Can you imagine eating the famed Greek cuisine in your hometown in India ten years before? Nowadays, in Indian cities, you can eat foods and drinks of almost any country in the world. Here View Traveling editor Jane shares her thought about Which Greek food You Can Try and Where in Ahmedabad.
Though we have been eating the Chinese cuisine and Iranian tea since 50 years, food from other parts of the world such as Japan, Korea, Mexico is available in major Indian cities since the last 10 to 20 years only.
I have a friend in Ahmedabad, Gujarat who used to rave about the local Gujarati cuisine whenever we meet. I asked him if he ever veered away from the Gujarati food and tasted cuisines of other countries such as Mexican or Mediterranean (especially Greek).
Though, I was sarcastic about the non-availability of such international delicacies in Gujarat because of fierce patriotism for the local Gujarati cuisine of which I am also a big fan.
My friend retaliated with rudeness that I saw for the first time. I think his love for his home state took over him.
He invited me to Ahmedabad and see for myself all the restaurants that serve international food including the rare Greek and Mediterranean cuisine.
I retreated tamely and accepted his invitation to visit Ahmedabad that has shot to fame of late by its stupendous development in several areas.
Meanwhile, I went about educating myself about the names of several Greek food and drinks, what they are made of and where can I eat them in Ahmedabad.
Greek Foods in Ahmedabad That You Have to Try
Here are the foods of Greece and its neighboring countries that are worth learning about so that you won’t stare at the menu card. It is terribly embarrassing.
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Mezze
You can say it is the starter plate or the so-called ‘mini tiffin’. “Little Morsels’ is the literal meaning of ‘mezze’. The mezze plate would consist of four to five dishes that you can either take a bite as such or dip it in some sort of sauce/spread/dip and consume.
For poor eaters like me, a plate of mezze itself would be a whole meal.
A typical mezze plater would comprise the following Greek food:
*Baba Ghanoush-an eggplant dish that we the Indians know as something similar to the Baingan ka Bharta.
*Falafel– this is cooked in Asian style. A deep fried item, made of chickpea flour rolled into a ball. Seasonally, instead of chickpeas, their favorite ‘fava beans’ are also used.
Apart from finding a place in a mezze plate, it is also eaten as an evening snack. My research revealed that this Greek food actually imported from Egypt.
*Dolma– Dolma is the third dish in a mezze plate. I would pick this Greek food first if I ever order a plate of a mezze in my hometown Bangalore.
Dolma is stuffed vegetables. The stuffing would invariably include cheese and peppered tomatoes.
*Fattoush-a bread salad basically that has other vegetables such as cucumber, tomato, and onion rings. Here, by ‘bread’, I mean the ‘pita’, the staple of Greek. This is a flatbread that is either eaten with other spicy gravies or made into a roll and getting stuffed with meat and vegetables. Yeah, you can say it-a ‘wrap’.
So, that’s all about the tasty ‘mezze’, an innovative Greek food.
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Koulouri Thessalonikis
Just swallow the name, buddy; don’t try to repeat. After all, it is a Greek name. Ok, how about its alternative name; “Simit”?
Yeah, it is a ring-shaped bread garnished with sesame or flax seeds. It is another staple that has gone abroad to places that include the Middle East and Iran.
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Ful medames, a Typical Greek food
Very attractively laid-eh? I thought the Greeks are not that much aesthetic about food serving. Obviously, I have some wrong pre-conceived notions.
The good-looking Greek food made of fava beans aka ‘broad beans’
cooked in olive oil and made as the main ingredient of a salad that is combined with cumin seeds, tomatoes, onion, garlic, bell pepper, and lemon juice. When you place slices of boiled egg, it makes a wholesome meal.
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Greek food- Hummus
Oh yes, the ‘hummus’ without which your Mediterranean cuisine is not complete. In fact, your Greek dinner would not even begin without hummus.
It is a ‘dip’ all right; you can just dip anything in it and eat. I heard you need not order hummus; it is a compulsory accompaniment; a table mate.
Its basic ingredient is chickpea paste. Of course, it will have the flavor of garlic and/or onion. It imported from Egypt.
Bakery items
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- Börek-a Yufka pastry
- Bougatsa-made of semolina and curd
- Frappé
Wow! Any drink that looks frothy and in coffee color is salivating to me. Well, this Greek specialty is cold coffee.
Some more Greek food that might interest you:
- Labneh-yogurt
- Saganaki-fried cheese
- Muhammara-a walnut based dip or a spread
- Pastrami-a beef dish
- Souvlaki-skewed meat
Now, that completes the names of Greek food and what they are made of. Let us see where you can eat some or all of the Greek delicacies in Ahmedabad.
Look for the word Taverna or Ouzerie in the restaurant name boards. If you find them, then you can be sure it is a Greek restaurant because, both the words mean ‘restaurant’ in Greek.
Restaurants that offer Greek Food in Ahmedabad.
Hmm.. not many Greek food outlets in Ahmadabad. I would say the options are rather limited. Maybe, I should take it up with my Gujarati friend. He may show me some hidden restaurants in Ahmedabad that serve authentic Greek cuisine.
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The Hummus Store
Prerna Shikhar, Besides Bodakdev Fire Station, Bodakdev, Ahmedabad Phone: 94092 75932
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Fozzie’s Pizzaiolo
Maruti Crystal, Opposite Rajpath Club, Service Road, Ahmedabad
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Falafel Express
11, 120 Feet Ring Rd, Professor’s Colony, Sarvottam Nagar Society, Navrangpura, Ahmedabad Phone: 95127 58391
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Lollo Rosso
One world capital, Besides La Renon, Off, Rajpath Rangoli Rd, Bodakdev, Ahmedabad
Phone: 79 4897 7329
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Topaz Restaurant
Topaz L D College Road, Near Panjara Pole, Ambawadi, Prahlad Nagar, Ahmedabad
I would like to hear comments and feedback after you have visited any one of the above restaurants in Ahmedabad that serve real Greek cuisine.
