The Real Greek Salad: What Goes In, and What Does Not

Few dishes travel as badly as the Greek salad. Somewhere between Athens and the rest of the world it picked up iceberg lettuce, croutons, cubes of something white and a creamy dressing. The real thing is simpler and much better. Here is what it is, and how we make ours.

The village salad

In Greece it is called horiatiki, the village salad. It is a summer dish built from what grows in the garden in July: ripe tomatoes, cucumber, onion, olives, and a slab of feta. Olive oil goes over the top. That is almost the whole recipe.

What it does not have matters as much:

• No lettuce. The salad is chunky, not leafy.
• No heavy dressing. Good olive oil does the work; vinegar, if any, is used sparingly.
• No small cubes. Vegetables are cut in generous pieces so each bite has texture.

Why the ingredients matter

With so few elements, each one has to be good. The tomatoes must be ripe and sweet. The cucumber must be crisp. The onion is there for bite, so it is sliced thin. The olives bring salt and depth. The feta is the creamy, tangy centre, and the olive oil ties everything together and pools at the bottom of the bowl, which is why Greeks finish the plate with bread.

How we serve ours

The Greek Salad at Maison Almaz follows the village logic: tomatoes, cucumber, red onion, olives and feta, with olive oil. We serve balsamic on the side, because some guests like a little acidity and others prefer the salad as it is. You decide at the table. It is 90K.

If you like the same flavours in a smaller form, the Greek Bruschetta puts tomato, cucumber, red onion and feta on toasted bread.

What to eat it with

The Greek salad is the fresh half of a Mediterranean meal. It sits naturally next to:

• Mezze: hummus, falafel and the Mediterranean Mezze Platter.
• Grilled fish: the Grilled White Fish with Quinoa is the lightest pairing.
• Something from the grill: a steak to share, where the salad cuts through the richness.

The short version

Five ingredients, olive oil, nothing to hide behind. That is the Greek salad. Come and taste ours on the terrace in Berawa: the kitchen serves the full menu from 10 AM to 3 AM. Read more about our Mediterranean kitchen or book a table.