These soups stand out for their incredible flavor, texture, and simple preparation, perfect for cold winter days By food journalist Dimitris Stathopoulos.
These soups stand out for their incredible flavor, texture, and simple preparation, perfect for cold winter days.
They're delicious, often soothing, filling, or simply designed to whet your appetite for what comes next. They're the ideal comfort food when we're sick, after a long night out, or as a first course at a formal dinner. You'll find them served on paper tablecloths at casual soup joints, on crisp linen with delicate embroidery, and even aboard a fisherman's boat. Soups are the epitome of flavor and often our best culinary comfort.
Trout Velouté
A trout farm in the icy waters of Beles and a traditional taverna hidden deep in the forest. In the picturesque Ano Poroia village in Serres, next to Lake Kerkini, you'll find a fairytale restaurant called Petsrofes. During winter, they light a fire, set a pot on the stove, and create a dreamy velvet fish soup. Fennel and celery melt over low heat, whole pieces of steamed trout rest atop the soup, and lime oil with crispy croutons complete a dish of refined gastronomy and deep flavor. (Taverna Petsrofes, Ano Poroia, Serres, Tel: 23270 51500)
Butternut Squash Soup with Kozani Saffron
It came to us from abroad, but quickly conquered both festive and everyday tables. Velvety butternut squash soup warms us, fills us up, comes together easily, and doesn't require special cooking skills. With dozens of variations, with cream or without, with chestnut, carrot, or a bit of potato, but always gorgeous with its vibrant orange color, it works as the ideal prelude to holiday meals.
One of the finest versions is butternut squash soup with precious Kozani saffron. The magical crimson threads of saffron are carefully hand-harvested for a short period each October, dried on silk screens, and arrive at our table to give us unique flavor experiences. PDO Kozani saffron, with its intensity, elevates the deep taste of red squash and creates an unforgettable dish. (Kozani Saffron, Kozani Saffron Producers Cooperative, https://safran.gr/el/recipes)
Bougiabesa (Fisherman's Soup)
Roughly chopped potatoes, one onion, and ideally a few celery leaves go in the bottom of the pot. We rest our small fish on top. According to tradition, a good bougiabesa is made with rock fish. We add just a little water, one or two cups depending on how many people will eat. If we're on the boat, we use seawater. If not, we add at least sea salt and let it simmer over low heat. As soon as the fish "break," it means our meal is ready. We carefully remove and arrange the fish on a platter and serve our bougiabesa in deep bowls. On winter weekends, enjoy an airy bougiabesa at the little taverna Apanimi in Moutsouna, Naxos (Apanimi, Moutsouna, Naxos, Tel: 6944138610).
Politiko Trahana (Constantinople-Style Trahana)
It was the reliably delicious dish our grandmother cooked for us. The quick meal from our student years that we made in our tiny kitchenettes. The easy solution for a spontaneous gathering of friends. Now, with the revival of traditional cuisine, trahana has crept into ambitious meals, starred hotel brunches, and formal dinners. A good trahana can work wonders. And the Politiko trahana from a small company in Giannitsa works political gastronomic wonders. In the affluent urban homes of Constantinople, even trahana had to conceal a variety of flavors and aromas. Agrozymi has revived the authentic recipe for Politiko trahana, where select flour is kneaded with tomato paste, red pepper, and onion. Then dried spinach, leek, onion, basil, red pepper, and boukovo are added. The result is a delicious dish, filling for cold winter nights, but also truly gourmet for festive dinners.
Patsas (Tripe Soup)
Finely chopped or coarsely chopped, with garlic paste or without, patsas remains one of the most iconic dishes in our cuisine and the ultimate meal after a good night out. A true balm for the stomach after consuming alcohol, the patsas made at To Ipeiro, the only soup shop that continues to thrive inside Varvakeios Market, is delicious. The multilingual and accomplished Rania, second generation, will welcome you to her modest shop and serve you patsas from 5 a.m. onwards. (Filopimonos 4, Varvakeios Market, Tel: 210 3240773)
Frequently Asked Questions
What makes Greek food unique?
Greek cuisine is built on simplicity and quality ingredients. What makes it distinctive is regional variety — every island and mountain village has its own flavors, often unchanged for centuries.
