AUTHENTIC GREEK SALAD RECIPE (HORIATIKI SALATA)

Our Authentic Greek Salad recipe makes the most famous salad that you will find in Greece. It is easy to prepare and extremely healthy. This is the Mediterranean Diet at its finest.

Greek Salad, also known as Horiatiki Salata or Χωριάτικη Σαλάτα in Greek (pronounced Hor-ee-AT-iki Sal-AH-ta) is the most famous salad in Greece. Our Authentic Greek Salad Recipe is the perfect example of the Mediterranean Diet at its finest. With an emphasis on plant-based ingredients and healthy fats, the Mediterranean Diet is regularly celebrated as the top diet in the world for its health benefits. This recipe shows how easy it is to follow it in your own home. Using simple, high quality ingredients, especially perfectly ripe and juicy tomatoes, will make the difference between a salad, and a memorable salad.

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WHY YOU’LL LOVE OUR AUTHENTIC GREEK SALAD RECIPE

• Delicious – Words can’t describe the fresh taste and complimentary flavours that balance out this dish. Juicy tomatoes go so well with crunchy vegetables and creamy feta. The dressing is simple to highlight the sweetness and humble flavours of the salad.
• Easy – Horiatiki Salata takes less than 10 minutes to put together. Simply chop the ingredients, add them to a bowl, sprinkle with oregano and drizzle with extra virgin olive oil. That’s it!
• Incredibly Healthy – Our Authentic Greek Salad Recipe is a complete meal. It’s full of fibre, vitamins, and minerals from the fresh vegetables, calcium and protein from the feta, and all the wonderful nutrients and heart-healthy components of the extra virgin olive oil. The epitome of the Mediterranean Diet.

TONY’S NOTES

“Greek Salad, or as we call it in Greece “Horiatiki Salata” which literally translates to “Villager’s Salad”, is one of the most representative and well-known dishes of our cuisine. You will find it in many different versions around the world in Greek and ethnic restaurants but it’s always nice to know the real thing.

In the past when vegetables were strictly seasonal it used to be known as a “Summer Salad” but nowadays with modern agriculture, you can find the vegetables required all year round. Easy, simple, and fast to prepare, it’s flavour depends only on the quality of its few ingredients and especially the extra virgin olive oil. It’s our national salad. We love it, we’re proud of it, and we eat it like crazy. Dip some fresh bread in the extra virgin olive oil, drink some white wine, beer, or ouzo, put on some Greek music and imagine that you’re on holiday on a Greek island with little white houses and sandy beaches with turquoise sea. Smile and Enjoy!

INGREDIENTS FOR AUTHENTIC GREEK SALAD RECIPE

• 2 tomatoes – roughly cut into medium-sized chunks or wedges
• 1 English cucumber – peeled and cut into half-moon-shaped slices
• 1 green pepper – remove the seeds and stem, sliced
• 1/2 red onion – peeled, thinly sliced
• a few black olives
• Feta cheese – 1 large piece, approximately 150 grams
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• OPTIONAL – Red wine vinegar

HOW TO MAKE TRADITIONAL HORIATIKI SALATA

**NOTE** The portions of the vegetables are recommendations. You can add more or less of an ingredient based on the serving size or for your taste preference.

1. Wash and dry tomatoes, cucumber, and green pepper.
2. Add prepared tomatoes, cucumber, green pepper, red onion, and olives to a bowl. Mix to combine.
3. Add a large piece of feta cheese.
4. Pour extra virgin olive oil on top. Sprinkle with oregano.
5. Mix gently, carefully breaking up the feta with your fork to have large pieces of it.
6. Serve with a side of fresh, crunchy bread to soak up the juicy-oily dressing. This salad can be served as a side, meze, or as a whole meal. Smile and Enjoy!

OPTIONAL ADDITIONS AND SUBSTITUTIONS

The above is the Authentic Greek Salad Recipe, but sometimes in Greece you will find it served with additional extras. Complimentary additions to a Horiatki Salata are pickled capers, small pickled hot peppers, barley or whole-wheat rusks. Adding rusks is an excellent way to add even more fibre and make it a very fulfilling meal. The dry rusks absorb the juice of the salad beautifully.

You can also substitute a few ingredients to what you have on hand. For example you don’t have to use large tomatoes for the salad. You may use small cherry tomatoes or plum tomatoes. Yellow or red bell pepper can be used instead of green pepper. Also, small cucumbers may be added instead on an English cucumber.

If you follow a vegan diet, are participating in lent, or do not eat dairy for personal or medical reasons, then you can enjoy this Salad by omitting the feta cheese. If preparing without feta then I recommend adding a pinch of salt to balance the flavour.

WHY DOES THIS TASTE DIFFERENT FROM OTHER GREEK SALADS I’VE HAD?

In Greece, this is the salad that is known as a classic Greek Salad. The key is simplicity. A traditional Greek Salad will never have:

• Lettuce – No lettuce ever! We have lettuce-based salad here but Horiatiki Salata never has lettuce.
• Fancy dressing or creamy dressing – The only dressing in this salad is extra virgin olive oil. Maybe you can add a splash of red wine vinegar to taste. The star or this dish is the fresh-tasting vegetables, not the dressing.
• Mint, parsley, black ground pepper, or fancy dried “Greek herb” mixes – Only dried oregano is used. Never anything else.
• Chicken – Chicken or any kind of meat is never served in a Greek Salad. You can order a chicken dish as a main and eat this salad as a side, but you would never combine the two into one bowl. This recipe is vegetarian.
• Lemon juice – Lemon juice is never used in this salad. If the tomatoes are a good quality then the acidity of the tomatoes is enough, but some people prefer to add a splash of red wine vinegar to their serving.

SERVING SUGGESTIONS FOR AUTHENTIC GREEK SALAD

Greek Salad can be served as a side, part of a meze, or eaten as a meal on its own. It pairs well with any main Greek dish. I highly recommend serving it with a piece of crusty bread to absorb the delicious juices that are leftover in the bowl.

ALLERGY INFORMATION FOR GREEK SALAD

Our Authentic Greek Salad recipe is:

• Egg-free
• Nut-free
• Peanut-free
• Wheat-free
• Soy-free
• Sesame-free
• Fish-free
• Crustacean-free
• Celery-free
• Mustard-free

Traditional Greek Salad can be dairy-free if you omit the feta cheese.

HOW TO STORE HORIATIKI SALATA

Classic Greek Salad is best when eaten fresh, at the time of preparation. I recommend storing leftovers in the refrigerator in an air-tight glass container for a maximum of one day.

TRY THESE DELICIOUS MEDITERRANEAN SALAD RECIPES NEXT!

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