Greek fast food

In Greece – Local life

Will traditional Greek fast food retain its supremacy?

by Elena Leiterer

Nowadays, what we conventionally understand as fast food in almost every country are burgers, fries and sandwiches from American brands like Mcdonald’s. The American fast food chains have spread over European countries and dominate our perception of fast food.

However, when you arrive in Greece, you will have difficulty finding some of the branches you would typically go to to buy fast food. For example, there are only 28 Mcdonald’s stores all over Greece. Coming from Germany with 1,428 Mcdonald’s stores, it’s almost weird to walk through a city without seeing the “big M” for Mcdonald’s everywhere.

What do Greek people eat as fast food when they don’t visit the standard American chains?

To learn more about the local habits towards fast food, Marion Chalampalaki gave me her expertise on the topic. I met Marion while she was volunteering with some of my friends and she has lived in Thessaloniki since she was eighteen. When we discussed food before, she always mentioned how vital nutrition is to Greek people. By asking her about fast food, I realized that Greek fast food’s definition needs to be clarified.

When it comes to traditional fast food, Marion’s answer is simple: “Traditionally, we have souvlaki or gyros, with pita or without.” Here in Greece, traditional fast food is synonymous with “souvlaki “. Souvlakia includes gyro, kebab and others. However, it is most often meat of some sort served with fries or bread.

Souvlaki, in its simplest form, is sliced-up roast meat on a stick. This stick even gave the dish its name. What makes souvlaki unique is its ancient history. It dates back to ancient Greek and is known as “obelisks”. Aristophanes or Aristotle even mention “obelisks” in their work. Archaeologists even discovered stone barbecue holders for skewers.

This form of fast food survived till today. And there are a lot of shops or street stands serving the delicacy. Greeks preserve this old traditional fast food.

Is this local traditional Greek fast food the reason for the minor success of American fast food chains in Greece?

Marion points out two reasons for the circumstance: “Greek people tend to support local Greek business.” According to her, Greeks feel they must support local businesses. Another reason is the dominance of the brand “Goody’s” in Greece.

Marion explains: “They took what Mcdonalds and made it Greek.” Goody’s sells burgers and fries but has a customized menu with gyros and souvlaki to meet the taste of Greeks. The Greek chain has 166 stores all over the country and is the most popular fast food chain in contrast to other countries.

Moreover, the financial crisis played a role in the has resulted in decrease American fastfood consumption due to less spending power.

A regular gyro costs around 2 to 5 euros and is, therefore, cheaper than most food you can get in fast-food restaurants.

The same goes for cheese pies, pastries or “bougatsa”. Cheese pies especially enjoy significant popularity among the Greek population. “Greeks enjoy cheese pies or bougatsa in the morning and for lunch. We have a lot of pies that we eat. in different variations. They are cheap and filling”.

With so many options, American fast food has a different standing in Greece than it has in other countries. However, especially young people are open to new things. “Nowadays, for young people, it’s as popular to eat falafel as pizza or burger.”

Marion states. “If you ask younger people, they will tell you they have to choose what kind of fast food they want. Like American Burger, Pizza or Falafel. So we try a lot of things.”

The old and new generations have different understandings of fast food. “If you ask people about 40 what kind of fast food, they will tell you that Greek fast food is souvlaki and gyro.” Nonetheless, local, traditional shops will remain; the younger people have a more diverse choice.

In the end, I wanted to include a hilarious quote from Marion. “Sometimes we say when we go for gyros, we might eat dogs. You never know.” But that will not scare the Greeks away from going to their local small shops.

Sources

https://greekcitytimes.com/2020/01/15/mcdonalds-strugglesin-greece-but-will-open-new-stores/ https://greeklandscapes.com/food-in-greece/#Fast_and_Finger_Food_in_Greece

https://www.athensinsiders.com/blog/the-history-of-greek-souvlaki-a-national-treat

https://greekreporter.com/2020/10/06/the-ancient-roots-ofgreek-souvlaki-the-worlds-first-fast-food/

http://www.athensinfoguide.com/eatingfastfood.htm https://www.tornosnews.gr/en/tourism-businesses/gastronomy/46859-26th-mcdonald-s-restaurant-launched-in-greece.html