The Greek Foods I Didn't Appreciate Until I Got Older
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I am kind of a picky eater, and I was especially picky as a kid.
Unfortunately for my family, this included certain Greek foods that I basically grew up with. When I ate Greek salad, I only ate the cucumber. I stayed far away from feta unless it was baked into tiropita. I hated the smell of ouzo and most alcoholic drinks. And there are so many old photos of me sitting at the table looking absolutely disgusted by whatever seafood my family was eating (in my defense, the head was still attached and its eyes were looking at me).
But as I got older, my taste buds changed.
And especially as I grew to appreciate the fresh flavors that you can only get in Greece, I started giving some of these foods another chance. Some of the things I used to avoid are now some of my favorite foods to eat.
So, in honor of personal growth, changing taste buds, and the fact that sometimes you really do need to try something more than once, here are some of the Greek foods I didn’t appreciate until I got older.
Tomatoes
Tomatoes were pretty much always on the table when I was growing up, usually in the form of Greek salad.
And I wanted absolutely nothing to do with them.
When my mom made Greek salad at home, she would make it with about 90% cucumber and maybe 10% tomatoes because my brothers, my dad, and I didn’t really like tomatoes either. We also always ordered our gyros horis ntomata, meaning without tomatoes.
Honestly, I don’t remember exactly when things changed. But at some point, I tried a tomato in Greece, and I was in love.
They are so good that I genuinely cannot believe I ever didn’t like them.
Now, tomatoes in Greece are basically like candy to me. I will happily order a Greek salad as my entire meal and eat the whole thing. And yes, I even eat tomatoes when I’m not in Greece. They’re still tasty.
But Greek tomatoes? Different story.
There is something about the fresh, simple ingredients that makes you understand why a Greek salad doesn’t need a million things added to it. Give me a good tomato, cucumber, feta, olive oil, and some oregano, and I’m happy.
Little me, who carefully picked every tomato out of her salad, would be shocked.
Feta
For whatever reason, I always thought feta looked and smelled weird.
I also had this idea as a kid that cheese coming from a goat or sheep sounded unnatural, which is funny considering I had absolutely no problem eating feta when it was baked into something like tiropitakia (cheese pies).
Apparently, my issue wasn’t actually with feta. My issue was with having to see the feta.
It also comes sitting in that soupy, watery brine, which did not help convince me to try it. I just didn’t understand the appeal of putting a giant chunk of cheese on your plate and eating it alongside everything else.
Why would you do that?
Well, eventually I tried it.
And my reaction was basically, holy crap, why did I ever think I didn’t like this?
Now I will eat pretty much any feta, but of course, my favorite is eating it in Greece. Give me feta with tomatoes, feta with bread, feta with olive oil, feta baked into something, feta as part of a mezze spread…
I get it now.
I was simply late to the feta fan club.
Zucchini, Kolokithakia, and Kolokithokeftedes
I didn’t like zucchini for the longest time, so naturally, I also didn’t like kolokithakia or kolokithokeftedes.
Then one day, I tried kolokithakia and realized they were actually delicious.
My advice for anyone who thinks they don’t like a vegetable? Try the deep-fried version first.
Is this scientifically sound advice? Probably not.
But it is a great way to dip your toe into the water.
Once I realized that zucchini wasn’t actually my enemy, I moved on to trying kolokithokeftedes. These are Greek zucchini fritters, and while calling them “like meatballs made with zucchini” is probably not the most official description, that’s basically how I think of them.
They were tasty too.
And now? I just like zucchini in general.
Who would have thought?
Sometimes all it takes is trying the same ingredient in a different form. And sometimes that form happens to be fried.
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Beer, Wine, and Ouzo
I had a pretty big aversion to alcohol as a kid and even as a young adult.
As a teenager, I worked at my dad’s brew pub, and I had to hold my breath anytime I needed to walk through the brewery because I hated the smell of the hops and beer.
Not exactly the ideal reaction from someone working at a brew pub, but I was just the busser, so thankfully I rarely needed to go into the brewery.
As for wine, I remember being at a family dinner at home and taking a tiny sip because my older cousin liked it and I wanted to be like her.
I absolutely hated it.
And ouzo? Forget it.
Ouzo has a pretty strong scent, and to me, it smelled like black licorice, which I also don’t like. So I had absolutely no desire to try it.
But as I got older, my mom had to practically force me to try some of these things again. I’m pretty stubborn, and once I decide that I don’t like something, it can be very difficult to convince me otherwise.
Eventually, though, I gave them another chance.
And now I like all of them.
I finally understand the appeal of having a drink with dinner. Beer is absolutely delicious after a long, hot day. A dry white wine is a family favorite, and I often split some with my mom. And ouzo? It’s nice with a few appetizers in the evening while sitting on the porch and hanging out with family and friends.
I think that was part of what changed for me, too.
It wasn’t just about suddenly liking the taste. It was about appreciating the experience around it.
A cold beer hits differently after a hot day at the beach. Wine is better when you’re sitting around the table talking long after everyone has finished eating. And ouzo with appetizers feels like part of settling into a Greek evening.
Younger me would still probably hate all of it.
But she also had no idea what she was missing.
Seafood
Okay, I’m lowkey crazy for this one.
I am not the biggest fan of seafood.
Even though Greece is mega famous for its seafood.
The thing is, seafood in Greece is often served looking very much like the animal it was before it arrived on your plate.
As in, the face is still there.
And that was—and honestly still kind of is—weird to me.
There are plenty of old photos of me sitting at the table looking completely grossed out while my family happily ate seafood around me.
I still wouldn’t call myself a huge seafood person, but I am much more willing to try it now. Especially when it is not served looking like it was swimming in the sea five minutes ago.
I did like one particular fish that my great-aunt used to make, partly because she served it without the face still attached, which made it significantly easier for me to mentally get past the fact that I was eating a sea creature.
Then I tried calamari.
And once again, fried food came through for me.
Fried calamari felt like a much safer place to start. Since then, I’ve become more open to trying seafood, even if I’m still not going to pretend that I’ll happily eat absolutely anything from the sea.
I’m making progress.
I just have boundaries.
One of those boundaries is that I don’t really want my dinner looking back at me.
Maybe I Just Needed to Grow Up a Little
Looking back, it is kind of crazy that I didn’t like some of these foods that are now some of my favorites.
I also realize how privileged I was to grow up around some of the best food in the world, both at home and during my time in Greece. These foods were always there. They were familiar. Sometimes they were so familiar that I didn’t think twice about avoiding them and eating the cucumber out of the Greek salad instead.
But that is life.
You aren’t the same person you were as a kid, and you don’t necessarily have the same taste in food either.
Sometimes you just need time. Sometimes you need to try something prepared differently. And sometimes you need to eat an actually good tomato in Greece and suddenly realize that maybe tomatoes were never the problem.
Though my tastes have changed, I still have my preferences. Certain ingredients really do taste better in Greece, in my opinion, and I still don’t love seeing an animal’s face when it’s served on the table.
Personal growth has its limits.
But you don’t have to suddenly love every Greek food to appreciate Greek cuisine. And you don’t have to force yourself to like something just because everyone else does.
Sometimes, though, it is worth giving that food you decided you hated when you were eight years old another chance.
You might surprise yourself.
What food did you hate as a kid that you love now?
Let me know↓🥰
