bíra

Beer, although the Greeks also have their own word for it, ζύθος (zýthos). Even so, they never drank much of it until the late 19th century (see below), but since then have made up for it.

Everywhere you'll find Amstelm Heineken (for the latter, just ask for mía prássini (μια πράσινη) 'a green one'), and Alfa (created in 1961, and now owned by Heineken), along with Mythos, a lager made in Thessaloníki, the first 'Greek' beer since the demise of old stalwart Fix, although this has been revived as a subsidiary of Carlsberg.

The recent change in antiquated beer purity laws opened the doors to craft breweries, and now over 70 operate across Greece. Every city and many islands have at least one, and of course the beer always tastes better if it's local. Vergina, made since 1998 in Komotiní in Thrace deserves a special mention because it's entirely Greek owned; their local malt suppliers now supply dozens of other small breweries around Greece and beyond.