What is cheese in Greek. Halloumi and five other original Greek cheeses

Hello!

I don’t eat any mayonnaise salads, not because I keep my figure (although I should), but because I have never eaten two things in my life: this is mayonnaise and boiled eggs. And the basis of all salads are precisely these ingredients. And here salads made from fresh vegetables, such as Greek, come to the rescue.

I used to make Greek salad with Fetaksa, because the main ingredient in this salad, I think, is cheese. It is he who gives the necessary sourness and saltiness.

I didn't really like the salad with Fetaxa. It looks more like melted cream cheese than cheese.

I have been staring at pickled cheese "Sirtaki" for a long time. And then something I wanted for dinner Greek salad. I took it for a test.

Box weighing 200 grams.

Cost: 95 rubles.

Place of purchase: Shop "Pyaterochka".

This pickled cheese made from natural milk.

What pleased me was that there were no "foreign" ingredients, such as animal fat, in the composition.

Also, the product does not contain preservatives, artificial dyes and genetically modified foods.

Calorie content: 225 kilocalories per 100 grams.

Manufacturer: JSC "Northern milk", Vologda region.

The packaging is easy to open.

The cheese itself is soft, it was inconvenient for me to get it out of the box.

This is exactly what you need! It is salty, sour, a real cheese for a Greek salad!

I make a salad without adding bell pepper. I don't like its taste. The rest is also my improvisation.

For the Greek salad we need:

Chinese cabbage.

Tomatoes (I used cherry tomatoes)

Olives

Olive oil

Sirtaki cheese.

Chop the Beijing cabbage not very finely. It will give us the necessary juiciness and useful fiber for the body.

We put it in a salad bowl (take a larger dish).

Add cherry tomatoes to cabbage.

We put our Sirtaki cheese on top.

Drain the brine from the olives and add to the salad.

It's time for the olive oil.

I took olive oil Altero. This oil is first cold pressed Extra Virgin.

At first glance, preparing Horiatiki, the world-famous culinary masterpiece that we call Greek salad, is utterly easy. But behind the deceptive simplicity of the dish lies a lot of subtleties and secrets. For example, do you know for sure which cheese is the most suitable for a Greek salad, what spices are appropriate in it, is it necessary to strictly follow the recipe, or are experiments still acceptable? Let's try to figure it out.

History of the dish

The original name of the famous dish is translated from Greek quite simply - " rustic salad”, which, in fact, reflects the elementary grocery set required for its preparation.

The history of the creation of the dish, which has three variations, is also simple:

1. According to one of the assumptions, it saw the light during the life of Homer, and all the products produced by the ancient Hellenes entered there. Everything would be fine, but in fact, tomatoes, which are among the main components of the salad, were brought into the country much later - in the distant 19th century.
2. Many connoisseurs are skeptical about the beautiful legend according to which the dish was accidentally invented by an emigrant from America, who came to his homeland for the wedding of his nephew. He yearned so much in a foreign land for the usual products that all the way he only dreamed of tasting them again. But here's the bad luck - a sore tooth violated all the young man's gastronomic plans. In desperation, the young man chopped the vegetables into smaller pieces, hoping to make them softer, poured them with olive oil, and also flavored them with a piece of cheese. The resulting result pleased, and at the same time interested the young man's sister, who, appreciating the dish as excellent, the next day treated them to a good hundred guests at the wedding. As you can see, the Greeks liked the salad.
3. To rational researchers, devoid of a share of romanticism, food is seen as an invention of cunning owners. Greek taverns. Hoping to earn more money from tourists who flooded the country in the 60-70s. last century, they were looking for interesting National dish for the menu. Elementary products, speed of preparation, a minimum of labor - these were the main criteria. And so the first variation of the salad appeared - a kind of vegetable cutting seasoned with spices and oil. Added local color to her sheep cheese- the pride of the Greek craftsmen. We will talk about it further.

What cheese is traditionally added to a Greek salad

The Greeks themselves use exclusively feta. This cheese is made from sheep and goat milk with the addition of special rennet produced by the gastric glands of a number of mammals.

Outwardly, it looks like a piece of pressed cottage cheese floating in brine. Its color is perfectly white without a single hint of yellowness, the taste is spicy, unlike any other cheese - tart-tender, moderately salty with a barely perceptible sourness.

The product favorably sets off taste characteristics vegetables and herbs that make up the salad, without interrupting them. It is feta that gives the dish that very flavor and Greek charm, and also a juicy creamy aftertaste, which is highly appreciated by fans.

What can replace the product

In an era of globalization, the question may seem strange - why replace soft sheep's cheese with something when there are dozens of varieties of this variety offered by local and European producers on supermarket shelves?

And here is the attention: “Feta” is an indication of the geographical origin of the product, protected by EU law, so cheese produced exclusively in Greece can be called this way. If there is no Made in Greece mark on the package, this is not feta at all, but analogues cooked modern way and excellent structure.

When you want to taste a popular Mediterranean dish, but it is not possible to find an original product, or the price for it is “affordable”, you have to guess what to replace feta cheese in Greek salad, so that the selected variety does not overshadow the other components, but only emphasizes their juiciness and richness. A logically justified answer is structurally related brine analogues.

Interestingly, during periods of religious fasting, when animal products are banned, original cheese in the dish is a great substitute for soy tofu.

Suitable cheese varieties for snacks

Cheese, suluguni, fetax, sirtaki, mozzarella, Adyghe cheese are the most popular solutions. Fans of experiments go even further - they prepare homemade yogurt cheese, which is subsequently soaked in a special brine. Unpretentious chefs do not philosophize slyly, but use ordinary processed cheese. Gourmets apply fried cheese believing that it gives the dish a touch of restaurant chic and high cost.

Such culinary intrigues are quite acceptable, but if you want to know the true taste of the famous Greek masterpiece, it is important to remember that just the same cheese component occupies one of the leading roles in it. What kind of cheese is added to Greek salad by culinary specialists in different parts of the world? Consider all the best options.

Sirtaki for Greek salad

Sirtaki is mistakenly attributed to Greek cheeses. In fact, this is only tradename offering consumers an analogue original product. It is just as snow-white, juicy, fragrant, with an abundance of calcium and protein. The main differences from feta are its high density and strong salinity.

By palatability this cheese is very similar to cheese: using sirtaki for Greek salad, you need to salt the dish just a little bit, or even not use this spice at all.

The taste of salty cheese in combination with vegetables can give a completely harmonious ensemble. The main thing is to choose optimal proportions ingredients and purchase a quality product from a reliable manufacturer. In this case, with sirtaki it will be possible to prepare a salad that will be perceived taste buds no worse than the classic.

Adyghe cheese

Often for cooking modern variation Horiatiki chefs use Adyghe cheese - a creation of the peoples of the North Caucasus. This product is considered a close relative of feta, however, their similarities are only in the soft structure and curdled consistency. This variety is much denser, its taste is pure sour milk. The product is not salted during manufacture, so it turns out to be quite bland. The color of the cheese is close to white, but it is not snow-white, like feta. In addition, Adyghe cheese is less high-calorie, so it is optimal for diet food.

Using this particular variety for Greek salad, you will have to worry about proper dressing with a rich and bright taste, otherwise the overall “bouquet” will turn out to be rather boring and insipid.

Mozzarella

Italian mozzarella cheese is a natural and extremely healthy product, an undeniable dietary source of milk protein and calcium. This variety pairs well with tomatoes and olives, so will definitely add some lovely creamy notes to your “veggie plate.”

Cheese differs from feta in a denser structure and the absence of a characteristic sourness, but after all, it is made from cow's milk, not sheep's milk. In general, mozzarella is quite a worthy analogue. Greek feta in the salad of the same name.

Brynza

Many chefs are firmly convinced that brynza is unacceptable for a Greek salad. The excessive salinity of the variety simply overshadows all other ingredients, leaving no trace of the subtle, refined taste original dish.

But there are also supporters of cheese, arguing that it is she who is most similar to sheep cheese in terms of production technology, structure and taste. Yes, and her useful qualities beyond any doubt. Therefore, in the absence of other options, cheese can be quite successfully used for Greek salad, but with one amendment: pickled cheese must first be soaked to reduce its salinity.

To do this, the product is cut into slices of medium thickness and poured with milk or cold filtered water for 8-12 hours. If instead plain water take carbonated, the soaking process will be many times faster.

Step by Step Greek Salad Recipes

Greek salad classic

IN original version Horiatiki is made from coarsely chopped, chilled vegetables, exclusively with purple onions and black olives.

For 2 servings you will need:

• 2 cucumbers;
• 2 tomatoes with dense pulp;
• 1 yellow bell pepper;
• 0.5 Crimean onion;
• 20 pcs. large pitted olives;
• 100 g feta cheese;
• 3 art. l. olive oil (Extra virgin);
• 1.5 st. l. lemon juice;
• 0.5 tsp oregano;
• clove of garlic;
• ¼ tsp. salt and black pepper.

Step by step preparation:

1. Mix for dressing crushed garlic, salt, spices, lemon juice and oil, beat lightly so that the ingredients are as tightly connected to each other as possible.
2. Wash vegetables, peel cucumbers, remove seeds from peppers. We cut the tomatoes into slices, cucumbers and peppers into large pieces of at least 2-2.5 cm, onions into half rings.
3. Olives in classic recipe not cut, feta too.
4. We spread the vegetables in a picturesque mess, supplement with olives, pour over the dressing, put the feta on top whole piece sprinkling with a pinch of oregano.
5. We serve the dish to the table, stirring it right at the meal before eating (the cheese will easily break into pieces of arbitrary shape).

By analogy with the classic recipe, the salad is prepared with sirtaki and cheese. In both interpretations, we exclude salt from the list of ingredients, and in the second version, we also soak the cheese in advance.

• 6 art. l. vegetable oil;
• 2 tbsp. l. balsamic vinegar;
• a pinch of oregano;
• salt, pepper to taste.

Step by step preparation:

1. Wash vegetables, cut into large pieces. Peel the onion, cut into half rings.
2. Put the cheese slices on a hot frying pan, fry on both sides until golden brown. finished product put on a paper towel to drain excess oil.
3. Cut olives in halves.
4. For the sauce, beat the oil and vinegar, add the oregano rubbed through your fingers, salt and pepper. Mix thoroughly.



Ingredients:

• 0.5 kg cherry tomatoes;
• 1 cucumber;
• 1 shallot;
• 120 g mozzarella;
• 2 cloves of garlic;
• 15 pitted olives (Kalamata variety is optimal);
• 0.5 st. l. fine sugar;
• 2 tbsp. l. wine vinegar(red!);
• 6 art. l. cold pressed olive oil;
• 0.5 tsp oregano;
• 5 sprigs of parsley;
• salt, pepper to taste.

Step by step preparation:

1. Cut the tomatoes in half, sprinkle with sugar, leave for 30 minutes, pour the resulting juice into a separate container.
2. In received tomato juice add finely chopped garlic and shallots, vinegar and oregano. Boil over low heat for ∼8 minutes. Salt the resulting mixture, mix with olive oil, add mozzarella cut into large cubes and leave to marinate.
3. Peel cucumbers, cut lengthwise, cut each part into slices.
4. Press the olives with the back of a knife to quickly remove the pits from them.
5. Mix all the ingredients, sprinkle the salad with chopped parsley. Serve chilled.

Today, chefs all over the world offer unimaginable variations of the recipe - with spinach, mint, avocado, pasta, chicken, tuna, even without the addition of cheese as such. And even if all these dishes are breathtakingly delicious, they are just modern interpretations, which, apart from the name, have little in common with the Greek masterpiece.

Before we start cooking, we will prepare a board on which we will cut, a sharp large knife, a salad bowl with high sides and a narrow bottom. If everything is clear with the board and knife, then the choice of dishes is not obvious. The fact is that the narrow bottom and high walls of the container will allow excess juice from vegetables and dressing to drain freely, and coarsely chopped cucumbers and tomatoes will not cake and turn sour at the bottom.

Salt is better already on a plate, but in Greece such behavior can be regarded as disrespect and bad taste

1. Wash and dry vegetables. All vegetables should be washed well, as bacteria from the ground and fertilizers accumulate on the skin, which can speed up the lettuce souring process and cause slight malaise. For the same reason, it is necessary to dry vegetables on disposable paper towels, and not on fabric kitchen ones, with which the whole family wipes their hands together.
2. Peel cucumbers and peppers. It is customary to add peeled cucumbers to Greek salad. Firstly, it is tough, and secondly, it is in the peel that nitrates and other substances harmful to humans accumulate. Pepper must be cleaned of seeds and thin films on which they grew, as they can be very bitter.
3. Cut cucumbers. Peeled cucumbers are cut into rounds 7-9 mm thick and poured into a salad bowl. They come first, as they are denser than tomatoes and release less juice.
4. Cut pepper. Sweet pepper cut into half rings 7-9 mm thick and pour into a salad bowl.
5. Cut tomatoes. Cut the tomatoes in half first. With a knife, carefully cut out the growth site of the branch in the form of a small triangle. Then we cut each half into 3-4 more slices, depending on the size of the fruit, and put it in a salad bowl.
6. Clean and cut the onion. Red sweet onions must be well cleaned. Wilted, dry or spoiled onion layers should not get into the dish. If the onion is very sharp, then it can be cut in half and briefly put in salt water. Then we cut it into the thinnest half rings.
7. Throw out the olives. Olives with pits are usually added to the dish. This is inconvenient and will force guests to be careful not to damage their teeth and jaw, since it is almost impossible to crack a bone. Undoubtedly, pitted olives can be used, but according to Greek chefs, the taste will not be the same.
8. Cut and lay out the feta. The cheese in a real Greek salad is never cut into small squares. Culinary customs require that the feta be cut into large slices 10-15 mm thick. Then they are randomly placed on top of vegetables.
9. Drizzle dressing over salad. Shake the prepared and infused sauce for Greek salad well and pour over all the products so that it gets on the cheese, olives and vegetables.

It is in this form that the dish is served on the table in a large salad bowl. It is not stirred or salted before serving. If you add at least a pinch of salt, then the vegetables will give juice, which will accumulate at the bottom, and the salad itself will become tasteless. It is better to salt directly on the plate if there is an urgent need for it, but in Greece such behavior can be regarded as disrespectful and bad form.

Real Greek salad is ready. Bon appetit!

Composition of Greek salad

• tomatoes (medium) - 3 pieces;
• sweet green pepper (medium) - 1 piece;
• olives (black olives) - 10 pieces;
• cucumbers - 3 pieces;
• feta cheese - 300 grams;
• red onion - 1 head;
• Greek salad dressing - 2 tablespoons

How to choose products for Greek salad

Vegetables

Greece is a land of sea and sun. Here you can grow vegetables all year round And most time in open field, so the Greek salad is especially tasty in its homeland. Traditionally, it was prepared from freshly picked vegetables ripened in the beds.

The need of people for food has forced science to greatly transform agricultural production. The massive challenge to feed an ever-increasing population of people has led to the fact that the quality of food has faded into the background compared to quantity.

Residents of large modern cities often do not even know the taste of cucumbers and tomatoes grown on the ground under the sun. And even more so, few people know what they have bright aroma. Ground tomatoes and cucumbers are much tastier than greenhouse ones, and even more so than vegetables grown in hydroponics (a method of growing plants in a nutrient liquid medium without soil and natural light).

Real tomatoes should be red dense, juicy, with a tomato flavor and better with a green sprig

Real Greek salad is best made with real vegetables. Tomatoes should be red or almost red, firm, juicy, but not watery. Tomatoes should have a pronounced tomato flavor. Sourness or complete absence say that the fruit is already spoiled or plucked unripe.

It is better to choose those fruits that are sold along with the branch. By it you can always determine the quality of tomatoes. A red ripe vegetable and a dense green twig will confirm that it is ripe and was plucked quite recently.

The quality of cucumbers determines the condition of its skin. It should be dense without dents and yellow spots. It is these signs that often show an excess of nitrates. In a Greek salad, it is better to use medium-sized cucumbers with pimples. They are tastier and not as watery.

Red onion is one of the most useful products, it is much more useful than ordinary white onions. Since it has twice the amount of antioxidants that help fight inflammation. red bow, Lately, replace white, for example in the Mimosa salad recipe. According to latest research red onions contain substances that promote weight loss.

The worldwide popularity of Greek salad has led to a demand for feta cheese. Almost all dairy companies began to try to produce it. Therefore, a few years ago, after a big legal battle, feta cheese received the status of “controlled denomination of origin”. This means that only cheese produced in Greece can be called feta cheese.

Real feta can only be made in Greece

In Russia, manufacturers often use the name feta for products that have nothing to do with cheese, and sometimes even with dairy products. The most common trick is to give the product a name similar in sound to the name of the cheese: fetax, feta, etc.

Therefore, when buying, carefully read the composition: real feta must be made from sheep's milk, sometimes with the addition of goat, and always in Greece. Everything else, whatever it is called, is not Greek cheese.

One of the facts about cheese is that the Greeks cook not only salads with feta, but meat, sauces, mayonnaise and even bake muffins. Feta in the Greek salad recipe can be replaced with cheese. It is also prepared with the addition of sheep's and goat's milk, but based on cow's. Brynza is usually denser and saltier.

Sometimes, in order to bring its taste closer to the taste of feta, cheese is soaked in ordinary cow's milk. To make a vegetarian or lean Greek salad, you can use tofu instead of feta. However, it is somehow difficult to call the dish resulting from such substitutions a Greek salad.

Thanks to its sour-salty taste and dense texture, feta makes ordinary chopped vegetables a delicious salad. Feta is one of the few cheeses that can be stored for up to six months if it is in brine. However, without it, the shelf life is calculated in hours. This is worth keeping in mind if you are going to send the finished Greek salad to the refrigerator for a day or two.

Black olives (olives)

Olives are the fruit of the olive tree, which has been cultivated since ancient times to produce olive oil. This name is used exclusively in Russian and other Slavic languages. The common name for these fruits is olives.

In many world religions, the olive is a symbol of peace, goodness and prosperity. The ancient peoples of the Mediterranean considered it an indispensable and extremely valuable plant. Olive oil, olives and bread have been the basis of the diet of the inhabitants of the region for several millennia.

In Russia, it is customary to distinguish olives and olives by color: some are green, others are black. In this connection, there was an erroneous opinion that green olives are unripe olives. In fact, olives and black olives are ripe fruits, harvested from different varieties olive trees.

Olives are usually larger, darker, and more oily. They are used to produce oil and are considered the most valuable. However, it is very difficult to find real black olives in the store. Majority canned olives on the shelves did not ripen in the sun and they were not soaked long time in salty sea ​​water to get rid of natural bitterness.

At large industrial enterprises producing a “mass product”, olives are harvested slightly ripened, brought to the desired degree of maturity with the help of chemical treatment, immersed in a solution containing food supplement– ferrous gluconate (E 579) and packed in airtight cans. Ferrous gluconate has a slight coloring effect, but is excellent for imparting an even, glossy black color to olives.

Olives turned black naturally, have an uneven dark brown color and matte skin

Naturally black olives usually have an uneven dark brown color with a matte skin. They are preserved in glass containers, as there is no need to hide the color of the brine and the light will not affect the quality of the product.

Olives tinted with ferrous gluconate are not in themselves dangerous if the proportion of the substance in the brine is observed. But their taste is far from real and they are not suitable for Greek salad.

Greek salad dressing

The whole world is sure that it is enough to season a Greek salad with olive oil and some dry seasonings, that its preparation is no more complicated than a simple omelette. However, the recipe for Greek salad involves a more careful and careful selection of herbs and oils. The right flavors can turn ordinary vegetables and cheese into culinary masterpieces.

How a Greek Salad Recipe Conquered the World

A summer salad of vegetables, vegetable oil and herbs has been known since the appearance of tomatoes and cucumbers in Europe. Most European countries you can find a snack in which tomatoes are mixed, Bell pepper, cucumbers, onions and greens.

Olives and olive oil are indispensable ingredients in all dishes in the Mediterranean countries, with the possible exception of tea and ice cream. The Greek salad recipe owes its name not to the composition of vegetables, but to one single ingredient - feta cheese.

Feta is made from goat and sheep milk. All over the world, such cheese is commonly called Greek. Although the recipe for its preparation was known to the ancient Egyptians, Romans, Phoenicians, etc. In the Byzantine era, cheese made from sheep's milk was officially called "Prosfatos", which translates as "recent". In the 17th century, the name "Feta" was assigned to it, in Italian meaning "piece" or "chunk".

Enough for a long time in a Greek salad, vegetables were cut into large pieces so that it was convenient to eat them with your hands, dipping them in olive oil mixed with herbs in a separate container. Subsequently, the culture of eating changed and the use of cutlery became the norm, which led to a decrease in the size of the pieces and the addition of olive dressing directly into the dish.

The recipe for Greek salad has not changed over the centuries. By ordering it in the best restaurants, regardless of city, country or even continent, Greek salad will be Greek. The only significant difference may be the way the dish is presented.

In the classic recipe, feta is cut into large thick slices.

In the classic version, feta is cut into large thick slices, while the Central European standard involves cutting the cheese into small cubes. There are more original way: on wooden skewer a piece of cheese is strung, followed by an olive, pieces of vegetables and placed in one large dish, pouring olive oil mixed with finely chopped herbs on top.

According to several popular American publications devoted to health and healthy lifestyle life, 20% of metropolitan residents prefer to start their lunch with a Greek salad. In recent years, the title of the main international dish for lunch has been assigned to him.

Most nutritionists recommend eating salad during the day, as it contains a lot of substances that must be ingested before 6 pm. Despite all the difficulties associated with finding quality products, he has long been among the most popular salads for the new year.

Chefs from leading restaurants claim that dressing plays an important role in Greek salad recipes. Properly mixed herbs and olive oil give the dish unforgettable aroma and taste.

It is difficult to find a person who has never tried a Greek salad, because for this it is not at all necessary to go to his homeland. It's delicious and healthy dish it is quite possible to cook at home. To do this, you just need to know what kind of vegetables it includes, what it is dressed with and what kind of cheese is in the Greek salad? Now it's up to you to find the right recipe.

The History of Greek Salad

In Greece, the birthplace of this famous salad, it is considered rustic. And all thanks to such an uncomplicated composition. fresh tomatoes, cucumbers, sweet peppers, onions, olives, olive oil and village cheese "Feta" were the very staples in the diet of ordinary peasants. But the story of the appearance on the table of the Greeks of the salad itself is connected with one curious case.

The fact is that back in the 19th century, vegetables, for example, tomatoes and even onions, were usually eaten whole, biting off a piece and eating bread or cheese. And only in 1909, one emigrant from Greece, returning from America to his home, decided to grind familiar products and connect them together. The reason for this was a bad tooth, which did not allow the young man to bite off whole vegetables.

Later, his sister, who also liked this dish, decided to treat guests to a village wedding with it. The success was stunning. Thus, the first appeared original lettuce with feta cheese. Now he is famous not only in Greece, but also far beyond the borders of this sunny country.

Cheese for Greek salad: name, description

According to the Greeks themselves, a salad that does not use feta can no longer be called Greek. This cheese has long been calling card Greece. It is made only in this country, exclusively in certain areas, for example, on the island of Crete, in Macedonia and some others.

Feta is a soft, salty, light-colored cheese made from sheep's and goat's milk. For its fermentation, a special renin is used. A prerequisite for making cheese is a certain ratio of milk: 70% sheep and 30% goat. Nothing else is added, no preservatives, dyes.

The technology for making cheese has remained unchanged for many years. First, an enzyme is added to the milk, thanks to which it is fermented to form a mass resembling cottage cheese. Then it is pressed into special pieces. After that, the formed mass is soaked in a special brine in wooden barrels two more months. So it turns out the same cheese for the Greek which with Italian and translates as "piece". Feta - the most famous and popular soft cheese worldwide.

original salad dressing

According to the classic "rustic" recipe, the Greek salad is dressed only with olive oil. With only a small addition. To create a fragrant bouquet and unique taste Lemon juice and herbes de Provence are added to high-quality cold-pressed olive oil.

Salad dressing should always be prepared in advance so that all its components are connected to each other, and it has time to infuse and soak in their smells. For her you will need: 70 ml of olive oil, juice of half a lemon (can be replaced with a tablespoon of wine or balsamic vinegar), fragrant herbs(oregano, thyme or Provence).

Therefore, not only on what kind of cheese will be present in the Greek salad, but also on the dressing itself, the true taste of the dish depends. Now it remains to collect all the ingredients together and proceed directly to the cooking process.

Classic Greek salad recipe

In the preparation of Greek salad, there are also secrets that must be taken into account. It seems that it is difficult here: chop vegetables and soft cheese, season them and mix thoroughly. But it's not like that at all. The original recipe for Greek salad with Feta cheese does not involve mixing the ingredients, but laying them in layers.

To prepare this dish you will need the following ingredients:

• 4 medium-sized tomatoes;
• 2 cucumbers;
• 1 large green bell pepper;
• ½ onion (sweet, purple);
• 150 g of feta;
• 8 pieces of black olives;
• some capers;
• dressing prepared according to the recipe above.

All salad ingredients are cut into large pieces and stacked in layers in a certain sequence.

1. Cut cucumbers: small slices, large ones in half again. Put on the bottom of the salad bowl.

2. Peel the pepper and cut into half rings. Arrange on top of cucumbers.

3. Peel the tomatoes from the stalk and cut into four parts.

4. The onion is cut into half rings. After that, it must be washed in cold water to take away the bitterness. Squeeze the onion and put it next, after the tomatoes, in a layer.

5. Decorate the dish with capers and olives, which do not need to be pre-cut.

7. Lay on top whole piece cheese and drizzle with remaining dressing.

8. Immediately before serving, salt, pepper and mix the Greek salad. Cheese "Feta" at the same time carefully breaks into large pieces.

This is how Greek salad is prepared in his homeland. However, many chefs in different countries long gone from traditional recipe, and offer restaurant visitors a dish that includes other types of cheese.

What can replace feta cheese in a Greek salad?

If you can’t find feta before preparing the Greek salad, you can try replacing it with another pickled cheese. Cheese has a similar taste. This cheese is also suitable for Greek salad, since it is also soaked in brine, but, unlike feta, it does not crumble so much and is more compressed, so when added to a dish, it still has to be cut.

Brynza has a more salty taste. For a Greek salad, cheese of this kind is less suitable only in the sense that the dish is very easy to oversalt. To prevent this, cheese must be soaked in cold water for several hours. boiled water. This will make it less salty and more like traditional Greek cheese.

There are other options for replacing feta. Often in recipes, Greek cheeses sirtaki and fetax are used. Both of them have a pronounced salty taste so be careful when using them in recipes. Otherwise, you can oversalt the dish, which, as a result, spoil it.

Greek salad with Fetax cheese: a step by step recipe

This is no longer the original Greek salad recipe. And it's not just a different kind of cheese. Lettuce leaves are used instead of onions. The rest of the ingredients are similar. The Greek recipe requires the following components: tomatoes (2 pcs.), Cucumbers (2 pcs.), Bulgarian pepper, lettuce, olives, fetax (150 g), olive oil (30 ml), salt.

Step by step cooking recipe:

1. Cucumbers, tomatoes and bell pepper cut into large pieces.

2. Tear lettuce leaves with your hands.

3. Cut the fetax into large cubes. It has a dense structure, so unlike feta, it will not crumble.

4. Olives can be cut in half or added whole to a salad.

5. Mix all the ingredients in one salad bowl, season with olive oil and salt to taste.

The above recipe for Greek salad with Fetax cheese is in no way inferior in taste classic version. If desired, you can change the salad dressing by adding lemon juice and aromatic spices to the olive oil.

Greek salad with sirtaki

Deviating from the original recipe, you can cook at least delicious salad but with different cheese. Sirtaki also comes from Greece, but they also learned how to successfully cook it in Russia from cow's milk. It is denser in texture than feta. It cuts well into cubes, does not crumble.

The recipe for Greek salad with Sirtaki cheese involves the use of tomatoes, cucumbers, sweet peppers, olives, olive oil and fresh basil. It is customary to chop all the ingredients coarsely so that you can feel the taste of each of them. The salad is dressed with fresh olive oil and basil (½ bunch) or dry (1 teaspoon). Sirtaki - salted cheese, so salt is added at the very last moment when dressing the salad. Otherwise, the dish may be spoiled.

The recipe for Greek salad with Sirtaki cheese is great alternative traditional version cooking. It can be submitted as festive table as well as for breakfast.

Mozzarella in Greek salad

A tasty and healthy dish of fresh vegetables can be prepared with the addition of Italian mozzarella. It has a dense texture, but at the same time it has a delicate salty taste. For Greek salad, mozzarella cheese is no worse than sirtaki or fetax.

This recipe uses the same ingredients as the ones above. Tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, olives, soft cheese and olive oil are the essential ingredients of the salad. But whether to add onions depends on the excellent preferences of the cook.

The Greek salad is dressed with a traditional dressing of olive oil, lemon juice and Provence herbs.

Greek salad with Adyghe cheese

Real Greek cheese made from sheep's milk can not be found in every store. Of course, they learned how to make it in Russia from cow's milk. But the taste of such cheese (feta, sirtaki or fetax is not the point) is not at all the same, and the price is still high. How to find a way out?

There is another option that is ideal for Greek salad - Adyghe cheese. It is more insipid in taste, but with skillful preparation of the dressing, it may well replace more expensive cheeses. The rest of the Greek salad recipe remains unchanged.

Horiatiki. Perhaps some 20 years ago about this culinary miracle We not only did not think, but did not even think about its existence. And now true recipe This appetizer seriously excited the minds of cooks, the more relevant this post will be, where we will find out all the secrets of Greek salad. And there is no need to come up with a “bicycle” once again and complicate the recipe, because common truth For many years it has been said that everything ingenious is simple!

And this wisdom relates directly to our subject of today's discussion, since it is the Greeks who prefer to use the simplest ingredients in cooking.

Usually, for the preparation of salads, the main components are fresh vegetables, and the presence of spices is completely reduced to a minimum. The same applies to the most popular all over the world "χωριάτικη σαλάτα" or Horyatiki, this is exactly what the name of the Greek salad sounds like in the native language of Olympus' fellow countrymen.

There are many variations of this recipe. culinary masterpiece, we present you with a recipe video from our chef.

Classic Greek Salad Video Recipe

And now let's take a closer look at what a classic Greek appetizer should be.

What ingredients to choose in a classic Greek salad

Cheese

The basis of the basics of this appetizer is nothing more than the national Greek feta cheese or in other words "fetax", made from goat or sheep fresh milk. Today, on the shelves of stores, this dairy product can also be found under the name "Sirtaki" and it is he who is most often allowed on "horiatiki" by domestic culinary specialists.

Any other cheese in a Greek salad simply has no right to exist. However, often in catering establishments such cheese is replaced with more affordable cheese or mozzarella.

Well, such a tandem is quite acceptable, but such a concoction will no longer have absolutely nothing to do with Greek salad. Why is everything so important? It's all about the texture of feta, it is tender, soft, melting in your mouth, and no other cheese, alas and ah, does not meet the specified parameters.

Having dealt with the cheese, we can move on to the rest of the ingredients. classic salad"horiatics". The set of products for it includes fresh tomatoes and cucumbers onion, olives and oil from them.

As for the other ingredients that, one way or another, seep into the recipe, one thing can be said about them, all this culinary fantasies, well, or the costs of regional traditions of the inhabitants of Hellas. So, for example, in remote Cypriot villages you can find variants of this snack, with the presence of fresh white cabbage, bell pepper, an abundance of herbs and even capers.

It is these improved recipes that are often used in our country.

What are the best foods for cooking?

Tomatoes

Someone once started a false rumor that only cherry tomatoes should be present in a Greek salad. All of these are pure fabrications.

Any fresh and juicy, grown in the open field without the addition of chemistry, rich red fruits - these are the characteristics that tomatoes for horiatika should correspond to.

cucumbers

The same goes for cucumbers. Let long sticks with thick skins pass by, but juicy pimply short-fruited varieties are what you need.

Onion

Onions in a Greek salad are best to choose red. However, white "turnips" are quite acceptable.

Olives

Well, why do they strive to stuff pitted olives into this appetizer?

Undoubtedly, spitting bones at the table is somehow not comme il faut, but it is whole, and not “gutted” olives that are used for the classic salad from Hellas.

Olive oil

Slowly but surely we got to the gas station, that is, to the olive oil. For these purposes, only high-quality olive oil Extra-virgin olive oil is intended - the first pressing.

Neither corn, nor linseed, nor sunflower oil will not be able to create this culinary masterpiece.

However, as an edible decoration or even some vegetable pillow a small amount is allowed in the salad recipe lettuce. They are either torn by hand into large pieces, or used whole.

How to Chop the Ingredients for a Classic Greek Salad

Intending to cook a Greek salad, you should not only think about the ingredients, but also know how to properly cut all the components. A special feature of this snack is a large cut, and not a small shredder, which we are used to seeing in our cold dishes.

• For example, tomatoes can be cut into 1/6-1/8 slices.
• Cucumbers immediately before grinding according to the laws Greek cuisine peeled, and then cut across roundels, 7-10 mm thick.
• The onion is chopped into rings, and our chef will quickly tell and show how to do it.

• Olives are placed whole.
• But cheese, this is the “highlight” of this delicacy. It does not need to be chopped into cubes, as can often be seen in many dishes in cafes and even in photos on the Internet. A piece of feta should, as it were, complete this entire vegetable exposure, a slice 8 mm thick should cover 1/3 of the surface of the salad. This is how they present their national snack Greeks.

It is also worth remembering that horiatiki is not the kind of salad that can wait in the fridge for a whole day, on the contrary, it is prepared immediately before serving, and seasoned with oil and lemon juice with spices already on the table before distribution.

Original horiatika dressing

Very often in various cooking forums you can find discussions on the topic of dressing for Greek salad. Someone invents non-existent sauces, someone strives to pour kilograms of spices into the treat. All these tips can be safely sent to the firebox.

Oregano (a close relative of marjoram and our oregano) + olive oil + a few drops of lemon juice, this is the secret of horiatika dressing. However, modern Hellas culinary specialists still experience some craving for spices, therefore, at the points retail Greece and Cyprus, you can find a mixture of spices for this vegetable delicacy.

We have a similar seasoning produced by the company "KOTANYI". It includes components such as salt, starch and refined sugar, parsley, dill, dried garlic and onions, turmeric, lobistok and basil.

Be that as it may, oregano (Greek “joy of the mountains”) is the only herb that had the right to exist in this dish from the very beginning. Her sharp spicy aroma and slightly bitter taste stimulate appetite and also stimulate digestion. It is sprinkled on the salad at the very end before serving.

How to effectively decorate a Greek salad

The simplicity of preparing the Greek salad does not fit in with its spectacular appearance. The brightness of fresh, juicy vegetables on green lettuce leaves, with a tender slice fresh cheese and the aroma of regani literally delights the eye.

How to put vegetables on a dish so that they can decorate the salad with their appearance?

1. Line the bottom of the salad bowl with leaves Chinese cabbage, lettuce or romaine;
2. Next, lay the slices of tomatoes and cucumbers. If our salad still included bell peppers, then it is better to place their slices beautifully along the edge of the dish;
3. Next, lay out the onion rings, olives, sprinkle the salad a small amount salt and sprinkle with a few drops of lemon juice;
4. And in the end, on top of all this splendor, we put a slice of cheese, season on top of all the oregano;
5. And already before tasting the treats, we season the horiatiki with olive oil.

So the real classic Greek salad is ready!

How and with what to serve a classic salad appetizer

And the last thing that remains for us to find out is what this fabulous beauty is served with?

This treat can easily decorate any banquet, but as a simple cold, refreshing snack on an ordinary hot day, it will be just a salvation.

In any case, it should be served cold as a side dish for meat or fish, or as independent dish with a slice of lightly toasted wheat toast with a glass of homemade red grape wine, which is very popular among the inhabitants of Hellas.

This fabulous country of Greece gave us not only myths and legends about the heroes and inhabitants of Olympus, but also seduced us with its culinary discoveries. Such a light, fresh and incredibly tasty Greek salad has revealed all its secrets to us today, so let's bring them to life as soon as possible.