dakos
{{Short description|Greek cuisine starter}}
{{use dmy dates|date=June 2025}}
{{for|people named Dakos|Dakos (surname)}}
{{Infobox prepared food
| name = Dakos
| image = Koukouvagia.jpg
| caption =
| alternate_name = Koukouvagia, Kouloukopsomo
| country = Greece
| region =
| course =
| type = Salad
| served =
| main_ingredient = Dried bread or barley rusk, tomatoes, feta or mizithra cheese, oregano, herbs, olives
| variations =
| calories =
| other =
}}
Dakos or ntakos ({{langx|el|ντάκος}}), also known as koukouvagia or koukouvayia (κουκουβάγια) or kouloukopsomo, is a Cretan horiatiki consisting of a slice of soaked paximadi that is topped with tomatoes and cheeses such as feta or mizithra. The salad is then flavored with herbs such as dried oregano. Ingredients such as Olives, capers, and caper berries are also often added to the dish.
The salad itself has been likened to other dishes such as panzanella and pa amb tomàquet. It was ranked as the best salad in the world by TasteAtlas.
Description
Dakos, also spelled as ntakos,{{cite web|work=Greek City Times |title=Dakos: The Number One Greek Salad in the World |date=10 May 2024 |url=https://greekcitytimes.com/2024/05/10/dakos-the-number-one-greek-salad-in-the-world/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240624031955/https://greekcitytimes.com/2024/05/10/dakos-the-number-one-greek-salad-in-the-world/ |archive-date=24 June 2024 |access-date=25 June 2025 |url-status=live }} and also known as koukouvagia or kokouvayia (κουκουβάγια, {{lit|owl}}), and kouloukopsomo (from koulouki + psomi, pup + bread, allegedly the bread given to puppies under a table),{{cite web|url=https://www.thenationalherald.com/flavorful-cretan-dishes-to-enjoy/ |work=The National Herald |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240617045912/https://www.thenationalherald.com/flavorful-cretan-dishes-to-enjoy/ |archive-date=17 June 2024 |title=Flavorful Cretan Dishes to Enjoy |last=Sakellis |first=Eleni |date=1 June 2024 |access-date=25 June 2025 |url-status=live}} is a Cretan horiatiki (Greek salad).{{sfn|Roussos|Labridis|2024|p=36}} It consists of a slice of paximadi, a certain type of barley rusk that has been soaked in either water or olive oil, which is then topped with chopped tomatoes and crumbled feta{{cite web|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/healthy-mediterranean-lifestyle-united-kingdom-home-b2586449.html |work=The Independent |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240730114549/https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/healthy-mediterranean-lifestyle-united-kingdom-home-b2586449.html |archive-date=30 July 2024 |title=How to embrace a healthy Mediterranean lifestyle – anywhere |date=29 July 2024 |url-status=live |access-date=25 June 2025 |last1=Cardani |first1=Adele }} or mizithra cheese, and olive oil.{{sfn|Roussos|Labridis|2024|p=36}} The rusk itself would often have garlic rubbed on it and sea salt.
The salad is then seasoned with herbs such as dried oregano. Among other ingredients, peppers, olives (often the Koroneiki, Lianes, and Tsounates varieties), capers, and caper berries are often ingredients to the salad.
Other
The salad has been likened to being similar with other dishes such as the Catalan pa amb tomàquet, the Italian frisella,{{sfn|Davidson|2014|p=583}} and Italian panzanella.{{cite news | title=Dakos Salad | newspaper=The Washington Post | date=17 April 2013 | url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/recipes/dakos-salad/13335/ | archive-url=https://archive.today/20221002063202/https://www.washingtonpost.com/recipes/dakos-salad/13335/ | archive-date=2 October 2022 | url-status=live }} It was reported to be the best salad in the world in 2025 by TasteAtlas, a food guide.
References
=Citations=
{{reflist}}
=Bibliography=
{{refbegin}}
- {{cite book|first1=Alan|last1=Davidson|title=The Oxford Companion to Food|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bIIeBQAAQBAJ&pg=PA583|publisher=OUP Oxford|date=21 August 2014|isbn=9780191040726|via=Google Books}}
- {{cite book|first1=Nikos |last1=Roussos |last2=Labridis |first2=Andreas |date=2024 |title=OPSO: A Modern Greek Cookbook |publisher=Ebury |isbn=9781529944143 }}
{{refend}}
{{Cuisine of Greece}}