Greek, or as it is also called, country salad (Horiatiki), is so simple that its preparation can be described in one sentence: cut all the vegetables into large pieces, add cheese and olives, season olive oil and sprinkle with oregano. All! Greek salad Horyatiki is ready, you can enjoy its natural Mediterranean taste.
The main rule of a simple, classic Greek salad recipe is large, coarse, “country-style” cutting. The size of the pieces should be approximately 2-3 cm. It is believed that in this form vegetables retain their properties better taste qualities, besides, preparing a simple everyday salad should not take much time. But you don't have to cut the cheese. Most often, large slices are laid out on top of the vegetables, and the eater himself breaks off the pieces with a fork. Although in restaurants you can often find feta served with cubes.
Required ingredients include: tomatoes, cucumbers, bell pepper, olives and cheese. Sometimes lettuce is added. Olive oil is used for dressing. And you don’t have to feel sorry for him. In Greece, housewives generously pour dressing over vegetables; firstly, it tastes better, and secondly, after the dish is eaten, a delicious dressing will remain at the bottom of the salad bowl - vegetable juices will mix with butter and cheese. It is usually dipped in fresh bread and the resulting buttery pieces (ladobukies) are very tasty!
Ingredients
- feta cheese 200 g
- tomato 3-4 pcs.
- cucumbers 2 pcs.
- red onion 1 pc.
- green or yellow bell pepper 1 pc.
- pitted olives 10-15 pcs.
- olive oil 3 tbsp. l.
- lemon juice 1 tbsp. l.
- salt and pepper to taste
- dried oregano 2-3 chips.
- lettuce (optional)
How to make a classic Greek salad
Vegetables need to be washed and dried, and the onions must be peeled. I cut the cucumbers into large cubes. If they taste bitter, be sure to remove the skin.
I chopped the onion into thin half rings. It is preferable to use red onions, but if you don’t have them, then regular white onions will do. There is no need to pre-marinate it or sprinkle it with lemon juice.
I peeled the bell pepper from seeds and veins and cut it into large cubes. It is advisable to take a yellow or green pepper to make the salad look more elegant and bright.
I cut the tomatoes according to the same principle as other vegetables, that is, coarsely.
I made the dressing using freshly squeezed olive oil. lemon juice, salt, pepper and dried oregano. It is best to take extra virgin olive oil; instead of lemon juice, you can use wine vinegar, and dried oregano, if necessary, can easily replace a mixture of Italian herbs.
I put all the chopped vegetables in a deep bowl and added pitted olives. Pour over the dressing and stir.
I laid out the Greek salad on serving plates and added a couple of large slices of feta on top (can be cut into cubes). I sprinkled it with dried oregano, rubbing it lightly with my fingertips so that it would better reveal its aroma. If desired, you can add pieces of lettuce; it goes well with all vegetables and serves as an additional decoration for the dish.
As you can see, the recipe for Greek salad is simple and quick, you just need to coarsely chop all the vegetables and season them with sauce. The dish should be served immediately after preparation. Bon appetit!
Classic recipe Greek salad is the most popular and easiest to prepare. This dish is often served in cafes and restaurants. It can also be easily prepared at home.
The main advantage of this wonderful dish is that its ingredients do not require heat treatment. All you have to do is chop the vegetables coarsely, add cheese and season all the ingredients with delicious butter and lemon juice.
Tomatoes and cucumbers for Greek salad should be dense and meaty. Ideally, onions should be sweet, without a pronounced smell. Crimean (blue) onions are perfect for salad. If desired, it can be marinated in water with the addition of a small amount of vinegar.
If you like light vegetable salads, also try making a classic Greek salad with fetaxa. It will be delicious!
Ingredients
Calorie content
Calories
188 kcal
Squirrels
3.9 g
Fats
17.8 g
Carbohydrates
3.4 g
Preparation
Step 1
Prepare the ingredients for the salad, wash and dry the vegetables. It is better to take a dense cucumber so that it does not drain quickly. You also need to take one large pepper or two halves of colored bell pepper. In the second case, the salad will turn out even brighter and more beautiful.
Step 2
Peel the bell pepper from the seeds and cut it into large pieces (squares, about 1 - 1.5 cm). Place it in a large bowl in which it would be convenient to mix vegetables.
We used half a red and half a yellow pepper for the salad to make the salad brighter and more appetizing.
Step 3
Cut the cucumbers into large pieces. It is advisable to choose large and dense cucumbers. If the skin on them is too hard, it is better to remove it and cut the cucumber itself into cubes or half rings - as you like.
Step 4
Cut tomatoes into large pieces. It is also better to choose tomatoes for Greek salad that are not too juicy and with dense flesh.
Step 5
Cut half an onion into half rings. If the onion has too strong a smell, it is better to pre-marinate it in a cold boiled water with the addition of a small amount of table vinegar.
Step 6
Typically, the classic recipe contains whole pitted black olives. However, if desired, they can be cut in half or cut into rings.
Step 7
Mix all the vegetables, salt and pepper to taste. Please note that the cheese will add its saltiness to the dish, so it is better to salt the vegetables moderately.
Step 8
We are preparing the dressing. To do this, mix olive oil and lemon juice in a separate bowl. Mix thoroughly until smooth.
Step 9
Pour the sauce over the salad and mix gently.
Step 10
We place our dish on serving plates and add feta cheese cut into large pieces on top. If desired, it can be replaced with fetax or feta cheese.
Sprinkle the salad with oregano or a mixture of Italian herbs. Serve immediately.
The finished Greek salad looks very appetizing and is rich in vitamins. You can eat it as an independent dish or together with meat dishes and even fish. Bon appetit!
How to replace Feta cheese in salad
Feta cheese is typically used when preparing a Greek salad. This cheese has a pleasant curd flavor and goes well with vegetables and olive oil.
If you don’t have Feta cheese on hand, you can easily replace it with pickled cheeses. For Greek salad, you can use feta cheese instead of feta. However, do not forget that feta cheese is usually saltier, so you should salt vegetables in moderation.
By the way, removing excess salt from cheese is also quite easy. So, it can be placed in milk or cold water (mineral water can be used) and left for 12 hours.
Some housewives prefer to add Imeretian or Adyghe cheese when preparing Greek salad. The fans vegetarian dishes You can add tofu - it will turn out not only tasty, but also healthy!
Simple, appetizing and delicious Greek salad has long been loved by our compatriots due to the ease of preparation and its beneficial properties. Indeed, the salad, the recipe for which we will consider today, is a real vitamin bouquet with a rich taste and excellent appearance.
In fact, there are quite a lot of recipes for traditional Greek salad. They may differ in the composition of vegetables, types of cheese and, of course, types of dressing.
Another significant advantage of Greek salad is its low calorie content. So, 100 g of this product contains no more than 135 kcal, which will especially please people watching their figure.
You can easily prepare a classic Greek salad at home. We have selected a few for you best recipes Greek salad, which are suitable for preparing a tasty and healthy lunch for every day.
Greek salad with croutons
The idea of adding croutons to the salad is rather borrowed from the traditional Caesar recipe. Nevertheless, this option also has a right to life. Crautons make Greek salad more nutritious. In addition, they go well with the taste of cheese and add new flavor notes to the dish.
Ingredients:
- Fresh cucumbers – 1 piece
- Olives – 7 pcs.
- Cherry tomatoes – 10 pcs
- White bread – 50 g
- Olive oil – 100 ml
- Lemon juice – 20 ml
- Spices, herbs - to taste
- Salt - to taste
Preparation:
- Making a salad with croutons is very simple. First, cut white bread into large pieces and fry the bread in olive oil in a frying pan. If desired, you can squeeze a clove of garlic into the frying pan to give the crackers a pleasant aroma and piquant taste.
- Cut the cherry tomatoes in half. Cut the cucumbers into thin strips.
- Place vegetables on serving plates and add olives.
- Season our dish with olive oil, add lemon juice and sprinkle with spices and herbs. If desired, the salad can be lightly salted.
- Place croutons on top of the salad and serve immediately. Bon appetit!
Remember that crackers get soggy quickly. That is why they should be added immediately before serving the dish!
Greek salad with lettuce leaves
If you want to add some zest to your Greek salad, try preparing it with pine nuts. Such nuts will not only make the dish more nutritious and healthy, but will also add new flavor notes to it.
Ingredients:
- Meaty pepper – 1 pc.
- Tomatoes – 2 pcs.
- Large cucumber – 1 piece
- Lettuce leaves – 5 pcs.
- Feta cheese – 100 g
- Olive oil – 50 ml
- Salt, pepper - to taste
- Spices (oregano) – to taste
Preparation:
- Cut the bell pepper into large pieces and place in a deep bowl.
- Add chopped cucumbers to the pepper (can be cut into cubes, half rings or even rings), as well as tomatoes.
- We tear the lettuce leaves with our hands and add them to the vegetables.
- Add cheese.
- Season the salad with olive oil. Add salt and spices to taste.
IN classic version Greek salad is seasoned with oregano (oregano). However, you can use any other spices or herbs you like, such as parsley, dill, cilantro, ground pepper, etc. By the way, if desired, olive oil can be mixed with 1/3 teaspoon of mustard or 2 teaspoons of lemon or lime juice. It will be even tastier!
Classic salad recipe with feta cheese and olives
If you don’t like the options with feta cheese, you can prepare an equally tasty and more nutritious Greek salad with feta cheese and olives. Cheese cheese will give the dish a more piquant taste and make it even more interesting.
Ingredients:
- Bell pepper – 1 piece
- Tomato – 3 pcs.
- Cheese cheese – 150 g
- Olives (olives) – 100 g
- Blue onion – 1 piece
- Olive oil – 100 g
- Salt - to taste
Preparation:
- Wash, remove seeds and cut the pepper into rings.
- Cut the tomatoes into slices and place in a deep bowl.
- Cut the onion into rings. If desired, marinate.
- Add the diced cheese.
- Olives can be left whole or cut into slices.
- Add oil and mix thoroughly. Salt if desired.
The salad with cheese turns out very tender, beautiful and tasty. It can be served as a separate dish or along with meat dishes.
Making a classic Greek salad dressing
In Greece, a very simple sauce based on olive oil and spices is usually prepared for dressing. Let's try to prepare a traditional Greek salad dressing.
Ingredients:
- Olive oil – 120 ml
- Lemon juice – 60 ml
- Salt, ground pepper - to taste
- Oregano – ½ teaspoon
Preparation:
- Pour olive oil into a small bowl or bowl.
- Add freshly squeezed lemon juice, salt and pepper.
- Grind the dried oregano and add it to the oil.
- Mix thoroughly with a fork.
- Season the salad with the resulting sauce and serve.
By the way, many chefs prefer to add spices and salt directly to the dish before serving. The sauce is prepared by mixing oil and lemon juice.
Low-calorie Greek salad dressing
This type of dressing has little in common with the traditional one. However, many housewives, especially those who watch their figure, prefer to use it because of its low calorie content. So, a similar salad sauce is made from natural yogurt. Lemon juice and wine vinegar are another way to get rid of extra calories.
Ingredients:
- Natural yogurt – 150 ml
- Lemon juice – 2 tbsp. spoons
- Garlic – 1 clove
- Wine vinegar (red) – 10 ml
- Salt, pepper - to taste
Preparation:
- Pour yogurt into a bowl or deep plate.
- Add fresh lemon juice to it.
- Squeeze out a clove of garlic.
- Add wine vinegar.
- Salt and pepper if desired.
- Mix all ingredients thoroughly and season the salad.
Greek salad with natural yogurt turns out tender and light. It tastes in no way inferior to the traditional one, but helps get rid of extra calories. By the way, if you don't like garlic, you can simply omit it. You can also add finely chopped fresh dill to the sauce, which will make the dish even more aromatic and tasty.
Spicy sauce for Greek salad
If you want to give your Greek salad a new flavorful twist, try making a special spicy sauce for it. Spices can be selected according to your own taste. You can also add a little herbs, such as parsley or cilantro, if desired.
Ingredients:
- Garlic – 1 clove
- Olive oil – 70 g
- Ground pepper - to taste
- Salt - to taste
- Honey – 1 tsp
- Lemon or lime juice – 1 tbsp. l
Preparation:
- Pour olive oil into a bowl or plate and squeeze in lemon or lime juice.
- Add a little honey. Honey will neutralize the acid and make the sauce more refined and delicate.
- Squeeze a clove of garlic and add ground pepper to taste.
- Mix all ingredients thoroughly. Salt to taste.
The prepared spicy sauce can be immediately added to the salad or left in a closed container in the refrigerator. If desired, during dressing, you can chop a little greenery and mix it with the resulting sauce.
Mustard-honey dressing
Another delicious recipe dressing includes mustard, honey and lemon juice. By the way, you can also use it to season other vegetable salads.
Ingredients:
- Vegetable oil – 100 g
- Ready mustard – 0.5 teaspoon
- Honey – 20 g
- ½ lemon
- Salt, pepper - to taste
Preparation:
- Pour into a bowl vegetable oil.
- Add mustard and juice of half a lemon.
- If the honey is liquid, immediately add it to the rest of the ingredients. It is better to preheat the candied honey so that it becomes liquid.
- Mix all ingredients and taste. Add salt and ground pepper if desired.
Pour the prepared dressing over the salad and serve. It turns out very tasty! Bon appetit.
Soy sauce based salad dressing
Soy sauce is great for dressing vegetable salad. To do this, you need to mix it with lemon juice and olive oil, and if desired, add a little honey to adjust the acidity.
Products:
- Honey – 20 g
- Soy sauce – 40 ml
- Lemon juice – 25 ml
- Olive oil – 90 ml
Preparation:
- Mix olive oil, soy sauce and honey in a bowl.
- Squeeze lemon juice and mix all ingredients thoroughly.
- Let's taste it. Depending on salinity level soy sauce You can adjust the taste of the dressing by increasing the amount of lemon juice or honey.
We dress our salad and serve. Bon appetit!
1.Rinse all vegetables thoroughly under running water. Then lay them out on a towel and let them dry. Take a suitable bowl for this dish (deep enough) and tear the lettuce leaves into it. Since all the ingredients in this salad should be coarsely chopped, do not chop them too much.
2.Now peel and cut the onion into thin half rings. Choose sweet varieties so that they are not too bitter in the salad. Add the half rings to the remaining ingredients.
3.The pepper for this dish should be fleshy and very juicy. This will make your salad much tastier. Remove the seeds from the pepper. Cut the clean, fleshy part into medium strips. Place the peppers in a bowl.
4.The cucumber needs to be cut into large pieces, one and a half to two centimeters wide. To do this, cut the cucumber into two parts, and then each part into halves, which will need to be cut into cubes. Throw them into a bowl.
5.Tomatoes also do not need to be chopped too much. If you choose small tomatoes, then cut them into four parts, but if you have large ones, then cut them into eight parts. Also add them to the bowl with the rest of the ingredients.
6. Olives in a Greek salad should be pitted, so it’s advisable to buy just those. When you take them out of the jar, wait, let them dry a little, and only then throw them into a bowl.
7.Now the salad can be dressed. Pour a few tablespoons of olive oil into a bowl and mix all the ingredients.
8.The final touch to the preparation is the addition of feta cheese. If you have a whole piece, then remove it from the package in advance to allow some of the whey to drain. Then cut it into cubes and add to the salad. Instead of feta, you can use tofu (which is especially important on fasting days). Stir everything again, taste and, if necessary, add salt.
A very tasty and bright Greek salad is ready. If you prepared him for festive table, then put it in a beautiful dish and serve. If not, then pour it into a plate and eat it right away. Bon appetit!
The wide variety of Greek salads, whose homeland is Greece, is explained by its wide popularity outside this country. In Russia, the salad became public knowledge closer to the new century, only in a slightly modified form. Feta cheese, which is made from goat or sheep milk, is added to traditional Greek cheese. More budget option salad allowed feta cheese. Vegan lovers prefer to replace feta with soybean tofu.
The five most commonly used ingredients in Greek salad recipes are:
The classic composition of a Greek salad basket is as follows:
- feta cheese
- tomatoes
- cucumbers
- olives
- shallots
- olive oil
The only spices are salt, oregano and ground black pepper.
In different variations of Greek, they add to it: capers, anchovies, sun-dried tomatoes, bell peppers, onions, lettuce, assorted greens, garlic, the aforementioned feta cheese, crackers, chicken fillet and much more.
Five of the fastest Greek salad recipes:
The main difference between Greek and any other salads is the brightness and larger cutting of vegetables. At home, the salad is not mixed before serving - this is done directly in the plate. It doesn’t affect the taste in any way, rather it’s a matter of habit. Brightness is achieved with green cucumbers, red tomatoes, black olives, white cheese and yellow olive oil. Although the Greeks themselves prefer to peel cucumbers.
- a little lemon juice in olive oil adds a subtle flavor to the salad
- the dish will be tastier if you mix salt and spices into vegetable oil, then pour over the vegetables
- you need to be careful with salt: there is quite enough of it in cheese and olives
When we asked our friends, who have been coming to Greece on holiday from different parts of the world for many years in a row, what attracts them to this country, they answered with a smile: “Clean sea, gentle sun, always fresh seafood, delicious wine, Greek hospitality, and, of course, the most delicious Greek salad in the world..."
Indeed, in the catalogs of the world's best restaurants, along with the most exquisite dishes, Greek salad occupies not the last place.
Greek salad, in its homeland usually called “horiatiki” - rustic, got its name due to the fact that its components: onions, olives, sweet green peppers, as well as cucumbers, tomatoes and olive oil - these are those simple and familiar products that which the Greek peasants ate.
It all started with tomatoes
However, tomatoes, as well as the salad itself, appeared on the Greek table relatively recently.
It is known that tomatoes were brought to Europe by Spanish conquistadors in the 16th century, and they came to Greece only in 1818 along with potatoes.
They were brought to Greece by wandering Catholic monks. At first, tomatoes were grown as ornamental plants for decorating monastery grounds - their fruits were considered poisonous. And only since 1825 they began to cultivate for food in almost all regions of the country.
At first, tomatoes were mistaken for exotic fruits. The Greeks ate tomatoes the way they were used to eating fruits: biting off pieces from the whole fruit, eating them with bread and cheese.
However, vegetables, even such as onions, were not cut - they were also consumed whole. Fortunately, the pale purple onions were sweet and fragrant.
The history of salad
As a separate dish, salad appeared thanks to one curious incident.
In 1909, a Greek economic emigrant who had worked for many years in America in a weaving factory went to his home village for his nephew's wedding.
In a foreign land, he was very homesick for his homeland, Greek olives, olive oil, unique cheese, and ripe vegetables that were grown in his village.
On the way home he got a toothache. At home, the damned tooth started to hurt. My sister advised me to rinse it with ouzo, aniseed vodka. The acute pain gradually subsided.
It was dinner time. The sister gathered for the table: bread, olives, cheese, some vegetables. But the tooth kept aching and did not allow me to bite vegetables, as was customary.
Then a smart man found a way out - without thinking twice, he crumbled all the food into pieces into a clay bowl, added a handful of olives to it, put a large piece of Feta on top, poured it with rustic olive oil, and began to gobble it up with great pleasure.
My sister also tried the new dish, and she really liked it. She decided to surprise the neighbors and serve it at the wedding table. The salad was appreciated!
Since then, village salad has become a favorite and main dish of Greek cuisine.
Cheese for Greek salad
If tomato is the king of Greek salad, then feta is the queen.
If you don't put Feta cheese in the salad, it will be a regular vegetable salad. It is Feta that gives the rustic salad a unique flavor, a kind of Greek charm.
Real Feta is made only in Greece in a special way from a mixture of 70% sheep and 30% goat milk. Feta goes through a very complex and long process of production and subsequent processing, developed over centuries.
Homer, in his poem “The Odyssey,” says that the Cyclops Polyphemus was the first cheese maker, which, according to the descriptions of the ancient Greek poet, was very similar to Feta.
The specific aroma of Greek Feta is the aroma of herbs that feed sheep and goats grazing in the meadows of Macedonia, Thrace, Epirus, Thessaly, Central Greece, the Peloponnese, and the islands of Lesbos and Crete.
And only in these, and in no other areas of Greece, is this wonderful product prepared.
Feta has a spicy taste that cannot be confused with any other - tart, slightly salty, with a slight hint of sourness.
It belongs to the soft varieties of light cheeses. When cutting cheese into pieces, it should not crumble and leave no marks on the surface of the knife.
Feta contains no more than 43% fat and 56% moisture.
The color of Feta should be white, like Pendelian marble.
For all these undeniable advantages, the cheese was given the brand “Feta”, and no other white cheeses made outside of Greece can be called that.
Here she is, the Greek queen of Feta cheeses, and she occupies a royal place in the Greek salad - at its very top!
Calorie content, benefits and some statistics
Greek salad is popular not only in Greece itself, but also far beyond its borders.
When asked by the famous catering company Grub Hub Seamless: “What is the favorite dish for American lunch clerks?” over twenty-five thousand restaurants and fast foods across America gave the answer: “Greek Salad.”
And to the question: “Why do customers give such preference to Greek salad, and not the same classic vegetable green salad made from lettuce?”, it was explained that Greek salad contains a larger amount of complete proteins, fats and vitamins, contains a more diverse quality ingredients and amazing taste.
In Greece there is no tavern, restaurant, or snack bar where Khoriatiki is not served.
It goes well with any meat, fish or seafood dishes served on the table.
It can also be an excellent independent snack with any wine or other stronger drink.
The calorie content of salad in Greek and Russian sources is not the same: a serving of 200 grams is estimated by the Greeks at 415 kcal, while Russian cooks estimate only 320 kcal.
A 100-gram serving of classic Greek salad with Feta cheese contains:
- proteins – 4.6 g;
- fats – 3.8 g;
- carbohydrates – 4 g;
- glycemic index – 30.
The Guinness record was set by residents of the town of Ierapetra, in Crete, who prepared the world's largest portion of Greek salad from seven tons of tomatoes, three tons of cucumbers, two tons of peppers and one ton of onions. The salad took 800 kg of Feta and 500 liters of olive oil!
Greek salad dressing: composition, recipe
The unique taste of this dish is determined not only by the composition and quality of the products included in it, but also by the set of ingredients used for dressing.
The basis of the sauce for Greek salad is olive oil. good quality, preferably cold pressed.
In Greek cuisine, other types of base are rarely used, preferring to season all vegetable dishes with olive oil rather than mayonnaise or similar sauces.
Firstly, because olive oil contains a unique flavor and aromatic bouquet.
Secondly, entire treatises have been written about the benefits of olive oil, starting from the time of Hippocrates and ending with the latest scientific research in the field of nutrition and medicine.
In taverns in Greece, the classic village salad is dressed with either a mixture of olive oil, lemon and herbs– oregano (oregano), in Greek – “rigani”, and thyme – “fimari”, sometimes parsley is also added.
Or, leaving the same base, add high-quality wine or balsamic vinegar. It all depends on the taste preferences of the chef preparing the salad.
It is advisable to make the dressing in advance so that it infuses and acquires the taste and aroma of spices.
So, for dressing for a real Greek salad we will need:
- good quality olive oil, preferably cold pressed (5-6 tablespoons);
- one medium-sized lemon, or wine or balsamic vinegar (0.5-1 tablespoon to taste);
- oregano or thyme.
Mix the oil, lemon juice and aromatic herbs, whisking all the ingredients with a pastry whisk.
Leave the dressing to infuse and start preparing the dish.
Classic Greek salad recipe: ingredients, how to prepare
To prepare Khoriatiki, as it is prepared by housewives in Greece, we need to have the following products:
- four medium-sized tomatoes (not soft and unripe);
- one large or two medium cucumbers;
- one or two large sweet peppers;
- one head onions, better sweet, pale purple in color;
- Greek Feta cheese – 100-150 grams;
- some “kalamon” olives – 6-8 pieces;
- capers – 50 grams.
Now, attention! Step by step guide correct preparation:
The main secret is that all vegetables are cut into large pieces and laid in layers.
- Wash the vegetables and dry them with a paper towel.
- We peel the cucumbers and cut them into medium-thick circles - this will be the first layer of our salad.
- Then cut the sweet green pepper into half rings and place on top of the cucumbers.
- First, cut the tomatoes into two halves, remove the stems from the halves, then cut them in half again and lay them in an even layer.
- Cut the onion into thin half rings, wash it in cold water, squeeze and place on top of the tomatoes.
- Capers and olives are placed on top as a decorative element of the salad.
- We pour everything with a dressing of olive oil, oregano and lemon juice; it has already infused and acquired a specific aroma that will favorably emphasize the taste of fresh vegetables.
- Do not stir or add salt to the salad before serving. Top the dish with a piece of Feta, pour olive oil on top and sprinkle with oregano.
The salad is ready. Pepper, salt and mix before the salad is placed on plates, immediately before eating.
Kali orexy! Bon appetit!