In December 2024, TasteAtlas, using nearly half a million ratings of over 15,000 dishes, has crowned GREECE the home of the world's best cuisine in 2024/25.  While Italy with its iconic pizza, pasta and deserts, might seem like the obvious choice, Greek cuisine, featuring dishes like kontosouvli, stifado, souvlaki, moussaka, dolmades, dakos and horiatiki salads took top spots.  Mexico, home to the world's most popular street food, tacos, came in third.  According to the ratings, Greek cuisine is most loved in the Netherlands, Germany, America and Spain.  The most popular Greek foods according to TasteAtlas included Pistachios from Aegina, recently voted the best pistachios in the world, Finiki Laconias, a high quality extra virgin olive oil and Kalamata olives, both from the southern Peloponnese region of Greece. 

The world-famous Mediterranean diet is not just delicious but several studies have shown its potential health benefits.  Following the Mediterranean diet could help prevent depression, groundbreaking research published in a scientific journal recently suggested.  Eating plenty of fruits, vegetables, nuts, plant-based foods and fresh fish, may decrease the risk of depression by approximately one-third, according to a recent study published in the journal Molecular Psychiatry.  Countless studies have also confirmed that the diet can lower the risk of cardiovascular disease, including a heart attack or stroke, and can combat diabetes.

The food catagories tested included meat products, cheese, salads, soup, pasta & noodle dishes, meat & poultry dishes, seafood & vegetable dishes, stews, breads, snacks/nuts, pastries, dumplings, sausages, sandwiches, dips/spreads, honey, olive oil, herbs & spices, fruits, cakes & biscuits, chocolate, liqueurs, wines, spirits and beers.  

These are the top 12 world cuisines for 2024/2025 (out of 100 world cuisines) according to TasteAtlas:

1 - Greek          2 - Italian          3 - Mexican         4 - Spanish      5 - Portuguese     6 - Turkish

7 - Indonesian   8 - French        9 - Japanese     10 - Chinese     11 - Polish           12 - Indian         'KALI OREXI'  -  Bon Appetit

In the '100 Best Food Regions of the World' category, the Peloponnese region of Greece came 2nd to Campania region of Italy.  The Cyclades islands region of Greece came in 5th and Crete was voted 6th, with the Macedonia region of Greece coming in 10th.

In the '100 Best Food Dishes of the World' category, two Greek dishes featured, the Païdakia lamb rib chops and the traditional Kleftiko slow-cooked lamb dish.  The Cretan Dakos salad and the Horiatiki village salad were voted in 1st and 2nd place in the 'Best Salads of the World' category.  The popular Pitta Gyros was voted in 1st place in '20 Best Wraps of the World'.  The classic Gemista (stuffed tomatoes and peppers) was voted in 1st place in the 'Best Vegetable Dish in the World' category. 

In December 2025, TasteAtlas again crowned ITALY the home of the world's best cuisine in 2025/26.  Italian cuisine reclaimed its crown as the world's top food culture for 2026, retaking first place from Greece last year.  After losing the top spot, Greek cuisine, as runner-up, continues to outperform its size on the world stage, both in rankings and its popularity across countries such as the Netherlands, Germany, Spain and the United States.

These are the top 12 world cuisines for 2025/2026 (out of 100 world cuisines) according to TasteAtlas:

1 - Italian        2 - Greek          3 - Peruvian         4 - Portuguese      5 - Spanish      6 - Japanese

7 - Turkish       8 - Chinese       9 - French          10 - Indonesian     11 - Mexican    12 - Serbian     'BUON APPETITO' - Bon Appetit  

In the '100 Best Food Regions of the World' category, five Greek regions stormed the top ten rankings, with Crete claiming an incredible 3rd place worldwide.  Macedonia came in 5th, Cyclades in 6th, Peloponnese in 8th and North Aegean in 10th position. 

In the '100 Best Food Dishes in the World' category, Paraguay's hearty soup-stew Vori-vori took first place, just ahead of the classic Neapolitan pizza, while Greek Kontosouvli, skewered marinated pork slowly cooked on a rotisserie, appears in sixth position and follows earlier recognition for Greek Païdakia, grilled lamb rib-chops, which came in twenty-fifth position.  The Cretan Dakos Salad retained its top spot in the '100 World's Best Salads' category, with the Greek Salad (horiatiki or village salad) in sixth position.

Greece's popular Pitta Gyros was again named winner of the 'Best Wraps in the World' category, taking the number one spot among hand-held food wraps from every corner of the globe. The traditional Greek street food is known for its tender slices of seasoned meat wrapped in warm pitta bread, topped with tomato, onion, fries and creamy tzatziki.

The Graviera Naxou cheese from Naxos won the 'Best Cheese in the World' category.  The classic Gemista (stuffed tomatoes and peppers) filled with rice, mint, dill, parsley, onion and mince, was ranked eighth in the 'Best Vegetable Dish in the World' category.  Although Italy dominated the '100 Best Pasta Dishes in the World' category, Greece's Giouvetsi and Pastitsio dishes were voted in seventh and twentieth position.

Greece's beloved Melomakarona claimed the top spot in the 'Best Cookies in the World' category of 100 global sweets, outshining international favourites and even their traditional Christmas rival, kourabiedes.

According to the 2026 TasteAtlas rankings, Greek apples are ranked as the best in the world, with Mila Zagoras Piliou (from Mount Pelion) taking the top spot.  These apples, along with Firiki Piliou and Mila Delicious Pilafa Tripoleos, are celebrated for their crispness, juiciness, flavour and aroma.