What Makes Greek Food in Bochum Special

Greek cuisine has plenty of history and tradition in Germany. That makes sense: Greece is a popular holiday country, and many visitors to the country on the Mediterranean pack a longing for Mediterranean dishes into their suitcases at the latest on the journey home.

But not all Greek food is the same: it is delicious, unique and varied, and that is of course true of more than just the Greek restaurants in Bochum. Greek cuisine is one of the Mediterranean cuisines and is popular for its subtle fare, from fresh salads to hearty dishes such as moussaka. When cooking in this style, you cannot get around fresh ingredients, incomparable aromas and plenty of healthy, digestible components.

Somehow everyone among us knows a Greek restaurant like the Yamas mezé restaurant & weinbar, which is close by, including the almost 370,000 people of Bochum. If you are looking for a breath of Greece, you will find numerous restaurants serving Greek food in many places across Westphalia without a long search.

The Ambience at a Greek Restaurant in Bochum on the Ruhr

You can also enjoy a Greek holiday, so to speak, in Bochum – simply step into one of the Greek taverns. The interplay of music, décor, language, service and the scent from the kitchen forms a feel-good oasis whose allure is hard to resist. The ambience should be cosy, with a slightly rustic touch. The decoration may look understated, but typically Greek elements such as blue-and-white tablecloths and olive oil lamps are of course never missing.

It is cosy at the Greek restaurants

The foundation of Greek cooking is olive oil, which is why many dishes have a slightly oily flavour. The second main ingredient is garlic. Greeks like it fresh and use it generously in almost every dish. Added to this are various herbs such as thyme, basil or oregano, which give the dishes distinctive nuances of flavour.

A lot of mint is used too, for example in the popular Greek salad or in tzatziki, the cucumber and yoghurt dip. Lemon juice gives many sauces and dips their finesse. For a holiday feeling above all, the Artemis Grill is our tip in the city.

Greek Lightness in North Rhine-Westphalia

Without herbs such as thyme, oregano, savory and mint, but also olive oil, garlic, lemon juice and tomatoes, Greek cuisine would be unthinkable.

Vegetables such as courgettes, spinach, beans and aubergines also play a significant part in Greek cooking. Garlic is not skimped on; Greeks love it fresh and use it generously in almost every dish.

The dishes also contain meat elements such as fish, lamb or chicken.

Meat is part of Greek food culture

Greek food is often served with flatbread for mopping up the sauces, and the Greek restaurants in the city, such as the Leonidas, are of course no exception. You will find outstanding Greek cooking at the Leonidas, for example. The finishing touch is the hospitality and humour of the Greeks.

The Regional Diversity of Greece

The urban and rural cooking of each Greek region is an important, if small, piece of Greece's rich culture. Many people know only a fairly small selection of standard dishes: tzatziki, baklava, stuffed vine leaves, peasant salad, moussaka – without suspecting that every corner of the country has its own specific specialities.

Macedonia, a region of Greece, resembles an orchard in its north. Plenty of fruits such as cherries, peaches and apricots grow here.

Wide vineyards alternate with broad purple fields of Kozani crocus. It is the red gold of the Greeks – the most expensive spice in the world, of the highest quality, is obtained from it.

Cooking by the Aegean Sea is influenced by fish and herbs. The Aegean islands are world-famous for their feta cheese, which is traditionally made from sheep's milk. On the islands of Santorini and Mykonos, lemon juice, olive oil and capers are usually served together with squid heads or fish.

Laconia lies in the south of the country. A festival is held every summer just for the aubergines grown there. The regional artichokes, however, would also deserve a celebration. Tomato sauces are seasoned with lemons here and meat is rounded off with oranges.

Greek Classics in Westphalia

There are some dishes in Greek cooking that are found in all regions of the country. A few examples are the typical Greek salad (choriatiki), various starters such as dolma (stuffed vine leaves) or fava (yellow split pea purée), and pies made mostly from vegetables.

A classic: Greek salad

Just as Spain has tapas and Turkey has meze, Greece has its counterpart: mezze. Warm beans in tomato sauce (gigantes plaki) or assorted olives, fried courgette or aubergine chips, spanakopita (spinach pie) and various dips such as tzatziki are just a few examples of a Greek mezze. Dolma belong here too, as described above.

Common types of meat for dishes are pork, fish, beef, lamb or chicken.

That keeps meat lovers satisfied. Greek specialities such as gyros (meat in flatbread, often topped with melted cheese), souvlaki (meat skewers) or keftedes (meatballs) are usually combined with Greek salad and often with chips.

Most Greek desserts are sweet and are often made with honey, nuts and fruit. Among the most popular Greek sweet treats are loukoumades (deep-fried dough balls in honey), baklava and galaktoboureko, a traditional semolina bake. A healthier option is Greek yoghurt with nuts and honey.

Greek coffee, or mocha, follows, always enjoyed strong, hot and without milk. Depending on taste, ouzo and raki are also drunk as a digestif, chilled with ice or with a little water added – purely for the essential oils, of course. As you can guess, Greek cooking is as varied as the different regions of the country. From the more subtle urban dishes of the city centres to the simple but nonetheless tasty dishes of the rural regions, there is something for everyone.

Your Vote for the Best Greek Restaurants in Bochum

Have you been tempted by Greece? Well, we cannot promise you the best flight, but we can strongly recommend our list of the best Greek restaurants in Bochum on the Ruhr.

You can give your favourite Greek restaurant a boost with a vote here, or find the best Greek nearby on a city break to Bochum. Enjoy your meal!