Want something nutritious ✔, delicious 🤭, hydrating 🥛 and just plain great to eat...?
We present to you today the classic Greek Village Salad.
PJ Kabos Olive Oil Recipe—Greek Village Salad—with Video
Recipe Video: How to Make a Classic Greek Village Salad—Horiatiki Salata
Recipe
Salad: Side dish or main
Serves: 1 as a main dish; 4 as a side dish
PJ KABOS Extra Virgin Olive Oil used: Family Reserve High Phenolic Organic—Medium (white bottle)
Ingredients for Greek Village Salad
- 5 tomatoes🍅, firm and fresh, cut into chunks
- 1 sliced cucumber🥒, optional
- 1 thinly sliced green pepper, optional
- 1 thinly sliced onion, optional
- salt, to taste
- oregano, fresh or dried, to taste
- 1 very large slice feta cheese (170 gr., 6 oz.)
- 8 olives, Kalamata (or whatever you have)
- 3 tbsp. PJ KABOS High-Phenolic Olive Oil, Medium taste intensity (white bottle)
Note: The only ingredients that a Greek Village Salad must have are tomatoes, feta cheese, oregano, salt and extra virgin olive oil.
Preparation of Greek Village Salad
Wash all vegetables to be used.
Cut the tomatoes into bite-size chunks (not slices). Add to a large bowl.
If including, slice the cucumber, green pepper and onion and add to the tomatoes.
Sprinkle salt over the salad. Add the olives. Place a large slice of feta over the center. Sprinkle oregano.
Drizzle PJ KABOS High-Phenolic Extra Virgin Olive Oil over it all.
Place on the table. Put a fork into the feta cheese and break it into bits then lightly mix into the salad.
Most often in Greece, the salad is eaten directly from a large bowl by all, however, it may be served on individual plates too. Just make sure to include the juices when serving.
Serving suggestion: Greek Village Salad
Serve with pita bread or fresh village bread—used to dip within the tomato and olive oil juices to sop up all the goodness.
Kali Orexi—Happy Eating!
PJ KABOS: Elevate Your Health with High-Phenolic Extra Virgin Olive Oil. "For those who want to be good to their bodies."
A Short History of the Greek Village Salad
The Greek Village Salad, or "Horiatiki" in Greek, encapsulates a rich culinary history deeply ingrained in the traditions of Greek villages. Although its precise origins are unrecorded, the name hints at a bygone era when villagers, toiling in the fields since dawn, drew sustenance from the abundant treasures around them. A freshly plucked tomato from the vine, wild oregano at their feet, olive oil stored in jars, homemade bread baked in wood-burning stoves by their wives, and feta crafted from the milk of their own sheep and goats would harmoniously come together. Shaded by olive trees, farmers would gather, relishing a simple yet nourishing midday snack to stay hydrated and invigorated. Even today, during olive harvest time, this remains the most common midday snack for farmers to enjoy.
An Organically Mindful Meal
The Greek Village Salad serves as a tangible link to historical agricultural practices, where communities harnessed the wealth of their lands to craft straightforward yet satisfying meals. Its composition naturally adapts to seasonal variations, incorporating the freshest produce available—ripe tomatoes, crisp cucumbers, peppers, onions, and an array of herbs. The salad is a testament to the resourcefulness of these communities, showcasing their ability to create organic, mindful dishes using what the land provided.
Only Extra Virgin Olive Oil Allowed!
It must be noted that a true Greek Village Salad requires only a heavy drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil as dressing. No other dressing is added—not even a single drop of vinegar. Just fine-quality olive oil. To do otherwise would be to distract from the essential flavor profile of the ensemble and to take away its Mediterranean quality.
Iconic Dish
Beyond its culinary aspects, this dish is a celebration of communal eating. Families and villagers would gather to share meals crafted from ingredients surrounding them, fostering a profound sense of unity and connection. At the heart of each meal was and still is the Greek Village Salad. Its cultural significance has elevated it to an iconic representation of Greek cuisine worldwide. Its popularity transcends cultural boundaries, and variations of the Greek Village Salad can be found today in restaurants globally.
PJ Kabos High-Phenolic Extra Virgin Olive Oil: Your Trusted Oil, Straight from Our Table to Yours.
Please enjoy having a look around our websites, pjkabos.com and oliveoil.com, as well as our Amazon Store for more about our many high-phenolic olive oils, recipes, etc. And follow along with us on Instagram for pretty photos and videos concerning olive oil production, our groves in Greece, family history and more.
