Recent ratings compiled by TasteAtlas has placed Greek cuisine in third place in its list of “100 Best Cuisines in the World” for 2023-2024. 

TasteAtlas, the premier online guide for traditional culinary experiences, based its rankings on an extensive dataset, including 395,205 individual dish ratings (with 271,819 deemed valid) and 115,660 food product ratings (80,863 valid).

The TasteAtlas team meticulously gathered authentic recipes, food critic reviews, and research articles detailing the most popular ingredients and dishes from around the world. By extracting the top 50 food items for each national cuisine and assessing their average ratings, the best-rated cuisines were determined.

Italy and Japan both boasted identical average ratings, yet Italy clinched the top spot once more this year due to its superior rating for its most iconic dish—pizza. Following closely behind is Greek cuisine, securing third place, with Portuguese and Chinese cuisines rounding out the top five.

Celebrating Culinary Excellence

Out of a catalogue of 10,927 dishes, the Brazilian delicacy “Picanha” topped TasteAtlas’ list of the world’s 100 Best Dishes. Made of fresh cut (sirloin) beef, the name Picanha derives from the word “picana,” referring to the ranchers’ pole used for herding cattle. 

In second place, the Malaysian pan-fried flatbread “Roti canai” is wildly popular for its simplicity and versatility, often accompanying curries and/or filled with sweet or savory ingredients. The Thai classic “Phat Kaphrao” ranked third in the list. This hearty stir-fry dish, which combines minced meat or seafood with a mix of other ingredients, is especially popular among the many tourists that visit Thailand.

Among the Greek offerings on the list, the legendary “Dakos” from Crete ranks 17th overall, claiming the top spot for the world’s favorite salad. Described as a traditional Cretan delight, dakos features a dry barley rusk adorned with crumbled myzithra cheese, ripe tomatoes, olives, capers, fresh oregano, and “a few generous splashes of high-quality olive oil,” according to the TasteAtlas website. 

Other Greek delights in the Top 100 include “Païdakia” (lamb chops), in 26th place, followed by “Giouvetsi,” a Greek-stye casserole made with pasta and tomato-braised meat” (64th), and “Gyros,” the iconic street food, in 69th place. 

“Kokoretsi” (79th), the lamb dish “Kleftiko” (90th), named after the mountain rebels of the Greek Revolution, and “Souvlaki” (95th), Greece best-loved fast food, all earned well-deserved places on the list.

Health Benefits 

Beyond its delectable flavors, Greek cuisine is renowned for its numerous health benefits. Loaded with fresh fruits and vegetables, and topped up with whole grains, nuts, and legumes, nutritionists and food experts agree that a predominantly plant-based eating regime, with the occasional serving of animal protein (dairy, eggs, fish, and organic meat), is far better and healthier than a diet that is focused on meat and heavily processed food. Furthermore, studies have shown that olive oil – the not-so-secret ingredient of Greek/Mediterranean cooking – can do just about everything from reducing blood pressure and “bad” cholesterol, to fighting cancer.

A 2018 study on the benefits of Mediterranean cuisine on mental health, published in the Nature journal of Molecular Psychiatry, discovered that a diet of fruits, vegetables, nuts, plant-based foods, and fish may reduce the risk of depression by approximately one-third, contrasting with diets high in saturated fats, sugar, and processed foods, which correlate with an increased risk.