Greek food uses a lot of spices that originally came from various parts of the world. Spices like oregano, mint, garlic, thyme, basil and fennel seed are very popularly used. Some northern areas of Greece are also known to use spices like cinnamon and cloves in traditional dishes like stews and the ones made of meat. Today, Greek food is a mixture of recipes taken from both inside the country, as well as the outside. Internally, recipes and cooking methods vary a lot geographically and regionally, thus adding to the tale of ancient Greek food history.

The most basic ingredient of Greek food is olive oil. This explains the cultivation of olives in the country on such a huge scale. The other main ingredients are wheat, yogurt, honey, meat, vegetables, fruits, wine and fish. All these together, with some other ingredients and loads of spices make up for the vast variety that Greek cuisine has to offer. The origin of many of the Greek dishes goes back to the ancient times, to ancient Greeks. And to name a few, they are, lentil soup, skordalia, pasteli, etc. Many dishes of Greek food can be linked to Italy, France and as far as Persia and Arabia. A lot of dishes have Italian and French influence, like pastitsio, makaronia me kima, etc. This influence goes back to the times of the Roman invasion of Greece.