The moment I took my first bite of a traditional Greek salad in Athens, I knew I was experiencing something completely different from the salads back home.
After visiting Greece in September and joining an Eating Europe Greek food tour in Athens, I came home fascinated and curious about Greek food culture — especially when our tour guide pointed out a key difference between how Greeks and Americans view “salad.” In the U.S., we associate salad with leafy greens and lettuce — something a Greek person would never put in a salad.
As it turns out, a traditional Greek salad (Horiatiki) should never be served with lettuce. Here’s why.
What is Greek salad?
“Greek salad, one could say, is the truest taste of summer in Greece: ripe, delicious tomatoes, crisp cucumbers full of flavor, green peppers, red onions, Kalamata olives, and sliced feta, dressed with olive oil and oregano,” says Chef Petros Dimas, who leads the renowned Greek restaurant, Makris Athens. “It’s a dish of balance and honesty, born from what the land gives us in its warmest months.”
Greek salad, also known as horiatiki, is the classic Greek village salad (sometimes also referred to as village salad). “Horiatiki celebrates peak-season produce in bold, juicy pieces rather than leafy greens, and, most importantly, lettuce is not a traditional ingredient in the Greek regions where the salad originated,” says Chef Jessica Randhawa, Owner & Chef at The Forked Spoon.
After spending a month in Greece studying and eating Greek food, Chef Randhawa learned a lot about the variations of Greek salads. While there are some slight variations between how a Horiatiki is prepared (per each chef), most agree that it is a dish that uses in-season veggies — not leafy greens.
Why lettuce doesn’t belong in a Greek salad
In Greece, lettuce is considered a winter vegetable. In comparison, in the U.S., we see lettuce as a summer vegetable. For this reason, if you catch lettuce in a Greek salad ordered in the U.S., it’s an American “adaptation” to make the salad seem more appealing to U.S. palates and to add bulk to the salad.
“In Greece, we move with the seasons. Lettuce grows in the cooler months, and the climate over here tends to be warmer all year round,” says Chef Dimas. “At Makris, our salads are built around what thrives throughout the summer and the winter.”
In Greece, lettuce and leafy greens are used throughout the winter as ingredients in other types of salads, such as the Maroulosalata (a type of light, lettuce-focused salad).
How a traditional Greek salad is prepared
Want to make a traditional Horiatiki for yourself? Chef Randhawa shares her method below:
- Starts by cutting the tomatoes into wedges, the cucumber into half moons, the bell pepper into thin strips, and the red onion into slivers.
- Combine all of your vegetables in a shallow bowl with whole or pitted Kalamata olives and then a generous slab of feta on top (Dodoni Feta is my favorite Greek Feta available in the US).
- Drizzle the salad with good olive oil, a splash of red wine vinegar, sprinkle with dried oregano and flaky salt, and add a few grinds of black pepper.
If there’s one key tip to remember when making this dish, it’s to prepare only before you’re ready to eat it or to serve it to ensure the vegetables stay crisp.
