possessing one of the most ancient culinary traditions in the world, greece also has the honor of being the birthplace of the author of the first cookbook in history, archestratos - like other european nations the modern country known as greece is indeed a relatively recent creation.

in the ancient past the territory was occupied by several independent city-states and the modern country would only emerge after several changes suffered during the 19th century and the first half of the 20th.  

what this means is that not only does the greek cuisine has a long tradition in itself but it also absorbed important elements from all over the mediterranean, europe and the middle-eastern world.

in addition there are several different regional types of cuisine, their uniqueness enhanced by the troubled history of each region. but there are some common elements - the use of olive oil is among the most defining, which is also quite common in other mediterranean cuisines.