Greek Salad – “Horatiki”

The Horiatiki salad, or Greek Salad as it is known worldwide, means country or village salad, following the meaning of the word “horiatiki” in Greek. One important thing we need to point out right away is that what is known as the Greek salad elsewhere is not exactly what you would be served in Greece. Horiatiki salad doesn’t contain lettuce in its original form and vinegar is optional.

The real Greek salad is made of sliced tomatoes, sliced cucumber, chopped red onion, crumbled feta cheese, a handful of Kalamata (black) olives, and it’s seasoned with salt, oregano and a lot of Greek olive oil. In some Greek islands, capers are also added to the salad.

Ingredients:
3 medium tomatoes sliced or chopped into a bite-size pieces
1 -2 small cucumbers, peeled or not, but sliced into thick half-rounds
1 small red onion, sliced into thin slivers
20 Kalamata (black) olives (or as many as you want)
200 -300 gr. of feta cheese at least, crumbled
Salt
1/3 cup of Greek extra virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons of dried oregano
Optional – 1 tablespoon of capers and/or Vinegar

Preparation
Wash the tomatoes and cucumbers and let them dry. Then cut and slice the tomatoes, onions and cucumbers, and place them in a large bowl. Add olives and crumbled feta cheese (and capers if using). Now sprinkle with salt and olive oil. Add oregano and toss gently. The salad is ready to be served. Horiatiki salad goes with many dishes, but it can be a dish in itself as it contains a healthy and tasty combination of ingredients.