Greece A to Z: U to Z
20 entries from the Greece A to Z Travel Dictionary, starting with U to Z. Search or filter them here, or open another letter.
UNESCO World Heritage Sites
PracticalGreece's entries on the UNESCO World Heritage List range from the Acropolis and Delphi to Olympia, Mystras and the monasteries of Meteora. Meteora and Mount Athos are listed for both their cultural and their natural value.
#Vasilopita
FoodA traditional New Year's cake baked with a hidden coin inside, cut at midnight or on New Year's Day, said to bring good luck to whoever finds the coin.
How to make Vasilopita
- Serves
- 12
- Time
- Prep 25 min, cook 50 min
Ingredients
- 250g soft butter
- 300g caster sugar
- 4 eggs
- 500g plain flour
- 3 tsp baking powder
- 200ml milk
- Juice and zest of 1 orange
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- Half a tsp ground mahlepi, optional
- Icing sugar, to finish
- 1 clean coin, wrapped in foil
Method
- Heat the oven to 180C, 350F, and butter and flour a 26cm tin.
- Beat the butter and sugar for 8 minutes until pale and light.
- Add the eggs one at a time, beating well between each.
- Fold in the flour and baking powder alternately with the milk.
- Stir in the orange zest and juice, the vanilla and the mahlepi.
- Pour into the tin and push the wrapped coin in from the side, so nobody can see where it went.
- Bake for 45 to 55 minutes, until a skewer comes out clean.
- Cool completely, dust with icing sugar and mark the year on the top.
- Cut at midnight: one slice for the house, then everyone from oldest to youngest. Whoever finds the coin has the luck for the year.
Vehicle space
PracticalDeck space for a car, camper or motorbike, booked with the passenger ticket. Conventional ferries take vehicles, high speed boats take few or none, and vehicle loading closes well before foot boarding, so the car decides both the boat and how early you arrive.
#Vergina
SightA small town near Thessaloniki whose royal Macedonian tombs, including that of Philip II, father of Alexander the Great, form a UNESCO World Heritage Site with treasures displayed in an underground museum.
#Vidiano
DrinkA revived Cretan white grape making rich, textured wines, and one of the island’s success stories.
The classic plate to drink it with, grilled fish
#Vikos Gorge
NatureOne of the world's deepest gorges relative to its width, cutting through the Zagorochoria region of Epirus and protected within the Vikos Aoos National Park, home to rare flora and fauna.
#Vilana
DrinkThe most widely planted white grape of Crete, making light, fresh everyday wine.
The classic plate to drink it with, saganaki
#Vinsanto
DrinkThe sweet Santorini wine made from sun dried Assyrtiko and Aidani grapes, aged in barrel and served with dessert.
The classic plate to drink it with, baklava
#Visinada
DrinkSour cherry cordial, made once when the fruit is in and then diluted through the summer. The strained cherries are kept and spooned over yoghurt.
How to make Visinada
- Serves
- About 12 glasses from 750ml of syrup
- Time
- Prep 20 min, cook 10 min, plus 30 min steeping
Ingredients
- 800g sour cherries, stemmed and pitted
- 400g white sugar
- 400ml water
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- Cold still or sparkling water, to serve
- Ice, and a few whole cherries to garnish
Method
- Put the pitted cherries, sugar and water in a saucepan over a medium high heat.
- Bring to the boil, stirring once or twice so the sugar dissolves completely.
- Turn down and simmer for 5 minutes, then stir in the lemon juice, which keeps the colour bright.
- Take the pan off the heat and crush the fruit lightly with a masher to release the rest of the juice.
- Leave to steep for 20 to 25 minutes off the heat.
- Strain through a sieve into a clean jar, pressing gently. Keep the cherry solids, they are excellent over yoghurt or ice cream.
- Cool the syrup completely, then seal and refrigerate. It keeps for about 4 weeks.
- To serve, pour 60ml of syrup into a tall glass of ice and top up with about 250ml cold water. Adjust to taste and garnish with a cherry.
Volos
RegionA port city at the foot of Mount Pelion, known for its tsipouradika, bars where each round of tsipouro brings a plate of food.
#Windmills
SightWhitewashed stone windmills dot the Cyclades, once used to grind grain in the strong Aegean meltemi winds. Mykonos's row of restored windmills above the harbour is the most photographed example.
#Xanthi
RegionA Thracian town with a well preserved old quarter of tobacco merchant mansions and a large carnival.
#Xinomavro
DrinkA bold, tannic red wine grape from Naoussa and Amyndeo in Macedonia, often compared to Nebbiolo or Barolo for its acidity and ageing potential.
The classic plate to drink it with, pastitsio
#Yia sou / Yia sas
PhraseHello and goodbye. Yia sou to one person you know; yia sas to a group, or to anyone you are being polite with.
#Yiayia
Practical"Grandmother", a central figure in Greek family life, often the keeper of the family's recipes, and the reason many tavernas describe their food as "just like yiayia used to make".
#Youvarlakia
FoodMeatballs rolled with rice and simmered in an egg and lemon broth.
How to make Youvarlakia
- Serves
- 4
- Time
- Prep 25 min, cook 45 min
Ingredients
- 500g minced beef or veal
- 80g short grain rice, uncooked
- 1 onion, grated
- 2 tbsp chopped parsley
- 1 tbsp chopped dill
- 1 egg
- 1.2 litres hot stock or water
- 30g butter
- 2 eggs, for the avgolemono
- Juice of 1 and a half lemons
- Salt and pepper
Method
- Mix the meat, raw rice, onion, herbs and 1 egg, season and knead for 3 minutes.
- Roll into walnut sized balls. Keep them small, the rice swells a great deal.
- Bring the stock and butter to a simmer in a wide pan.
- Lower the balls in so they are just covered, and simmer covered on a low heat for 40 minutes. Shake the pan rather than stirring, or they break up.
- Beat the 2 eggs until frothy, then beat in the lemon juice.
- Temper by adding four ladles of the hot broth one at a time, whisking hard.
- Take the pan off the heat completely, pour the mixture back and swirl the pan to combine.
- Return to the lowest heat for 1 minute only. It must never boil.
- Serve at once, with bread and more lemon.
Zagori (Zagorochoria)
RegionA cluster of stone mountain villages in Epirus above the dramatic Vikos Gorge, linked by old arched bridges.
#Zakynthos
RegionAn Ionian island known for Navagio (Shipwreck) Beach and its loggerhead turtle nesting bays.
#