Ο Ronald Meinardus δημοσίευσε στις 30.9.2025 ένα αρθρο στο vima.com με θέμα την ελληνική κουζίνα και την επιρροή της στις ελληνογερμανικές σχέσεις.

The state of Greek gastronomy in Germany mirrors the broader course of bilateral relations: changeable, marked by highs and lows

“Love goes through the stomach,” runs a well-known German saying. What applies in private life can just as easily be extended to society at large – with significant economic, cultural, and even interstate implications. This report looks at Greek gastronomy and its remarkable contribution to strengthening relations between Greece and Germany.

That cuisine can serve as a vehicle for sympathy has long been recognized by the Greek National Tourism Organization (EOT). “Food plays an important role in Greek culture and is highlighted in EOT’s advertising as a key aspect of Greek tourism,” notes its Frankfurt office. A survey conducted in Germany last spring found that 66 percent of Germans hold a positive image of Greece. Asked about their associations, respondents listed sun, sea, and good weather first – followed immediately by Greek food. Dishes like souvlaki, tzatziki, and feta are familiar to nearly every child in Germany. For 53 percent of those surveyed, Greek cuisine is a decisive reason to spend their vacation in Greece.

Most of Germany’s Greece enthusiasts, however, spend only a few weeks a year in their country of longing. For the rest of the time, back home, Greek restaurants serve as the most important point of contact. According to the same survey, 58 percent of Germans cite Greek eateries as their strongest connection to Greece. “Naturally, Greek restaurants play a central role in shaping Germany’s image of Greece. A restaurant visit can, in the best case, feel like a mini-vacation,” says Andreas Höffken of the German Hotel and Restaurant Association (DEHOGA). He assigns Greek gastronomy in Germany a “national role.” Even without state funding and acting entirely on their own initiative, many Greek restaurateurs in Germany see themselves as part of a kind of “gastrodiplomacy” – a form of soft power designed to strengthen sympathy for Greece. The survey results suggest this strategy has borne fruit.

The state of Greek gastronomy in Germany mirrors the broader course of bilateral relations: changeable, marked by highs and lows. With no academic studies to rely on, one must turn to the testimonies of those involved. A particularly vivid account comes from the German-Greek journalist Alexandros Stefanidis in his book about his father, a successful restaurateur in Karlsruhe. Published in German in 2010 under the title Beim Griechen. Wie mein Vater in unserer Taverne Geschichte schrieb (“At the Greek. How My Father Made History in Our Taverna”), the 250-page book not only chronicles the virtues and failings of an ambitious father but also sheds light on the role of Greek restaurants in Germany.

“For Greek restaurants, the 1970s were a golden era,” Stefanidis writes. At the time, Greece was under military dictatorship while a broad solidarity movement was taking shape in Germany. “Eating Greek was not only a culinary pleasure but also a political statement.” By the 1990s, however, the euphoria for Hellenic cuisine in Germany had faded, with consequences for many Greek-run establishments: “The gyros plate with tzatziki and fries, once a classic, lost out to the American hamburger and the Turkish döner,” Stefanidis observes.

Today, Germany counts about 3,300 Greek restaurants out of a total of roughly 65,000 dining establishments nationwide. Turkish and increasingly Asian eateries have pushed Greek restaurants to the margins. Yet despite the competition, they remain popular.

Part of their enduring appeal lies in the perseverance of their owners. Many family-run businesses have been in operation for three or four decades, cultivating a loyal base of regulars. Often, the owner has become a local fixture, sitting late into the night with patrons over beer or ouzo, talking about everything from theology to politics. “We made our guests part of the family,” Stefanidis writes of a form of Greek hospitality that has left a lasting impression on many Germans.

“Over 80 percent of my customers are regulars,” says Ilias Illiadis, who since 2009 has run Lust auf Griechenland (“Craving Greece”) in Kaltenkirchen, a small town near Hamburg. “An 80-year-old comes here every day.” The town of 25,000 hosts four Greek restaurants; his is the youngest. Illiadis has built a second home in Germany. The walls of his restaurant display posters and memorabilia from a local soccer club. A passionate fan, like many of his guests, he makes no secret of his allegiance.

“We don’t serve food that is one hundred percent authentically Greek,” Illiadis concedes. German diners prefer less fat, but more sauces, explains the successful restaurateur. That Greek food tastes different in Germany than in Greece is confirmed by Dimos Tsakas, who runs a wholesale business in Mannheim importing products from Greece. Many Germans complain they cannot find “real Greek food” in the country, says Tsakas, who also coaches a soccer team in his free time. Unfortunately, he adds, most Greek restaurants are still owned by their original founders, who cling to outdated stereotypes.

But times are changing, and gastronomy is changing with them. That holds true, to some extent, for Greek cuisine in Germany, which is part of a 77-billion-euro market. Newer establishments project a different, more modern image of Greece. That shift ranges from stripped-down interiors – dispensing with kitschy statuettes of gods and obligatory murals of islands or temples – to updated menus. Their advertising borrows from current dietary trends. The Bremen restaurant Sparta, for instance, highlights the health benefits of the Mediterranean diet: “Based on fresh ingredients such as vegetables, olive oil, fish, legumes, and herbs, it is considered one of the world’s healthiest diets. In Germany, awareness of healthy eating is growing—and Greek cuisine meets exactly this need. It is light, rich in vitamins, and balanced.”

It is only a matter of time before the Greek restaurants of the first guest worker generation in Germany pass into history.

Dr. Ronald Meinardus is a senior research fellow at the Hellenic Foundation for European and Foreign Policy (ELIAMEP).

Culinary Bridges: Greek Cuisine as a Factor in German-Greek Relations