Do I need to boil the lentils first for Greek fakes?

Yes. Boil the small brown lentils for 5 minutes, then drain them before starting the soup with fresh water. This first boil softens the harsher edge of the lentils and gives Thessaloniki fakes a cleaner, brothier taste.

Can I use red lentils for Greek lentil soup?

Use small brown or green-brown lentils for Greek fakes because they hold their shape during simmering. Red lentils collapse into a soft puree, which makes a different style of lentil soup instead of the brothy Thessaloniki fakes texture.

When should I add salt to Greek lentil soup?

Add the fine sea salt only after the lentils are mostly tender, then simmer the Greek lentil soup for 5 minutes more. Salting late helps the small brown lentils finish cooking evenly while keeping them tender but not broken down into mud.

How thick should Thessaloniki fakes be?

Thessaloniki fakes should be brothy, not a lentil puree. Simmer the soup uncovered for 35 to 45 minutes until the small brown lentils are tender, and add a little hot water if the pot thickens before the lentils are done.

Why do you add red wine vinegar to Greek lentil soup?

Red wine vinegar is the final seasoning for Greek lentil soup. Stir 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar into the fakes off the heat, then serve more vinegar at the table so each bowl tastes earthy from lentils, rich from olive oil, and sharp at the edge.

How long does Greek lentil soup keep in the refrigerator?

Greek lentil soup keeps well for 3 days in the refrigerator. Reheat the fakes gently and thin the soup with a little hot water if the lentils have absorbed too much broth, then add fresh red wine vinegar at the table before serving.

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Thessaloniki Fakes (Φακές), Greek Lentil Soup

Name: Thessaloniki Fakes (Φακές), Greek Lentil Soup
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 50 min
Total time: 1 h 5 min
Yield: 6 servings
Cuisine: Greek
Ingredients: 300g small brown lentils (φακές), picked over and rinsed; 1.5L water, plus more as needed; 1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped; 3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced; 2 bay leaves; 60ml extra virgin olive oil, plus more for serving; 1 tablespoon tomato paste; 1 medium carrot, diced small; 1 teaspoon fine sea salt, plus more to taste; 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper; 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar, plus more at the table; Chopped flat-leaf parsley, optional, for serving

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Thessaloniki fakes are the plain brown lentil soup of the weekday table: garlic, bay, good olive oil, and vinegar added at the end, where the dish wakes up.

Soups & Stews

Greek

Weeknight

Budget Friendly

Comfort Food

15 min

Active Time

50 min cook•1 hr 5 min total

Yield6 servings

Thessaloniki fakes are brown lentils cooked with garlic, bay, a little tomato, and olive oil, then sharpened with red wine vinegar at the table. They are not glamorous. Good. This is the soup that feeds a house on a Tuesday and still tastes like someone was paying attention.

The one method that decides the pot is the first short boil. Five minutes, then drain and start again with fresh water. Old cooks do it because it gives a cleaner broth and softens the heavy edge of the lentils without stripping away their body. After that, the soup asks for very little: a low simmer, salt near the end, vinegar off the heat.

I record this as the northern mainland bowl I know from Thessaloniki, where the pot goes on before the day takes hold and nobody argues about whether vinegar belongs. It does. A drizzle of olive oil, a heel of bread, olives if you have them. Λίγα και καλά, a few things, and good ones.

Fakes are one of the oldest everyday pulse dishes in the Greek kitchen, tied less to feast days than to the ordinary economy of the household. Lentils were cultivated in the eastern Mediterranean from antiquity, and in modern Greece they became a fasting-table staple because they need no meat, dairy, or fish to make a complete meal. The splash of vinegar at serving is a particularly Greek habit, balancing the earthiness of the lentils and helping a small pot taste alive.

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Ingredients

small brown lentils (φακές)

Quantity

300g

picked over and rinsed

water

Quantity

1.5L

plus more as needed

yellow onion

Quantity

1 medium

finely chopped

garlic cloves

Quantity

thinly sliced

bay leaves

Quantity

extra virgin olive oil

Quantity

60ml

plus more for serving

tomato paste

Quantity

1 tablespoon

carrot

Quantity

1 medium

diced small

fine sea salt

Quantity

1 teaspoon

plus more to taste

freshly ground black pepper

Quantity

1/2 teaspoon

red wine vinegar

Quantity

2 tablespoons

plus more at the table

flat-leaf parsley (optional)

Quantity

small handful

chopped

Ingredient	Quantity
small brown lentils (φακές)picked over and rinsed	300g
waterplus more as needed	1.5L
yellow onionfinely chopped	1 medium
garlic clovesthinly sliced	3
bay leaves	2
extra virgin olive oilplus more for serving	60ml
tomato paste	1 tablespoon
carrotdiced small	1 medium
fine sea saltplus more to taste	1 teaspoon
freshly ground black pepper	1/2 teaspoon
red wine vinegarplus more at the table	2 tablespoons
flat-leaf parsley (optional)chopped	small handful

Equipment Needed

•heavy-bottomed soup pot, 4L
•fine-mesh sieve

Instructions

1
Rinse the Lentils
Pick through the lentils for small stones, then rinse them under cold water until the water runs clear. Put them in a pot with enough fresh water to cover by 5cm, bring to a boil, and boil for 5 minutes. Drain them. This first boil softens the harsher edge of the lentils and gives a cleaner broth.
2
Start the Pot
Return the drained lentils to the pot with 1.5L fresh water, the onion, garlic, bay leaves, carrot, tomato paste, olive oil, and black pepper. Bring to a steady boil, then lower the heat until the soup moves quietly, with small bubbles at the edges.
3
Simmer Gently
Simmer uncovered for 35 to 45 minutes, stirring now and then, until the lentils are tender but not broken into mud. Add a little hot water if the soup thickens too much before the lentils are done. Fakes should be brothy, not a lentil purée.
4
Salt and Finish
Add the salt only once the lentils are mostly tender, then simmer 5 minutes more. Remove the bay leaves and stir in 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar off the heat. Taste. It should be earthy first, sharp at the edge, and rich from the oil.
5
Serve with Vinegar
Ladle the fakes into bowls and finish each one with a small thread of olive oil. Set red wine vinegar on the table. In a Greek kitchen this isn't decoration, it's the final seasoning, and each person sharpens the bowl as they like.

Chef Tips

•Use small brown or green-brown lentils that hold their shape. Red lentils collapse, and then you have made another soup, not fakes.
•Don't drown the pot in tomato. A spoon of paste is enough for the Thessaloniki bowl, giving color and depth without turning the broth into tomato soup.
•Fakes are nistisima, part of the fasting table, and they need no apology for it. Serve them with bread, olives, and vinegar, and you've got the old weekday meal.

Advance Preparation

•The lentils can be picked over and rinsed earlier in the day.
•The soup keeps well for 3 days in the refrigerator; thin it with a little hot water when reheating and add fresh vinegar at the table.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 315g)

Calories

275 calories

Total Fat

10 g

Saturated Fat

1 g

Trans Fat

0 g

Unsaturated Fat

8 g

Cholesterol

0 mg

Sodium

400 mg

Total Carbohydrates

36 g

Dietary Fiber

9 g

Sugars

3 g

Protein

13 g

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Culinary Explorer

Thessaloniki Fakes (Φακές), Greek Lentil Soup

The technique, the tradition, and the story behind every dish.

Ingredients

small brown lentils (φακές)

water

yellow onion

garlic cloves

bay leaves

extra virgin olive oil

tomato paste

carrot

fine sea salt

freshly ground black pepper

red wine vinegar

flat-leaf parsley (optional)

Equipment Needed

Instructions

Rinse the Lentils

Start the Pot

Simmer Gently

Salt and Finish

Serve with Vinegar

Chef Tips

Advance Preparation

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

Where cooking meets culture.

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