Cyclades Islands : Amorgos, Andros, Folegandros, Ios, Kea, Kythnos, Milos, Mykonos, Naxos, Paros and Antiparos, Santorini, Sifnos, Serifos, Sikinos, Syros, Tinos

Northern Aegean Islands:
Chios, Ikaria, Limnos, Lesvos, Samos, Samothraki, Thassos

Ionian Islands:
Corfu (Kerkyra), Ithaki, Kefalonia, Kythera, Lefkada, Paxos, Zakynthos

Saronic Islands:
Aegina, Angistri, Poros, Hydra, Salamina, Spetsis

Sporades Islands:
Alonissos, Skiathos, Skopelos, Skyros

Dodecanese Islands:
Astypalia, Halki, Kalymnos, Karpathos, Kassos, Kastellorizo, Kos, Leros, Nisyros, Patmos, Rhodes, Symi, Tilos

Other Islands:
Crete, Evia, Cyprus

Greek Food, Drink, Cooking and Holidays

For the Greeks, olive oil is not just the primary oil used in cooking. Olive oil is tied to every folk and religious ritual surrounding the Greek culture. It is used to christian infants, and in embalming the deceased. To the Greek's, olive oil is a necessity of life. Most Greek families produce their own olive oil to consume, of which each person consumes about 40 pounds per year- or they buy olive oil from friends who have extra..

Greek food is quite simple, although it could not be considered bland or plain. The juice from the Greek olives is the principle ingredient in the majority of the Greek meals, which are typically eated with crunchy bread and cheese. Common dishes like the green bean, eggplant, potato or zucchini stew, are cooked in lemon or tomato sauce and are called ladera, which means "cooked in olive oil". Greek meals are tied to the season, with families making the most of what natural produce is available at each time of the year. While it is now possible to get all the vegetables all year round in Greece, most homes people won't make stuffed tomatoes, or an eggplant dip in the winter months, just because its unnatural.

Greek food follows the seasons, and the seasons are followed by religious holidays. Easter is Greece’s most important feast, and appears to have its roots in the pagan agricultural spring festivals of antiquity. Easter is celebrated in the open country, among fragrant herbs and spring flowers, the Easter table includes roasted lamb and wild green salads, raw artichokes and fresh fava beans. And, since no Easter would be complete without sweets, the Greek desserts include sweets made with the creamy fresh cheeses of the season. Many of Greece's traditional dishes are still closely related to religious holidays, although more recently, pizza and hamburgers, as well as gyro and “Greek Salad”, tend to be Greek food eaten year round.

Throughout history, the Greek's have been mostly vegetarian; partly due to the various rules of the Greek Orthodox Church, but mostly because of necessity. Conditions in Greece do not allow to pasture large herds of animals for meat, so meat is typically only eaten on Sundays, Easter, and Christmas. Many of the Greek recipes come in two versions- without meat,and one with meat. With its many islands, Greece actually has more boats per capita than cars. Unfortunately, even with such an abundance of waters and boats, fish and seafood has never being plentiful enough to become a staple for the people who live near the sea. The fish and seafood of the Aegean is considered exceptionally delicious, but scarce. Most of what the islanders manage to catch is sold to the big cities for the much needed income.

Many people believe that wine was first created in Greece, by accident, when grapes were left in a bowl out in the sun. The result was a weak wine. Greek wine is an important part of Greek history and culture. The ancient Greeks loved to entertain, and during the 5th century, one of the most popular ways to entertain was a male drinking party called a symposium! Women and children would have to leave the room while the men enjoyed rich foods, and drank Greek wine in excess. Usually, the men would lie on their sides on couches, and would reach over to low tables near by that contained their wine, and snacks- such as grapes and cheeses - a favorite being a yogurt made from sheep milk and honey.i Local cheeses such as graviera and myzithra are also popular, especially in crete.

Greek Tourist Board - Greek Government - UK Government info for Tourists