Cycladic Islands

While each island varies, as a whole, the Cyclades are home to a rocky and barren landscape, which is reflected in the local cuisine. With their dry climates, the islands rely on agricultural products requiring little water; heirloom varieties of tomatoes, artichokes, wild capers and herbs, legumes like split peas and chickpeas, and summer fruits like figs and grapes, thyme or other herbal honey, and of course olive oil. Seafood also plays a large role in the diet, as do dairy products made from the milk of goats and sheep adapted to graze the dry brush of the region. In terms of meat, pork is king and made into a variety of dried and smoked hams and sausages, a legacy that began in the days before refrigeration.

Chickpea stews (popular on Sifnos and Paros), fritters and fava (pureed split peas) are some of the most common legume-based dishes. Tomatoes are used in summer salads, dried in the sun, or made into tomato fritters (a specialty of Santorini). Capers are blended with vinegar, olive oil, and spices to make a tangy spread. Artichokes are grown extensively on Tinos, and made into a variety of salads, pies, and meze. Grapes are of course pressed into the amazing wines of the region, which are also used extensively in cooking meat and seafood dishes. The cheeses of the region (San Michali, Xinomizithra, Kariki, and endless others) are numerous and omnipresent on every table, eaten on their own, in salads, or pies with wild herbs or drizzled with honey. These cheeses can also accompany the islands’ pork products, a favorite being the ‘lousa’ ham of Tinos. In addition to mountains of the freshest seafood, fish is also dried in the hot sun for preservation. Sun dried mackerel, butterflied and grilled, is known as ‘Gouna’ and is a speciality of Paros, for example.