Introduction
Greek salad is chunks of tomato, cucumber, pepper and onion with olives and a thick slice of feta, dressed with olive oil and oregano. It has no lettuce. Made with summer tomatoes and good feta, it is a whole lunch with bread, or a side for anything grilled.
In Greece it is called horiatiki, “village salad”. It became a fixture of tavernas in the 1960s and 1970s, as tourism grew, and from there it went around the world. In Greece the feta goes on top in one piece, and everyone breaks off their share.
Ingredients
- 4 ripe tomatoes, cut into wedges
- 1 cucumber, halved lengthways and cut into thick slices
- 1 green pepper, cut into rings
- 1 small red onion, thinly sliced
- a handful of Kalamata olives
- 200 g feta, in one block
- 5 tablespoons good olive oil
- 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar (optional)
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- salt
Tools
- A wide salad bowl or platter
Preparation
- Put the tomatoes, cucumber, pepper and onion in the bowl. Season with a little salt; the feta and olives are salty too.
- Add the olives and the vinegar, if using.
- Lay the block of feta on top and sprinkle the oregano over it.
- Pour the olive oil over everything and serve at once, with bread to wipe up the juices.