# What is a "Greek Salad" to you? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 25, 2010, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-greek-salad-to-you/558232 "2010-10-25T01:11:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![romansperson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/romansperson/32/17100_2.png) [@romansperson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/romansperson)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2010, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-greek-salad-to-you/558232/41 "2010-10-26T20:24:12Z")
I’ll take anchovies with mine, too, please. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![wolf-alice](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/9e8a1a/32.png) [@wolf-alice](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolf-alice)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2010, 9:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-greek-salad-to-you/558232/42 "2010-10-27T09:16:28Z")
I had a Greek salad for my tea last night, in a restaurant but not a specifically Greek one. It had cubed feta, Kalamata olives, rocket, deseeded cucumber, thinly sliced orange peppers, small tomatoes cut in eighths and a bit of red onion and shredded carrot, and it was dressed with balsamic reduction. We aren’t _quite_ up to speed on salads in the UK yet, especially in the Grim North, so frankly I’m happy with anything that doesn’t contain Heinz Salad Cream, powdery boiled egg and a wedge of bad ham. And coal dust. And whippets. And broken dreams. I’d be confused if it didn’t come with olives and feta, though not necessarily surprised, and anything from edibility onwards would be a bonus. ---
**Author:** ![MikeG](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mikeg/32/4329_2.png) [@MikeG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MikeG)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2010, 1:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-greek-salad-to-you/558232/43 "2010-10-27T13:24:16Z")
[quote=“appleciders, post:33, topic:558232”] I’m in the Midwest. Asking for “horiatiki” will cause confusion 😉 Pulykamell and I are both from the Midwest as well. Asking for horiatik around herei shouldn’t confuse someone at a Greek restaurant. If you are at an American restaurant asking for an authentic Greek salad, well, good luck. ---
**Author:** ![appleciders](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85f322/32.png) [@appleciders](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/appleciders)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2010, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-greek-salad-to-you/558232/44 "2010-10-27T20:31:42Z")
That’s the usual case; we’re not in big cities and I’m not at Greek restaurants run by actual Greeks. ---
**Author:** ![cardinal\_fang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cardinal_fang/32/15316_2.png) [@cardinal\_fang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cardinal_fang)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2010, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-greek-salad-to-you/558232/45 "2010-10-28T02:07:08Z")
> [@wolf-alice](#): > > We aren’t _quite_ up to speed on salads in the UK yet, especially in the Grim North, so frankly I’m happy with anything that doesn’t contain Heinz Salad Cream, powdery boiled egg and a wedge of bad ham. And coal dust. And whippets. And broken dreams. I’d be confused if it didn’t come with olives and feta, though not necessarily surprised, and anything from edibility onwards would be a bonus. After reading this post and ruining a keyboard with high-velocity, nose-launched coffee, I came back hours later and read it again with the same result. ---
**Author:** ![GameHat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ed655f/32.png) [@GameHat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GameHat)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2010, 3:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-greek-salad-to-you/558232/46 "2010-10-28T03:00:42Z")
feta, kalamata olives, vinegar. _oh!_ anchovies are a plus, but there are only a few places around here that will do that ---
**Author:** ![devilsknew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4da419/32.png) [@devilsknew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/devilsknew)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2010, 3:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-greek-salad-to-you/558232/47 "2010-10-28T03:43:51Z")
[quote=“MikeG, post:43, topic:558232”] > [@appleciders](#): > > I’m in the Midwest. Asking for “horiatiki” will cause confusion 😉 > > Pulykamell and I are both from the Midwest as well. Asking for horiatik around herei shouldn’t confuse someone at a Greek restaurant. If you are at an American restaurant asking for an authentic Greek salad, well, good luck. The First (American) Greek Salad I ever had was at Toledo Coney Island back in the eighties (maybe '70’s). That consisted of cold shredded iceberg lettuce, tomato wedges, onion slices/rings, green peppers (maybe?), Pickled Pepperoncini peppers, feta cheese crumbled, and 3-4 Kalamata olives (the first time I had ever had Kalamata olives) with a unique and biting/acidic, well combined/incorporated till semi creamy vinaigrette. And every Coney Island style Greek Diner I have been to locally and nationally seems to do them similarly if not exactly the same for all intents and purposes.The only difference generally seems to be their Greek Dressing/Vinaigrette recipe, although these are all generally some combination of lemon/vinegar, Olive Oil, and oregano. Some seem to be a bit sweeter/creamier/ less creamy than others depending on their secret recipe I’m not sure of the origin of the classic American style Greek Salad with lettuce but it seems like Coney Islands could be a possible originator. ---
**Author:** ![devilsknew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4da419/32.png) [@devilsknew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/devilsknew)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2010, 4:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-greek-salad-to-you/558232/48 "2010-10-28T04:01:51Z")
Lessee, that Coney Island salad probably had some cucumber slices, too. And I should stipulate that this was before commercial “precrumbled” feta and the feta was a generous amount and much higher quality than what you seem to get these days. And the pepperoncini were always whole pepperoncini with the stem… never sliced or pre-minced, Really, when you get right down to brass tacks all the Greek salad seems to be is a classic American garden salad/side salad of lettuce, tomato, onions, cucumbers and green peppers with a garnish of feta, kalamata olives, and pepperoncini served with a greek vinaigrette. Franken-greek salad. ---
**Author:** ![filling\_pages](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b9bd4f/32.png) [@filling\_pages](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/filling_pages)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2010, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-greek-salad-to-you/558232/49 "2010-10-29T18:58:02Z")
> [@devilsknew](#): > > Down in the Palmetto Flat, river, and jungle of Florida they serve a Greek Salad like I have never seen. They place a big old scoop of sweet mustard tater salad in a salad plate and build a classic American “Greek Salad” around it. It’s pretty damn good. Yep, I grew up with Tarpon Springs style Greek salads, and that includes a base of potato salad. Doesn’t seem right without it. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-greek-salad-to-you/558232.md?page=2)