Travelling to Greece doesn’t just have to be all about breaking plates, beaches and islands. This article is just for you if eating desserts is your thing – read on. We are listing the top 10 Greek desserts which are sure to get your taste buds running.
While you are in Greece, we recommend you try a few of these scrumptious desserts. Our list includes beautiful popular desserts like: Baklava, Rizogalo, Kadayifi, Ekmek Kadayifi, Loukoumades and of course Greek Yogurt – no Greek desserts list will be complete without it. Any of these delicious treats is sure to make your vacation in Greece an even sweeter one.
BAKLAVA
A special treat for your sweet tooth is Baklava which is one of the popular luscious Greek desserts. Baklava is made of at least 40 layers of phyllo or filo pastry which is covered with melted butter and filled with chopped walnuts, almonds or both. This delicious dessert is usually seasoned with cinnamon and cloves. Baklavas are slowly baked in the oven and when ready, sweetened with golden honey syrup.
RIZOGALO
Rizogalo or Greek rice pudding is considered as a traditional grandmas dessert in Greece. This beautiful dessert is very simple to make and it’s made from fresh milk, rice, sugar, vanilla extract and orange peel for flavouring. All the ingredients are slowly boiled in a casserole for all the flavours to mingle and beautifully fuse together. Rice pudding can be served hot from the casserole or put in the fridge and served cold later. An optional garnish of ground cinnamon on top of a serving of Rizogalo really always goes down well. This scent is the final touch which gives this dessert an amazing taste and nicely compliments all the flavours.
GALAKTOBOUREKO
Galaktoboureko is “milk pie” in Greek and it’s a big favourite Sunday family dessert. Galaktoboureko is a custard pie made of phyllo pastry filled with a milk creme, sugar, eggs, semolina, melted butter. This popular Greek dessert is flavoured with vanilla extract and lemon or orange peel. Baked in the oven and sweetened with hot honey syrup after it cools down to room temperature. The traditional and very popular dessert will just melt in your mouth – you’ve just got to try it.
KADAYIFI
Kadayifi is a Greek traditional Christmas dessert but you can enjoy it all year round. This is a highly recommended dessert that you have to try while you’re visiting Greece. Kadayifi belongs to the same family of desserts as baklava does. The main difference is in the finely shredded “Kadayifi” phyllo pastry which is used to make this scrumptious desert. Kadayifi can be filled with chopped nuts (usually almonds) and seasoned with ground cinnamon and cloves. Kadayifi is baked in the oven and sweetened with hot sugar or honey syrup. You can even add ice cream if wish to make this special Greek dessert even more delicious.
GREEK YOGURT
Greek yogurt with honey and walnuts is so simple to make but yet delicious. During the hot summer months and after a big meal, Greek yogurt is a great choice for refreshment or even for breakfast. When combined with full flavoured Greek honey and nutritional walnuts, Greek yogurt also helps your immune system so you don’t have to feel all that guilty eating this desert.
EKMEK KADAYIFI
Ekmek Kadayifi is a delicious dessert originally prepared by Greek citizens of the Byzantium capital (Konstantinoupolis). This lovely and mouthwatering dessert so don’t hesitate to taste it if you find it on the menu. This Greek dessert most certainly requires quite a bit of preparation but the final product is an amazing treat. The base of Ekmek is a crispy layer of Kadayifi phyllo which gets baked in butter. The second layer is made up of a creme of milk custard, sugar, eggs, corn flour, butter, lemon zest and vanilla extract for flavouring. The third delightful and final layer is whipped creme that’s sprinkled with crushed pistachio or almonds and fruits.
LOUKOUMADES
Loukoumades is a very popular Greek dessert which you’ll find all over Greece. This sweet can also be described as “Honey Dumplings” or “Fried Doughballs” and it’s an absolutely delicious treat which will just melt in your mouth. Loukoumades is served while they are still warm with honey and sprinkled with sesame seeds or any kind of nuts and ground cinnamon. This is a very easy desert to make and its ingredients are usually found in most Greek kitchens. Should you try to make it, you’ll need: flour, yeast, water, sugar, salt, honey, cinnamon, oil to fry and your preferred nuts. Do be careful though if you’re trying to control the amount of sweets you eat, Loukoumades can really be addictive, especially if you love ice creme too – you can eat both of them together 🙂 – don’t say we haven’t warned you.
KARIDOPITA
Karidopita or “walnuts cake” is a traditional Greek soft cake you will find in many versions. The best Karidopita cakes are those that contain chocolate. This glorious and rich dessert is made with walnuts, sugar, flour, butter, salt, eggs, milk, vanilla, baking powder, ground cinnamon, ground cloves, ground nutmeg and of course everyone’s favourite – chocolate. Baked in the oven and sweetened with sugar syrup makes it an excellent option to complete your dinner, to start your day or during your day – any time of the day really :). Karidopita is definitely not a dessert you would want to miss trying when you visit Greece.
HALVA
Halva is a traditional Greek dessert mostly consumed during special religious periods before the Greek Orthodox Easter which lasts 48 days and it’s a period of fasting. Halva is of course available all year and it can be found in many different flavours depending on the region of Greece. The most famous is the tahini halvas that are usually enriched with nuts and spices. It’s a light dessert and it’s a good combination with Greek coffee.
GRANDMA’S CHERRY SPOON
Last but not least on our list is “Grandma’s Cherry Spoon” dessert. This simple to make Greek dessert has been a favourite for many generations of Greeks. Before the chocolate and candy, this was this type of sweets that you could find in every Greek house. All you need is the cherries without the seed, water, sugar, lemon juice, vanilla extract and a pot to boil all this in. Served with fresh baked bread from the neighbourhood bakery and a layer of butter was the desire for every kid in Greece for decades. This scrumptious desert is great after your dinner as a sweet with your Greek coffee.
Have you tried any of these delicious Greek desserts?
We would love to hear your views in the comments section below.
