Mykonos Louza
One of the most interesting of the many Greek preserved meat products is the highly aromatic louza of Mykonos and its variations in the Cyclades. On Mykonos, louza is seasoned solely with allspice and savoury, which makes its taste more robust. On Tinos they use black pepper and an abundance of fennel seeds, while on Syros they make a blend of wine, black pepper, allspice, cinnamon and cloves. Traditionally, the preparation of louza on Mykonos took place at the end of an elaborate ritual, the annual... διαβάστε περισσότερα
Mykonos Kopanisti Cheese
Kopanisti, Mykonos‘ trademark spicy, peppery fermented cheese, has become one of Mykonos’s best known mezedes. This soft cheese, stored in brine, with its strong taste and creamy texture, which ranges in colour from white to pale beige, is also made on the neighbouring islands of Syros and Tinos from cow’s, ewe’s or goat’s milk or a mixture and has been awarded PDO status as a typical product of the Cyclades. Kopanisti is produced in the following way: Initially the milk is stirred... διαβάστε περισσότερα
Traditional cuisine of Mykonos
“Whoever finds the time to stay a few days on the island will taste other joys and other treats and other delicacies. Delicious pork, unique sausages and synglina and louzes, wonderful cheese, kopanisti, and the barley rusk, along with some good wine, in the company of the locals who know and eating and dining well and how to have a good time, buying each other drinks and singing, perhaps because since ancient times the god most worshipped on Mykonos was Dionysos. And today you find him everywhere,... διαβάστε περισσότερα
Gardoumia
Gardoumia is a special meze from lamb intestines that is made on the island of Naxos, just like in Crete; besides, the strong connections between the two islands are well-known. Meze holds a special place in the Greek culinary tradition and could be described as an appetizer, a treat to share with friends in a relaxed environment. Gardoumia is a popular dish among mountain and pastoral farming/shepherds’ communities where meat eating prevails. Although roasted meat is regarded as the king in their... διαβάστε περισσότερα
The Religious Fete in Honor of Konstantinos and Eleni at Komiaki
A landscape of riotously grown plane trees, flowing springs and small vegetable groves and vineyards growing supported by dry-stone walls is the scenery housing the village of Komiaki in Naxos built in amphitheatric fashion at 550 above sea level overlooking the Icarian Sea. The village had 2,000 inhabitants in the past but nowadays, it only counts 500. The precious little religious fete (panigyri) in the honor of the two saints is celebrated in front of two one-aisled vaulted small churches,... διαβάστε περισσότερα
O Fournos tou Veloni (Velonis Bakery)
The wood-fired bakery of Velonis in Naxos Velonis Bakery (O Fournos tou Veloni) in the Chora of Naxos gives a courageous battle against developing trends and is one of those few bakeries left still making bread, delighting locals and travellers with the splendid smell of freshly baked bread spreading all around the neighbourhood. Wood-fired bakeries are becoming more and more scarce on the islands of the Cyclades. Little by little, the taste of the fluffy loaf of bread is vanishing. The people... διαβάστε περισσότερα
Vallindras Distillery
Kitron Naxou is a liqueur obtained by the distillation of pure alcohol in traditional copper stills. The leaves of the citron tree (citrus medica, kitria in Greek), reach in essential oils with a strong aroma, are the raw ingredient used in the distillation process and were originally used by wine growers in the distillation of raki. On the island of Naxos, the cultivation of citron trees dates back to the 17th century. In 1896 in Chalki, a village at the central semi-mountainous part of Naxos, Markos... διαβάστε περισσότερα
Tyrokomiki Naxou (Naxos Cheese-Making Industry)
Emmanuel Vas. Koufopoulos Driven by the long tradition of cheese making in his island and utilizing the technological advances as a stepping stone, Manolis V. Koufopoulos, a cheese maker from Naxos, founded in 1990 his dairy farm in the area of Agios Isidoros, at Galanados village, in Naxos. The Dairy Farm of Em. Koufopoulos “Naxos Cheese-Making Industry”, despite its small-scale production as compared to the one of the Union of Agricultural Cooperatives of Naxos, is famed not only for its excellent... διαβάστε περισσότερα