by Marina Stein

Created on: April 16, 2009

As in many other European countries, Greek meals are often concluded with a bowl of fresh seasonal fruit rather then a dessert. It does not mean, however, that Greeks does not have or like desserts, quite the opposite. Sweets are usually eaten as snacks in a couple of hours after a meal with strong sweet coffee. Greek people do have a sweet tooth and their desserts are there to prove it. Greek desserts are usually based on fruit, nuts and honey. Almost all of sweets will have those three main ingredients.

The most popular and easy dessert is Greek yogurt drizzles with honey and topped with pistachios or other nuts. Greek yogurt has a different texture and taste then traditional yogurt in America, it is available in the whole food stores and it is simply delicious.

Fruits as desserts are often served as so-called "spoon sweets" (glyka tou koutaliou) meaning fruits preserved in a heavy syrup. That simple dessert was a traditional way of offering hospitality to guests. Nowadays, in big cities such as Athens tourists are more likely to be served other types of sweets but on the islands people still serve "spoon sweets". Fruits that are very popular for using in the "spoon sweets" are those that usually can't be eaten fresh (lemons, quinces, bitter oranges) but other fruits can be used as well.

Traditionally, cakes and pastries are enjoyed by Greeks around the holidays such as Christmas, New Year, and Easter. Shortbread cookies (kourambiedes) are considered to be a national cookie of Greece
and are served around Christmas as well as orange and walnut cakes (finikia). Easter is celebrated with butter cookies (koulourakia).

Doughnuts in honey syrup (loukoumades) made out of yeast dough, deep-fried in oil and covered in honey syrup with a little sprinkle of cinnamon on top are served in almost every caf in Greece.

The most well known Greek pastry is baklava. Baklava is made out of sheets of Phyllo dough and walnut filling spiced with cloves and cinnamon. After baklava is baked it is drenched in honey-lemon syrup.

When talking about Greek desserts it is necessary to mention Greek coffee since coffee is the most popular drink in Greece, especially with desserts. Greek coffee is made in a briki, which is a small long-handled brass pot with a narrow top. Sugar is added to taste with the coffee grounds and water in the briki and then the contents are brought to a boil three times before being carefully poured in the cup. This coffee is hot, strong and sweet and is served with a glass of ice water and, of course, desserts of your choice!

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