Horta

Greek horta made with cooked leafy greens, olive oil and lemon.

Horta is the Greek name for edible leafy greens, especially wild or cultivated greens that are boiled until tender and served simply with olive oil, lemon and salt. The exact mixture changes with the region and season.

What counts as horta?

  • Horta may include dandelion greens, chicory, chard, mustard greens, amaranth greens and other locally available greens.
  • The word describes the category and preparation rather than one single plant or fixed recipe.

Preparation and safety

Trim damaged leaves and tough stems, then wash the greens in several changes of cold water until no grit remains. Boil in salted water until tender, drain well and dress while warm. Never eat a foraged plant unless it has been positively identified by a qualified local expert; cultivated greens are the safer choice when identification is uncertain.

Horta

Across Greece, people have long gathered seasonal greens for horta. The mixture varies by place and season and may include dandelion, chicory, chard, mustard greens, fennel fronds, wild leeks and other edible leaves.
Also eaten as horta are the fresh leaves of the caper plant. Unlike the capers of Spain, southern France and Turkey, Greek capers are almost always taken from the wild. In spring and summer they grow all over Greece, but are especially abundant in Crete. There you can see mounds of caper buds (they do eat more than just the leaves) drying on the rooftops of houses. While most Greek caper buds are pickled, a few, from Santorini, are prepared using a different method. These are sun-dried to pebble-size and then rehydrated when needed for cooking.