Athens is the capital city of Greece and is also one of the world’s oldest cities. Being a popular tourist destination, it can get hard to find authentic Greek street food amidst all the pizza parlors and bars. In fact, there are 3 types of street food commonly found in Athens either early in the day or late at night.
The Koulouri
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The koulouri is a flat, round bread with sesame seed toppings that is eaten as part of breakfast. For some Greeks, the koulouri is breakfast. It should be eaten freshly cooked and hot. Some Greeks have said that the koulouri is the grandfather of the American-style bagel and now the modern koulouri is being fashioned like the bagel with different toppings. You can have feta cheese with the koulouri, chocolate dip, cream cheese, or plain butter. If you are enterprising enough, you might even come across some koulouri stuffed with olives.
Hot Dogs
Believe it or not but hot dogs are selling like … hot dogs in Athens in food trucks around the city. There are different types of hot dog food trucks or vromiko as they are called in Greece like a gourmet hot dog vromiko or one that offers other types of sausages with toppings.
Souvlaki
The souvlaki is skewered meat sold fresh grilled with a choice of pork, beef, or lamb. Some vendors also sell vegetable souvlakis. This is the epitome of health fast food in Greece and there are variations like the ones served on pita bread, with fried potatoes, or as a kebab sandwich. The best souvlaki would be determined by the sauce and sidings it is served with.
Food Carts in Athens
Some of the food carts in Athens sell chestnuts, corn, tea drinks, fresh fruits, and cheese pies. Most of the street foods in carts or trucks are cheap and healthy. Greeks do not particularly like greasy food or junk food except for pizza maybe.
A current controversial food item is the Greek yoghurt which is very popular as a snack, dessert, and as a weight loss food item.