Authentic Greek Salad - Horiatiki Salad

Greek Salad is a popular salad recipe across globe. Its origin is from Greece. However, the ones you find in other regions of the world are not really an authentic version but rather an enhanced or substituted versions of Greek Salad which uses leafy greens,potatoes and other dressings. An authentic Greek Salad or Horiatiki salad (means from village) uses main limited ingredients which are Fresh Organic Ripe Tomatoes, Fresh Cucumbers,Green Bell Pepper,Red Onions,Kalamata Olives, some Extra Virgin Olive Oil,Solid Greek Feta Cheese and Dried Oregano.

This salad is very similar to Bulgarian Shopska Salad . Both have Tomatoes,cucumbers and Onions in common. Major difference is the feta cheese that is used for dressing. Bulgarian feta cheese is produced using sheep's or goat's milk with a special yogurt culture or bacteria that was found in Bulgaria. However, Greek Feta Cheese is produced in the Greek regions and claims to be different from Bulgarian white cheese,Sirene. I am not really sure how both vary with respect to texture and taste. I am yet to taste a Greek feta cheese to understand the difference.However, in this recipe I have used Bulgarian feta cheese and not Greek feta cheese. Another difference is the use of Kalamata Olives in Greek salad which is not used in Bulgarian Shopska Salad .

Kalamata Olives are the ones that are dark purple or black in color.They are native to Greece and is used in whole form for this salad. However, I could not get hold of them and hence I have used pitted green olives. If you are able to get canned or fresh Kalamata whole black olives, you are proceeding very authentically:)

Let's look into the preparation of this popular authentic salad.

Serves:3

Ingredients

1. Bangalore Tomatoes - 3 Medium sized 
2. Red Onion - 1 Big
3. Green Capsicum/Bell Pepper - 1 medium
4. Cucumber - 1 big or 2 small
5. Kalamata Olives / any available Olives - 8 - 10 (whole ones)
6. Feta Cheese - A big slice / 100gms
7. Extra Virgin Olive Oil - 5 tbsp
8. Dried Oregano - 2 tsp or more as per taste
9. Red Wine Vinegar - 1 tbsp
10. Needed salt

Method

1. Wash and chop all the vegetables mentioned. You can cut them into desired shape, either disc shaped or cubes. Whichever way you like it to be.

2. Mix all the vegetables and toss it gently with oregano,needed salt,vinegar and olive oil.

3. Place a big slice of feta cheese and drizzle some Olive oil on top.

4. Season with some oregano and serve fresh with breads or buns :):)

Notes,Tips & Add-on's

1. A very important thing for this salad is, the ingredients and vegetables that are used should be really fresh, preferably organic as that gives the right taste and color to this salad.
2. Ensure the cucumber and Olives do not taste bitter, else it might spoil the taste of the salad.
3. I have used crumbled sirene(Bulgarian feta cheese here), however to ensure authenticity, use a big slice of Greek feta cheese and not the crumbled ones.
4. Original recipe uses whole black Kalamata olives. I have substituted with green pitted olives as I was not able to get hold of Kalamata olives from nearby shop.

Tarator (Таратор)

Tarator - Bulgarian Cold cucumber soup is a traditional and popular recipe from the Balkan regions. It is mainly prepared during summer with cucumber and yogurt as the main ingredient. The consistency can vary depending on how thick or thin you want. This is generally served cold and served in traditional Bulgarian Clay Pot, Gyuveche. Let's look into this preparation.

Serves:2-3

Ingredients

1. Cucumber - 2 small sized or 1 big
2. Whisked thick curd/yogurt - 1 cup
3. Water as needed depending on consistency 
4. Garlic cloves - 3-4 (crushed or chopped finely)
5. Walnuts - 2 tbsp (chopped finely) 
6. Olive Oil/Sunflower oil - 2 tbsp
7. Salt as needed 
8. Fresh coriander leaves/dill/parsley for garnishing as needed 

Method

1. Peel and chop the the cucumbers into fine small cubes.

2. Mix garlic, yogurt and cucumber with needed salt.

3. Add water if you require a thin consistency. Adjust the water depending on how thick or thin you want the soup.

4. Drizzle some olive/sunflower oil and mix gently.

5. Garnish with fresh coriander leaves/dill,chopped walnuts and serve the soup chilled.

Notes,Tips & Add-On's

1. Original recipe uses dill. I have substituted with fresh coriander leaves as I don't get dill here.
2. You can either refrigerate the soup overnight or add ice cubes to serve them chilled. Either way it tastes great.

Shopska Salata (Шопска салата)

My husband had to visit bulgaria for an official purpose and that's when I tried googling about Bulgaria, its tradition, culture and cuisine. I was surprised to know that Bulgarian food culture holds strong roots to ancient cooking using fresh vegetables. Their traditional recipes are highly healthy and vegetarian. I thought I must try them right away and hence asked my husband to purchase the signature items of bulgaria to try the bulgarian cuisine right here at home.

Shopska Salata or Shopska salad is a traditional summer salad which is popular among the balkan regions like Bulgaria,Macedonia and Serbia. The main ingredients are Tomatoes,Cucumbers and Bulgarian White Feta Cheese. These colors Red,Green and white represent the bulgarian national flag. Interesting ins't it:)

The Bulgarian white feta cheese, also known as sirene is very famous and native to bulgaria made from sheep's milk and a special bacteria that is found exclusively in bulgaria. The texture is very soft and crumbles easily when touched. It is not hard as the processed cheese that we get here in India. It is slightly salty and has a fresh creamy aroma.I loved eating it plain and it tasted too good and yummy :):)!!!! It is very similar to greek feta cheese. Bulgarians use it as an accompaniment to almost all their dishes and also have it in fried form.

The salad is served in a special Bulgarian clay pot called ,Gyuveche. Yes, I asked my husband to get these from Bulgaria. This is a must buy souvenir if you are visiting Bulgaria. :):)

Bulgarians use Sunflower oil in their cooking and as for the vinegar, it is Grape Vinegar. Since, I could not get hold of grape vinegar, I have used Balsamic Vinegar which is close enough substitute in my opinion because both Balsamic and Grape Vinegar use Grape Must as their major ingredient. However, the difference between traditional balsamic vinegar and Grape Vinegar is the way the grape must is prepared.

Let's see how to prepare this easy refreshing salad.

Serves: 2

Ingredients

1. Banglore Tomato - 1 big (chopped finely)
2. Cucumber - 1 (peeled and chopped)
3.  Bulgarian white feta cheese - 1/4 cup
4. Onion(Red/White) - 1 big or 2 small 
5. Red/Green/Yellow Bell pepper - 1 small or 1/2 big ( chopped)
6. Olive Oil/Sunflower oil - 3 tbsp
7. Red Wine Vinegar/Balsamic Vinegar/White Vinegar - 1 tbsp
8. Fresh Parsley/Cilantro - for garnishing
9. Salt and pepper as needed

Method

1. Mix tomato, cucumber, onions and chopped bell peppers in a large mixing bowl.

2. Add needed salt and pepper,Oil and balsamic vinegar and gently toss the salad.

3. Top it with freshly crimbled bulgarian white feta cheese.

4. Garnish with cilantro/parsley and the summer refreshing salad is ready:):)!!!!

Notes,Tips & Add-on's

1. I have used extra virgin olive oil for this recipe as I like to use it personally for raw salad.However, if you want to maintain authenticity for the recipe, use sunflower oil.
2. You can add any vegetables to make this salad, but main ingredients are tomatoes,cucumbers and cheese.
3. Use any fresh cheese if Bulgarian white feta cheese is not available.
4. You can also substitute lemon juice instead of vinegar and it tastes great equally.
5. I have used cilantro as I didn't get fresh parsley here. Originally, Parsley is used for this recipe.

Cucumber Mint Cooler

You might have realised by now that how crazy mint fan I am:p. Not just a mint fan but also a crazy lover of yogurt.Well,cucumber mint cooler is a perfect beverage for a scorching summer. I had tasted this for the very first time in a hotel at kochi.They served this for breakfast.I was completely in awe with the taste.There can't be any other cooler that can taste as better as this one.The goodness of yogurt,cucumber and mint combined in one single drink.What more could you ask for this summer...Try out this recipe for this summer and cool your senses.

serves:2-3 glasses

Ingredients:

1. Fresh Pudina/Mint Leaves-1/2 cup
2. Cucumber-1 (sliced)
3. Yoghurt/Fresh Curd-3/4 Cup
4. Green chilli – 1
5. Salt to taste

Method:

1. Take fresh pudina leaves,cucumber,yoghurt and green chillies and grind it in a mixer along with the salt to taste at a high speed.

2. Serve the above combo chilled :)

Notes,Tips & Add On(s):

You can also squeeze lemon to the above beverage to bring a much more tangy taste. :)