Greek cuisine savoring its moment
An increasing number of tourists are enjoying excellent Greek food while on vacation and returning home in search of similar gastronomic experiences in restaurants or food shops.
In 2022, Greece welcomed almost 28 million visitors. This year, they are expected to reach 32 million, bringing in revenues of around €20 billion.
In comments to Kathimerini, experienced professionals of the catering and tourism industry, Vassilis Zacharakis, Kostas Spiliadis, Christina Mouratoglou and Yannis Tsakalos insist that Greece must seize the moment to further entrench this growing appreciation of its cuisine, which can become a vehicle for quality and high-end tourism.
The momentum of Greek gastronomy may not be an overoptimistic assessment, with experts stressing the need to put the emphasis on the Mediterranean diet, to make it clear to the international public that the only truly authentic version of it is the Greek one.
This, they contend, can be done through both public and private initiatives. Essentially Athens must be filled with serious restaurants based on the Mediterranean diet. Moreover, culinary schools should seriously engage in training chef-followers of this cuisine.
