Greece A to Z: D
10 entries from the Greece A to Z Travel Dictionary, starting with D. Search or filter them here, or open another letter.
Dakos
FoodA Cretan meze of barley rusk soaked briefly in oil and topped with grated tomato, crumbled cheese and oregano.
How to make Dakos
- Serves
- 2
- Time
- Prep 10 min plus 10 min standing, no cooking
Ingredients
- 2 large barley rusks, paximadia
- 3 very ripe tomatoes
- 150g mizithra, or feta, crumbled
- 60ml extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 8 kalamata olives
- Salt
Method
- Hold each rusk under a running cold tap for 2 or 3 seconds a side. Only that. Any longer and it turns to pulp.
- Sit the rusks on plates and drizzle with half the olive oil.
- Grate the tomatoes on the coarse side of a box grater, holding the skin and stopping when only skin is left. Discard the skins.
- Salt the grated tomato and drain off the thinnest of the juice.
- Pile the tomato on to the rusks, letting it spill over the sides.
- Crumble the cheese over, add the olives, the rest of the oil and the oregano.
- Leave for 10 minutes before eating so the rusk drinks the juice and softens through.
Debina
DrinkThe white grape of Zitsa in Epirus, high in acid and made both still and sparkling.
A good plate to drink it with, fried squid
#Dekapentavgoustos
FestivalThe Assumption of the Virgin on 15 August, the biggest religious holiday of the Greek summer; islands fill up and transport is heavily booked around it.
#Delos
SightA sacred, uninhabited island near Mykonos and one of the most significant archaeological sites in the Cyclades, linked in mythology to the birth of Apollo and Artemis.
#Delphi
SightThe ancient sanctuary of Apollo on the slopes of Mount Parnassus, once revered as the centre ('navel') of the world.
#Dimitsana
RegionA stone village high in Arcadia above the Lousios gorge, with a working open air water power museum.
#Diples
FoodFried ribbons of thin dough dipped in honey and scattered with walnut, made for weddings and Christmas.
How to make Diples
- Serves
- Makes about 30
- Time
- Prep 40 min plus 30 min resting, cook 25 min
Ingredients
- 3 eggs
- 300g plain flour, plus extra for rolling
- 1 tbsp orange juice
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- A pinch of salt
- Sunflower oil for deep frying
- 300g honey
- 100ml water
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 100g walnuts, finely chopped
- Ground cinnamon, to finish
Method
- Beat the eggs until pale, then beat in the olive oil, orange juice and salt.
- Work in the flour a little at a time to a soft dough, then knead for 10 minutes until it is smooth and elastic.
- Cover and rest for 30 minutes. Resting is what lets you roll it thin enough.
- Roll the dough out as thinly as you possibly can, until you can see the worktop through it, and cut into strips about 8cm by 15cm.
- Heat the frying oil to 170C, 340F.
- Drop one strip into the oil and immediately roll it up with two forks while it is still soft. You have about three seconds.
- Fry for 30 to 40 seconds until pale gold, no darker, and lift on to kitchen paper.
- Simmer the honey, water and cinnamon stick together for 3 minutes.
- Dip each diple briefly in the warm honey, then stack on a platter and scatter with walnuts and ground cinnamon.
Diros Caves
NatureA spectacular system of water filled caves on the Mani peninsula in the Peloponnese, explored by boat along an underground lake beneath striking stalactite formations.
#Dodecanese
RegionThe southeastern island group including Rhodes and Kos, closest to the Turkish coast.
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