Greek village salad with feta (Horiatiki)

About this recipe

Horiatiki is a traditional Greek village salad made from ripe tomatoes, cucumber, green pepper, red onion, olives and feta. It is different from many international Greek-style salads because it needs no bed of lettuce or creamy premixed dressing. Large pieces of fresh vegetables are placed in a broad bowl so the juices from the tomatoes remain part of the final dish. The tomatoes receive a small quantity of salt first, allowing their juice to mix naturally with extra-virgin olive oil. Kalamata olives add a savoury, briny note, and a substantial piece of feta is laid across the vegetables rather than blended into them. In this revision, the amount of olives is increased slightly for four generous servings, while the other ingredient quantities remain unchanged. Dried Greek oregano provides the final aromatic accent. Serve the salad as a starter or shared side immediately after assembly. The brine in feta and olives already contributes salt, so the overall seasoning remains restrained.