📍 Where this dish comes from: Delphi · Temple of Apollo, Delphi (Mount Parnassus)
Discover the history of this region →
Discover the history of this region →
The real horiatiki — the original village salad — contains no lettuce. It is a bowl of ripe tomatoes, thick cucumber slices, Kalamata olives, green pepper, red onion, and a slab of feta the size of your fist, dressed with nothing but excellent olive oil and dried oregano. It is one of the purest expressions of Greek food philosophy: let perfect ingredients speak for themselves.
What You’ll Need
Servings: 4 servings
Calories: 295kcal
Ingredients
- 4 large ripe tomatoes cut into irregular chunks
- 1 large English cucumber halved and sliced thickly
- 1/2 green bell pepper thinly sliced
- 1/2 small red onion thinly sliced
- 1/2 cup Kalamata olives pitted
- 8 oz block feta cheese sliced or left whole on top
- 4 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil (the best you can afford)
- 1 tsp dried Greek oregano
- Sea salt and cracked black pepper
Instructions
- Arrange tomatoes, cucumber, bell pepper, and red onion in a large bowl or platter.
- Scatter Kalamata olives throughout.
- Place feta on top — either as a slab in the center or broken into large pieces.
- Drizzle generously with olive oil, sprinkle dried oregano, and season with salt and pepper.
- Do not toss — let people mix it themselves at the table. This is tradition.
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 295kcal | Protein: 10g | Fat: 24g | Fiber: 2.5g
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Health Benefits
- Tomatoes are one of the richest food sources of lycopene, which becomes more bioavailable when paired with fat — meaning olive oil dramatically increases your uptake of this cancer-fighting antioxidant.
- Kalamata olives deliver heart-healthy monounsaturated fats and hydroxytyrosol, one of the most potent polyphenol antioxidants known.
- Feta provides calcium, probiotics, and CLA.