Cretan salad, as served in the Hellenic island of Crete

Horiatiki salad served together with moussaka in Lavonia, Peloponnesus, Hellas, European Union

Greek salad or Horiatiki salad (Greek: χωριάτικη σαλάτα choriatiki salata [xorˈjatici saˈlata] "villages' salad", "rustic salad" or θερινή σαλάτα therini salata [θeriˈni saˈlata] "summer salad"), rarely also promoted as Hellenic salad (Ελληνική σαλάτα, Elliniki salata), is a salad in Greek cuisine.

Greek salad is made with pieces of tomatoes, sliced cucumbers, onion, Feta cheese (served in a single rectangular-shaped cutting put over the vegetables), and olives (usually Kalamata olives), typically seasoned with salt and oregano, and dressed with olive oil. Common additions include green bell pepper slices or berries of capers (especially in the Dodecanese islands). Notably, the Greek salad is often seen as a farmer's breakfast or lunch, as its ingredients resemble those that a Greek farmer might have on hand.^[1]

Outside Greece

Hellenic salad as served in France, America, England and other countries. The main differences from the original Horiatiki salad are the serving of the Feta cheese in multiple cube-shaped cuttings instead of a single rectangular-shaped cutting and the more liberal supply of onion.

An American-style "Greek" salad, served with lettuce

Hellenic-inspired salad as served in Copenhagen, Denmark, European Union

Greek American chefs preparing Horiatiki salad in Tarpon Springs, Florida, United States of America

Outside Greece, "Greek salad" may be a lettuce salad with Greek-inspired ingredients, even though the original dish is distinguished by the absence of lettuce. Meanwhile, the variant without lettuce may be called horiatiki, "country salad", "peasant salad", or "village salad". Lettuce, tomatoes, feta (often served in multiple cube-shaped cuttings mixed with the vegetables), and olives are the most standard elements in an American-style Greek salad, but cucumbers, peperoncini (pickled hot peppers), bell peppers, onions, radishes, dolmades, and anchovies/sardines are common. In Detroit for example, a Greek salad also includes beets, and in the Tampa Bay Area it often includes potato salad. Rather than simple olive oil and vinegar, as in a normal Greek lettuce salad, prepared dressings containing various herbs and seasonings are frequently employed. This style of Greek salad is rarely encountered in Greece.

Various other salads have also been called "Greek" in the English language in the last century, including some with no apparent connection to Greek cuisine. A 1925 Australian newspaper described a Greek Salad of boiled squash dressed with sour milk;^[2] a 1934 American newspaper described a mayonnaise-dressed lettuce salad with shredded cabbage and carrots.^[3]

Other salads in Greece and Cyprus

There are many other salads in Greek cuisine. These include: the above-mentioned marouli (lettuce) salad with lettuce, onion and dill; cabbage salad ("slaw") (Lahanosalata), dressed with olive oil and lemon juice and garlic; beetroot salad (pantzarosalata), boiled and sliced beetroots, sometimes with beet greens as well, dressed with olive oil and red wine vinegar; roka (rocket) salad, arugula dressed with olive oil and red wine vinegar or lemon juice, possibly including anchovies; patatosalata, potato salad with olive oil, finely sliced onions, lemon juice or vinegar; revithosalata, chickpea salad; and maintanouri, parsley salad, usually used as a condiment.

Cypriot salad;^[4], native to the island of Cyprus, consists of finely chopped tomatoes, capers, cucumbers, onions, flat-leaf parsley, feta cheese, dressed with olive oil and lemon or red wine vinegar, closely resembles the "Greek salad" of Greece.

Some spreads and dips found in the meze of Greek cuisine are also regarded as part of the group of "salads" by Greek-speakers, such as melitzanosalata, taramasalata and tzatziki.

See also

• Shopska salad, a similar salad from Bulgaria, invented in the 20th century as a tourist attraction
• Çoban salatası, a similar salad from Turkey
• Serbian salad, a similar salad from Serbia

References