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is, however, one of the powerhouses of European basketball, and the sport is enjoying a new golden age. It first gained popularity after the Greek team won the European Championship in 1987, for a while overtaking football as business tycoons bought the big clubs and paid big money for broadcast rights. Panathinaikos, Olympiakos and AEK also dominate Greek basketball. Panathinaikos won its fifth Euroleague title in 2009, while Olympiakos, AEK, Aris and PAOK have also won European titles. The future bodes well for Greek basketball following recent European wins by Greek under-20 teams.

Greece’s interest in other sports was boosted during the Athens Olympics, where Greek athletes won a record 16 Olympic medals. The Greek medal tally at Beijing was a quarter of that, and the Games were marred by a doping scandal that saw most of the weightlifting team and several other athletes suspended (forcing Greece to introduce tougher antidoping legislation).

Since 2004, some of Athens’ world-class Olympic sports stadiums have attracted international sporting events and track meetings, but most are still awaiting their new fate and many are being turned into entertainment complexes.

The second Athens Open in tennis was held in 2009, while the XVII Mediterranean Games are to be held in 2013 in Volos and Larisa.

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Food & Drink

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THE GREEK KITCHEN

DINING OUT

REGIONAL SPECIALITIES

VEGETARIANS & VEGANS

FEASTS & CELEBRATIONS

HABITS & CUSTOMS

EATING WITH KIDS

COOKING COURSES

DRINKS

EAT YOUR WORDS

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Greek cuisine has been experiencing a welcome renaissance, with renewed interest in traditional cooking, and an emphasis on Greece’s diverse regional cuisine and produce – the sort of food few people seem to cook at home any more. This is great for travellers, who have long suspected that the food served in the average tourist taverna bore little resemblance to that served at the kitchen table – and certainly didn’t do the cuisine justice.

One of delights of travelling around Greece has always been exploring regional variations and specialities and discovering there’s so much more to Greek cuisine than mousakas Click here and charcoal-grilled meat and seafood (which admittedly Greeks do exceptionally well).

Steeped in ritual, Greece’s culinary tradition incorporates mountain village food, island cuisine, exotic flavours introduced by Greeks from Asia Minor, and influences from various invaders and historical trading partners. Rustic Greek cooking reflects the bounty of the land, its diverse topography and the resourcefulness that comes from subsistence living during hard times. Greeks are good at making a delicious meal out of fresh, simple ingredients, while virgin olive oil is key to making many vegetable dishes and legumes taste so good.

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The Glorious Foods of Greece by Diane Kochilas is a must for any serious cook; an insightful regional exploration, laced with history, personal anecdotes and glorious recipes.

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Greeks are sticklers for fresh produce, often travelling great distances to dine on the day’s catch in remote fishing villages or eat in village tavernas, where the meat is local and the vegetables came from the owner’s garden. They still prefer shopping for seasonal produce at weekly farmers street markets than supermarkets.

The new generation of Greek chefs is experimenting with contemporary Greek cuisine based on traditional recipes and regional gourmet delights. Overall, Greece’s dining scene has become increasingly diverse, with more international style and ethnic cuisine in Athens, the bigger islands and larger towns.

Whether it’s dining alfresco at a rickety table by the sea, enjoying fine wine and modern Greek cuisine in style in Athens or eating boiled goat in a mountain village, dining out in Greece is never just about what you eat, but the whole sensory experience.

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THE GREEK KITCHEN

The essence of traditional Greek cuisine lies in its fresh, seasonal local produce and generally simple, unfussy