Somewhere between piling sliced cucumbers and tomatoes into an empty bowl and sprinkling crumbled feta over the finished product, an unknown alchemy occurs that transforms this bowlful of raw veggies into a meal so powerful, it hardly needs a name: Greek Salad. (Its Greek name, horiatiki salata, isn’t much more creative; it roughly translates to “village salad.”) Simplicity is this dish’s greatest strength, and its limited ingredient list allows you to savor each vegetable in a way we are so rarely invited to appreciate produce. Olive oil, spices, and cheese bring it all together at the end, as only those three powerhouses can. The final result is a crunchy and satisfying meal that you don’t need an oven, stove, microwave, or any sort of heat source to prepare. Why would you even bother learning a second salad recipe?
