Greece: Jelena Lee (Food in Thessaloniki)

November 25, 2025

A baking tray with parchment paper and large pieces of pumpkin with a core taken out. The pumpkin has been cooked and has score marks on it — Roasted pumpkin for orzotto and savory handpies

Greek food was one of the things I looked forward to most before beginning my program, and it’s been my goal to try everything I come across!! (Within reason and budget, of course). I’ve been coasting by thus far on mostly the food from the dining hall, but my Greek peers and the approaching end of my program have urged me to take a proactive approach in seeking out new foods. A few weeks ago, we had a cooking class organized by Perrotis in collaboration with their high school’s Gastronomy Club, and that was a real treat (literally and figuratively). Greek cuisine places a lot of emphasis on utilizing seasonal ingredients throughout the year, so our ‘menu’ featured pumpkin, carrots, and a fruit called quince for our entrée, side, and dessert.

Three students wearing aprons are bent over leafy plants. They are attempting to pick carrots close to the ground. — Harvesting the multi-colored carrots for ribbon salad

I’d never heard of quince prior to coming here, but it’s a very common fruit in Greece (or perhaps this region of Greece) and is something like a very stiff apple-pear. It’s so hard that you cannot eat it raw, so it is often either boiled or baked – we baked it – prior to serving and consumption. We briefly discussed the most common spices that can be found in Greek cooking, such as oregano, paprika, anise, all-spice, and cumin, and how the Greek palate has been influenced by trade and immigration.

A collection of food in to-go wrappers laying on the grass. The food looks like breading covering a mix of green vegetables on one wrapper and cinnamon covered bread on the other. — Fantastic local pastry bougatsa with spinach cheese or sweet cream

A group of students sit around a table all eating soup. The soup is pale yellow and has dark chunks. In the center of the table are vegetables — Patsas soup with sweet paprika oil

One of our recent lessons in Greek culture class was about food and one dish that our teacher mentioned was a beef tripe (stomach) soup known as ‘patsas’ at an old traditional restaurant that she used to go to with her father when she was younger. I went to try it that very night; I’m very familiar with tripe from my own cultural dishes, and I’ve reached the point in the semester where I’m aching for a taste of home. I went along with some local students, who also haven’t tried the soup since it is more traditional and not so hip with the kids typically, and indeed we were probably the only people in the restaurant under the age of fifty.

A tray of quince (which resemble pears) is being held by a student, while another hand sprinkles cinnamon and sugar over the top. Other students watch this happen. — Quartered quince being prepped for the oven with cinnamon and sugar

A photo of an ice cream cone with white gelato with red stripes. On top of the gelato is a round wafer cookie that reads "Bombolo" — Sour cherry yogurt and pistachio gelato from popular professor-recommended shop

However, it was so worth it because the soup was phenomenal. The soup also had beef foot tendon (another classic), and both the tendon and tripe were melt-in-your-mouth perfection. The seasonings weren’t Asian like my cultural dishes, of course, but absolutely delicious nonetheless and the texture and mouthfeel was just right. The restaurant is called Tsarouchas Restaurant in Thessaloniki, highly recommend a visit even if you don’t get the patsas specifically, all their other food was very impressive as well.

A photo of Jelena, a female student. Jelena is holding her phone in front of a mirror and taking a photo of herself with a closed mouth smile. She has dark brown wavy hair and is standing in front of a very old-fashioned room with a gold chandelier and a Victorian family painting in the background.

Jelena Lee

Hometown: Maplewood, Minnesota

Major: Microbiology; Nutritional Science

Program: Perrotis College

One goal that I hope to accomplish on the program is to experience and learn more about ‘the Mediterranean diet’ as a cultural history and dynamic art rather than the clinical prescription that it can sometimes be portrayed as here in the US.

One reason I chose this program is because I am a huge fan and appreciator of history, and Thessaloniki is home to many historical sites across many eras thanks to its cultural/political importance as a port city.