Part of being successful in international business, is learning about new cultures. One of the best ways to learn about a culture is to study its food. How much do you know about Greek food? Here is a great way to impress your business associates.

Much of what we think of as Greek food in this country would fall into the appetizer category. Some of these dishes are also found in Italian, Turkish, and Middle Eastern cuisines. All of these appetizers are full of flavor and an exciting start to any meal. For those unfamiliar with Greek cuisine; hummus is ground chickpeas and tahini sauce; tzatziki is Greek yogurt and cucumbers; dolmades are stuffed grape leaves; olive tapenade is puréed olives and spices; chickpea balls or falafel are fried balls of ground chickpeas and spices.

In Greece, soups are believed to have medicinal qualities. Like Mexican cuisine, Greek cuisine has a tripe soup called patsa, which is believed to cure a common cold or a hangover. Domatosoupa is a tomato-based soup with vegetables. Kotosoupa Avgolemono is a soup with eggs, rice, chicken, and vegetables. Salad making is with seasonal produce and almost always with tomatoes. A traditional Greek salad in this country consists of lettuce, tomato, onions, feta cheese, and olives. A Macedonian salad is eggplant, cabbage, peppers, carrots, and celery. Greek salads tend to be lightly dressed in lemon, spices, and olive oil.

The main meal for Greeks usually consists of lamb. You can find meat prepared in a variety of ways, from baked dishes combining several different meats, to entire lambs being roasted on a spit. Moussaka is ground lamb, eggplant, pasta, and a sauce, served in layers similar to lasagna. Lamb souvlaki is grilled lamb, marinated and served on a kabob. Chicken Athenian is a baked chicken breast stuffed with feta cheese, olives, and tomatoes. Spanakopita is a phyllo pastry shell filled with baked feta cheese. A gyro is lamb and beef ground together served in a pita.

Greek desserts are amazing. Loukoumades is a Greek honey dumpling. Halvas is a candy consisting of sugar, lemon, and sesame and Baklava is a phyllo-dough pastry with nuts, honey, and a lot of butter.

One company that can help you learn about the nuances of different cultures is Rapport International. Rapport International is a translation and interpretation company based in metro-west Boston, MA. Rapport can provide quality translation done by experienced translators in over 100 languages