One of the many international cuisines to sample when holidaying in Greece has to be traditional Greek food. From home-made hearty dishes to sweet dessert, you will be sure to find a dish that tickles your tastebuds!

Honey & baklava

As the Greeks are renowned for having a sweet tooth, I thought we would start off with a potential winner of the Greek dishes to try. Although, you have been warned, these small pieces of heaven aren't for everyone, but those who have a love of sugar will definitely want to try them! The classic baklava is a start-layering of honey, filo pastry and ground nuts or the galaktoboureko, a sinful custard-filled pastry. Simply pour a big dollop of local thyme honey all over some fresh Green yoghurt and just like that....... Ready for consumption!

Grilled meat

So yes, you are right. Meat is very easy to get hold of in the UK so why do I need to try it in Greece?

Well let me tell you that the Greeks are masters of charcoal-grilled and spit-roasted meats with truly succulent meat. Local Greek dishes definitely worth trying is Souvlaki, the Greek's favourite fast food and the gyros and skewered meat versions. You can also find local free-range lamb and port dominating the taverns, although, kid goat is amongst one of the favourites.

Dolmades

At the first sight, I have to say I believed these were from the Japanese cuisine, but after trying them, the vine leaves incorporated with mincemeat certainly made these treats notably Greek.

In fact, each household and each region in Greece has its own variation on the classic grape leaf-wrapped parcel.

Eaten as finger food, some have stuffed vine leaves incorporate mincemeat with long-grain rice whilst others simply head a combination of dill, fennel, oregano and pine nuts. Dolmades are certainly a very fascinating treat and handy if you fancy just a small snack or a mini starter before your main course!

Moussaka

You may have heard about it or seen it on a menu in the UK, but as everyone knows, dishes always taste better in the countries they originate from and Moussaka is no exception. Variations on moussaka are found throughout the Mediterranean and the Balkans, but the iconic Greek dish is based on layering sautéed aubergine, minced meat fried with pureed tomato, onion, garlic, spices such as cinnamon and all spice, potato and then a final fluffy topping of cheese and béchamel sauce. Moussaka may look similar to lasagne, but in our opinion, it is way better!

Feta & other cheeses

The most widely exported Greece cheese, Feta, is frequently used in a Greek salad, but don't forget to sample all the other cheeses when in Greece. Although you can buy feta in most of the supermarkets in the UK, its all about the experience of sampling some in the country where it all began in. You will also be able to find similar cheeses that are definitely worth trying. Ask behind the market counters for feta kept in big barrels, creamy and delicious and nothing in comparison to the one in plastic tubs found in markets outside of Greece. Try sampling graviera, a hard golden-white cheese, perfectly eaten either cubed or fried as saganaki. In Greek bakeries, you will find tyropita cheese pie. When visiting a traditional taverna, try salads such as Cretan dakos, topped with a crumbling of mizithra, a soft, white cheese.

To sum up, get your Greek on and get sampling these exquisitely tasting dishes!