Most traditional Greek foods are uncomplicated and substantial, and the emphasis is placed on using high-quality ingredients in Greek cookbooks. The use of fresh, seasonal ingredients, beans, olive oil, grains, cheese, greens, fish, chicken, and other foods is a hallmark of Greek cuisine.
It is commonly linked to the Mediterranean Diet and is regarded as one of the healthiest cuisines in the world. If a trip to Greece is not feasible, the best way to bring Greece’s fresh, wholesome flavors into one’s kitchen is to prepare a feast at home.
To assist you in achieving this goal, we have compiled a list of our go-to cookbooks for Greek cuisine. These Greek culinary specialists will lead you on fascinating gastronomic journeys. They range from well-known chefs to best-selling writers, and they come from a variety of backgrounds.
Each brings their distinctive spin to Greek cooking, making the cuisine more approachable via the recipes and anecdotes they share. These are some of the most excellent Greek cookbooks available, and you should consider picking one up if you want to include Greek Flavors.
Taste Greek cuisine that is both nutritious and delicious as you peruse the easy-to-follow recipes contained in the following collection of Greek cookery books.
Table of Contents
Our Top 10 Picks for the Best Greek Cookbooks:
1. Taverna Hardcover:
Greek Cypriot cuisine is renowned for its delectable ability to combine a dizzying array of diverse flavors. You can’t go wrong with anything, from basic salads to stunning components like feta cheese.
It just takes a few simple additions, such as a squeeze of lemon and some fresh oregano, for a person to rediscover their passion for the kitchen.
With his book Taverna, Cypriot chef and author Hayden makes the best of traditional Cypriot cooking accessible to anybody interested in diving into this particular cuisine, with the bonus of learning about Cypriot culture and the food.
This book has something to offer every reader, from scrumptious dinners for the whole family to imaginative breakfasts, lunches, and even date-night favorites.
Book Author: Georgina Hayden
2. My Big Fat Greek Cookbook:
A celebration of an extraordinary lady and her love for her family, manifested in the savory and honestly excellent cuisine she prepares. Christos Sourligas, the book’s author, incorporates his mother’s life narrative into the simple instructions for the dishes.
It is interesting to note that Christos is neither a well-known chef nor a published food writer. He is a filmmaker from Canada of Greek descent, and he penned this Greek cookbook as a gift to his mother.
The recipes in my Big Fat Greek Cookbook were collected from his ill mother and written down to honor and memorialize her. Written with a sly approach to humor, Cristos adds a touch to each dish by sharing his firsthand story with them. He does this in a way that makes each recipe stand out.
This cookbook is a top seller. Inside, you’ll discover healthful Greek meals with a farm-to-table freshness that you can make in your own home for those interested in nostalgia or childhood dishes that include traditional and genuine Greek cuisine.
Book Author: Christos Sourligas
3. Under the Olive Tree:
This book is one that you will want to pick up over and over again; it is intended to allow the cook to rapidly flick through the sections even with a spatula in their hand, which is one of the reasons why you will enjoy this book so much.
The pages are packed to the brim with straightforward, commonplace foods that are perfect for home cooks and recommendations that help prepare various cuisines.
Under the Olive Tree makes a seamless transition from healthy and refreshing salads to enormous dinners perfect for the year’s seasons when eating is the only appropriate activity.
It provides a simple breakdown of what items are frequently used in Greek dishes, famous words, and what you should fill your cabinet with, making it an excellent resource for folks with varying degrees of experience in the kitchen.
Book Author: Irini Tzortzoglou
4. Ripe Figs: Recipes and Stories from Turkey, Greece, and Cyprus:
This remarkable book has beautiful recipes and real-life accounts that pack a punch. Ripe Figs reflects that Greece has been an essential meeting place between Europe and the Middle East for a long time.
The book tells us tales of individuals in Greece, Cyprus, and Turkey who have created genuinely beautiful food. These tales trace recipes that have spread throughout the region from the period of Ottoman control up to the influence of current refugee groups.
The fact that the food you create following the instructions is practically an accompaniment to the words themselves is one of the things that sets this book apart from others. We are given an in-depth look at what goes into the preparation of each delicious dish.
Book Author: Yasmin Khan
5. Ikaria: Lessons on Food, Life, and Longevity from the Greek Island:
This is not just a Greek culinary book; perhaps it would be more accurate to describe it as a novel that includes recipes. This book has a lot more than just those. The sumptuous chapter headings written by Diane Kochila and the breathtaking photographs will leave you gasping for air. Her exquisite writing will make you wish you were on Ikaria, or at the very least, that you could give a couple of the recipes a try.
Reading about the Greek cuisine served on Ikaria, you will learn about each dish and the people who prepare it. The recipes are a charming method of conveying aspects of Ikarian culture.
You will gain an understanding of the genuine character of the island as well as the balanced way of life by reading this culinary and travelogue hybrid. The preparation of some recipes is straightforward, while others require more time and effort and call for materials that may be difficult to get.
The author does an excellent job of giving you the secrets of longevity in Ikaria that you can implement into your own life and doing it in a way that is authentic to the culture. Those who are interested in leading a healthy lifestyle and cooking more sustainably can benefit from receiving instruction based on the cuisine and culture of the island of Ikaria.
Book Author: Diane Kochilas
6. Greece, The Cookbook:
This is a Greek cookbook that covers every aspect of the cuisine, and it was written by Vefa Alexiadou, who is widely regarded as the foremost expert on Greek food.
Her writing is engaging, and the recipes she shares are straightforward; what else could one want? Greece: The Cookbook is more of an encyclopedia of Greek food due to its extensive collection of over 600 recipes. This is one of the most excellent Greek cookbooks that can be found because it is both comprehensive and a culinary classic.
The recipes are categorized based on their ingredients, such as salad and veggies, beans and pulses, and more. Every one of them is brimming with enthusiasm for Greece and is written in a way everybody can understand.
This masterwork simplifies the recipes so they may be made with more readily available ingredients, bringing out the inherent brightness in many Greek and Mediterranean cuisine. This book is for you if you are interested in Greek food and recipes and want a complete look into Greek cooking and recipes.
Book Author: Vefa Alexiadou
7. The Complete Book of Greek Cooking:
St. Paul’s Orthodox Cathedral on Long Island had a mortgage to pay, so 17 women named The Recipe Club came up with the idea for The Complete Book of Greek Cooking as a fundraiser endeavor.
Their narrative is detailed in great depth on the website of the cathedral. One of its most exciting aspects is that they were able to pay for “two chandeliers, two enormous mosaics, the beautiful organ, the basement kitchen, and liturgical books in the cathedral for the members” because of the spectacular popularity of their cookbooks.
Since it was authored by first-generation and second-generation Greek Americans who meticulously updated traditional recipes for modern American kitchens, this book provides a genuine and valuable look into Greek cooking.
From hors d’oeuvres to sweets, this cookbook has you covered. It also features a thorough appendix detailing Greek coffee and wines and instructions for making kadaife, phyllo, grape leaves, and cooking squid, mussels, and artichokes.
You may get all of the traditional dishes here, like spanakopita moussaka, and avgolemono, in addition to a wide variety of phyllo pastries that go far beyond baklava.
This tried-and-true volume, released for the first time in 1991, will still hold its own when placed next to your more recent publications on this historic cuisine that is still popular today.
Book Author: Recipe Club of St. Paul’s Church
8. My Greek Table: Authentic Flavors and Modern Home Cooking:
Diane Kochilas is the go-to author to search for if you want to amass a collection of Greek recipes that cover a wide range of topics.
She has been at the forefront of efforts to introduce Americans to foods from the Greek and Mediterranean cuisines that are both nutritious and delectable for more than 25 years. Diane Kochila’s My Greek Table is an ode to her loved ones, with new twists on her classic recipes and creative ideas on traditional Greek fare.
Every recipe has an accompanying tale that will make your heart feel warm and fuzzy. Because the book is so well-organized into separate parts, it is pretty simple to move from recipes for bread to salads to meat meals and other types of foods.
This cookbook focuses on Greek food but delves into other Mediterranean dishes’ diversity. Her recipes, which she has developed over her career as a cookbook author and host of a cooking show shown on public television, provide a wide range of delicious options. In addition, her writing is in the form of a love sing-song, which will transport you to Greece in the space of a single meal.
The recipes are straightforward, and for most Greek items, there are suggestions for equally delicious alternatives. In addition, author comments and advice may be stored for additional assistance.
This book will make you feel like you have been to Greece without leaving your house. Those who are interested in trying Greek food that is both authentic and updated will find what they are searching for here. People who take their sense of taste everywhere will find this cookbook indispensable.
Book Author: Diane Kochilas
9. It’s All Greek to Me: Transform Your Health:
Debbie Matenopoulos has written a cookbook in which she interweaves stunning narratives with tales of her family. It is loaded with recipes that are simple to grasp and include natural ingredients.
The author takes you on a culinary journey around Greece in this wholesome cookbook she authored. Traditional Mediterranean recipes provide a gateway into the region’s culture and an appetizing means of incorporating more fresh produce and other healthy foods into one’s diet.
Traditional Greek dishes get a unique spin from Debbie Matenopoulos, who brings you right into the heart of her family’s kitchen so you can help prepare the food. Some very stunning photographs accompany this mouthwatering cookbook. There are over 120 recipes included, and Debbie adds her unique twists to each one, bringing them to life.
This is a fantastic way to start eating better since it incorporates fresh and nutritious tastes in fascinating ways. Beneficial for people in search of straightforward Greek recipes and stunning photographs. If you’ve been to Greece or are planning a trip, this cookbook can help you produce or replicate foods you enjoyed.
Book Author: Debbie Matenopoulos
10. The Foods Of The Greek Islands:
The adaptability of these dishes is one of their many attractive qualities. Most of them are vegetarian, and if you wanted to add some meat protein to them, you could do so; otherwise, you could consume them as they are.
Not only does Foods of the Greek Islands contain a wide variety of delectable recipes, but it also provides a wealth of background information on the various locales. Aglaia Kremezi is a writer, author, and culinary instructor who has won several awards for her work. She gives clarity and simplicity to each of the recipes in this book.
It should be no surprise that the New York Times named this cookbook the finest one published when it was first made available to the public. This cookbook is ideal for individuals seeking Greek cuisine that is light on meat and big on vegetables because of its strong emphasis on vegetarian recipes.
Book Author: Aglaia Kremezi
Bottom Line:
If you wish to become an expert Greek cook, then each of these books is an excellent resource for you to utilize. The recipes are straightforward and contain all the traditional foods you are familiar with and like eating.
