Products of Greece

Greece and the Greek Islands are worldwide known for the many tasty and lovely traditional products.
You can find those Greek products in the little markets, villages and beautiful islands of Greece.

Here is a list of some of the many local products of Greece that visitors can find, buy and bring back home.

Table of contents:
• Natural Products (olives, honey, wine, alcohol, vinegar and more)
• Manufactured Products (carpets, leather, handicrafts, jewelry)
• Products by location

All these quality products are used to make delicious Greek recipes.
At the bottom of the page, you will be able to discover products in many locations in Greece and the Greek islands.

Natural Products

Information about natural products of Greece like olives and olive oil, honey, wine, alcohol, vinegar, herbs, spices, nuts and sweets.

Olives & Olive Oil

The Greek olive and its virgin oil are considered as one of the best in the world. It is the basis of the Greek and Mediterranean diet.
It is a healthy product and medical research has proved that it is one of the reasons why the people of Crete and Ikaria live longer.
Olive and olive oil are produced all over Greece.

Honey

The production of honey is a Greek tradition that dates back to antiquity.
Greece, with its great variety of plants and flowers, produces different tastes of honey.
This product is considered one of the best in the world and the best honey can only be found in mountain villages.

Wine

Wine production and consumption is a Greek tradition since antiquity. Today, one can enjoy a great diversity of Greek wines: Red, White and Rosé, Sweet or Dry.
Greece also produces some famous kinds of wine like the Retsina, a white wine that has an accentuated resin taste, and the Mavrodafni, a dark red wine that is reminiscent of the Portuguese Porto Wine.
Discover a detailed gallery of Greek wines.

Alcohol

Ouzo is the most famous Greek alcoholic spirit of Greece and one of its trademarks.
It is a strong alcoholic beverage with the taste of anis which can be served straight or with water. It is accompanied by mezedes.
Tsipouro is similar to ouzo but has a stronger taste. Depending on the region, it is also called raki.
Some areas are also famous for the production of alcoholic beverages, which are usually the main local product that visitors sample and purchase as a souvenir. Typical examples are the mastiha (liqueur made from mastic) of Chios, the citron liqueur of Naxos and the kameni (roasted) raki of Amorgos.

Cheese

Greece is famous for its cheeses and not for nothing! The high-quality milk and the knowledge of the techniques result in the production of excellent cheeses for all palates. Apart from feta, which is one of the country's PDO products and the first thing that comes to mind when thinking about Greek cheese, some other delicious cheeses produced in Greece are metsovone, mizithra, anthotyro, graviera, formaella, kopanisti and kasseri.

Vinegar

Greece has a variety of tasty natural vinegar made from wine. Red wine vinegar has a stronger taste, which is why it is used extensively in cooking. On the other hand, white vinegar is more acidic, with many people using it as a natural cleaner for their household.

Herbs

Greece has a great variety of herbs and plants with many virtues: mountain tea, oregano, sage, chamomile, basil, mint and parsley.
Read more about teas and herbs.

Spices

Greece is also famous for the many spices used in the food: sesame (white sesame too), cumin, mahleb, and the valuable Krokos Kozanis (red saffron).

Nuts

Greece also produces a large variety of nuts: almonds, pistachios, raisins, sunflower seeds, melon seeds, hazelnuts, peanuts and more.
The most famous area of Greece cultivating the distinctive pistachio is Aegina.

Sweets

Greece has a large variety of sweets and most of them are the heritage of the Ottoman occupation. Many appertain to the siropiasta category, meaning that they have a thich sweet syrup poured all over them.
Some of the most renowned and palatable are the galaktoboureko (thin paste, cream, cinnamon, and syrup) and the kataifi (honey, nuts, thin crystallized layers of honey).
Two traditional Greek desserts that are also full of salutary ingredients are the halva (ground sesame seeds with flavors of honey, vanilla, chocolate) and the pasteli (a bar made of grilled sesame or nuts and honey).

Manufactured products

Information about manufactured products of Greece like carpets and rugs, leather, handicrafts and jewelry.

Carpets and rugs

Handmade carpets and rugs have been a part of the Greek tradition for centuries.
The actual main production areas of rugs lie around the town of Tripolis in the Peloponnese and the towns of Trikala and Karditsa in Thessaly.
Carpets are known since antiquity and one can even find allusions to them in Greek mythology.
The most important centers of hand-weaving are in Lefkada, Anogeia and Metsovo.

Leather

Leather is a specialty in Greece. Many leather items of all qualities are available for purchase across the country: shoes, clothes, sandals, handbags, gloves, hats and more.

Handicrafts

Many traditional handicrafts are sold in Greece: knotted carpets, embroidered cushion covers, woodwork such komboloi and much more.

Jewelry

Jewel is a Greek tradition dated to antiquity. Many jewelry shops, famous or not, offer a large variety of jewels: golden or silver jewelry or objects to reproductions of ancient jewelry and ornaments. Places like Santorini and Mykonos have specialized in the art of making jewels.

Discover the local products by location