Greeks love sweets, and the pastry shop (zacharoplasteio) is as much a meeting place as the café. Many Greek sweets come from Byzantine and Ottoman tradition and share names and recipes with Turkish and Middle Eastern ones; others are tied to religious festivals.
Filo and syrup sweets
| Sweet | What it is |
|---|---|
| Baklava | Layers of filo with chopped walnuts or pistachios and cinnamon, baked and soaked in honey syrup |
| Kataifi | Rolls of shredded pastry filled with nuts, soaked in syrup |
| Galaktoboureko | Semolina and milk custard between filo sheets, with lemon syrup |
| Bougatsa | Filo with custard, served warm with icing sugar and cinnamon; the classic Thessaloniki breakfast |
| Revani | Semolina cake soaked in syrup |
| Karydopita | Walnut and cinnamon cake with syrup |
Fried sweets and biscuits
- Loukoumades: small round doughnuts, crisp outside and soft inside, served hot with honey, cinnamon and walnuts. Legend says the ancients gave them to Olympic victors.
- Melomakarona and kourabiedes: the Christmas biscuits, the first with olive oil and honey, the second with almonds and icing sugar.
- Koulourakia: plaited butter biscuits for Easter.
- Diples: fried rolled pastry with honey, typical of the Peloponnese and celebrations.
- Paximadakia: crunchy biscuits with almonds or aniseed.
Spoon sweets
One of the loveliest traditions of Greek hospitality is the glyko tou koutaliou, "spoon sweet": whole or chopped fruit cooked in syrup, such as sour cherries, figs, bitter oranges, bergamot peel, quince, grapes, even baby aubergines or cherry tomatoes. In villages it is offered to guests on arrival, on a small plate with a teaspoon and a glass of cold water.
Other specialities
- Halvas: two kinds, toasted semolina with syrup, made at home, and tahini (sesame paste) halva sold in blocks, popular during Lent.
- Loukoumi: jelly cubes flavoured with rose water or mastiha, dusted with icing sugar; the most famous come from Syros.
- Pasteli: sesame and honey bars, a very ancient sweet.
- Yoghurt with honey and walnuts, the simplest and most Greek dessert.
- Ravani from Veria, almond amygdalota from the islands, melopita from Sifnos, a honey and mizithra cheesecake.
Honey
Greek honey, especially thyme honey from the islands and Crete, pine honey from Thassos and fir honey from the Peloponnese, is considered among the best in the world: thick, aromatic, used in many sweets. It is also one of the most popular souvenirs.
Where to try them
Historic pastry shops in Athens and Thessaloniki, such as the bougatsa shops of central Thessaloniki or Athens' loukoumades bars, are institutions. In villages, ask at the kafenio or taverna if they have a homemade sweet: it is often offered at the end of a meal.
See also Greek cuisine and drinks.