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Translated as chicken with rice, this simple Greek dish employs two simple ingredients and transforms them into a true comfort dish. It can be prepared stove top, as a one pot dish, but it is also commonly assembled as baked pilaf. Kotopoulo can employ various chicken cuts, vegetables, and different seasoning, but the essential ingredients are grated lemon zest and lemon juice that give the dish its characteristic taste.
This Greek classic is a common home cooked meal and is mainly enjoyed as the main course.
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Fylla or phylla, meaning leaves in Greek, is the Kalymnian take on the Greek dolmades or Turkish dolmas, which are a type of stuffed vine-leaf rolls. The filling usually consists of a combination of ground beef and pork, rice, onions, tomatoes, salt, and pepper, but some versions are made without meat.
Once stuffed, the rolls are typically arranged in a large pot over a layer of vine leaves and tomato slices, covered with water or stock and lemon juice, then cooked until tender and fragrant. This traditional dish is usually enjoyed with a dollop of Greek yogurt on top, and it is often prepared on Sundays.
Greek-style stuffed zucchini flowers are typically filled with a combination of rice, vegetables and various spices and herbs. If prepared with a rice stuffing, the blossoms are usually slowly baked in the oven, and if stuffed with other ingredients, they can also be baked or dipped in batter and shortly fried.
They are best served accompanied by a spoonful of yogurt on the side. A similar dish is also found in Turkish cuisine, where it goes under the name kabak çiçeği dolması.
MOST ICONIC Kolokythoanthoi
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Dolma is Türkiye's national dish, and it signifies any sort of vegetable stuffed with a mixture based on rice. For traditional dolma, grape leaves are stuffed with rice and ground meat. Stuffed leaves were first made at the court of King Khusrow II in the early 7th century.
The popularity of dolma spread throughout the Muslim world, so there are numerous variations of the dish. Dolma is divided into two groups: dolma without meat and dolma with olive oil. Those without meat and cooked with olive oil are called yalanci, meaning imitation.
VARIATIONS OF Dolmades
MOST ICONIC Dolmades
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In its simplest form, spanakorizo consists of rice and spinach that are slowly simmered until creamy and well combined. The dish is usually generously seasoned with lemon juice and olive oil and is easily adapted with additional ingredients such as spring onions, chickpeas, leeks, and a variety of herbs and spices.
It is traditionally prepared during Lent but is commonly enjoyed all year round as a healthy main course, when it is typically accompanied by feta, or as an accompaniment to various meat or seafood dishes.
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This complex Greek dish couples rice and various types of meat such as goat, lamb, veal, chicken, and occasionally pork. The meat is cooked separately, while the broth is later used to cook the rice, which is additionally flavored with lemon juice and generous amounts of butter.
When served, sliced meat is typically placed neatly on top of the rice, and the dish is usually accompanied by lemon wedges. Gamopilafo is also known as wedding rice, referring to the fact that the dish was only prepared and enjoyed on special occasions.
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In its simplest form, this common Greek dish combines leeks and rice that are sautéed and then simmered until thoroughly cooked. The dish is easily elevated with various vegetables, fresh herbs, or lemon juice, but it usually does not incorporate meat or dairy products.
Prasorizo is typically enjoyed as the main course and can be accompanied by feta cheese on the side.
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This simple Greek dish consists of a flavorful combination of rice and cabbage, which is sautéed until tender alongside bell peppers, onions, and fresh herbs. The dish belongs to a wide group of Greek vegetarian dishes, traditionally enjoyed during fasting.
It is mainly consumed as a main course and is best paired with a drizzle of lemon juice, feta cheese, and bread.
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Midi po burgaski is a popular mussels and rice dish from the Burgas Province in Bulgaria, known for its rich marine life. This dish is typically made with Black Sea mussels, rice, white wine, vegetables, and various herbs. The mussels are cooked until their shells open and fill with rice.
Mussels are served on a large plate and drizzled with lemon juice.
Qifqi is a traditional dish originating from Gjirokastra. These rice balls are usually made with a combination of rice, eggs, dried mint, olive oil, salt, and black pepper. Cooked rice is mixed with beaten eggs, dried mint, salt, and black pepper.
The mixture is divided into small balls that are fried in olive oil in a specially customized socket-bottomed frying pan. Once golden, the rice balls are usually accompanied by a green salad or ajvar relish on the side, and paired with a glass of dhallà, a drink based on yogurt, salt, and water.
MOST ICONIC Qifqi
TasteAtlas food rankings are based on the ratings of the TasteAtlas audience, with a series of mechanisms that recognize real users and that ignore bot, nationalist or local patriotic ratings, and give additional value to the ratings of users that the system recognizes as knowledgeable. For the “Top 11 Southeastern European Rice Dishes” list until February 13, 2025, 1,198 ratings were recorded, of which 684 were recognized by the system as legitimate. TasteAtlas Rankings should not be seen as the final global conclusion about food. Their purpose is to promote excellent local foods, instill pride in traditional dishes, and arouse curiosity about dishes you haven’t tried.