Table of Contents:
LOCAL DISHES.
CYCLADIC CUISINE.
Wines of Greece. Greek Beer. Greek Spirits.
Mykonos is not that large of an island. You look at its rocky terrain, and you figure nothing grows there. Water is scarce, so you cannot raise livestock. You can’t taste Mykonos. Well, you would be wrong.
This small island does have some culinary tricks up its sleeve.
It also shares similar recipes with other Cycladic Islands.
And it offers the best of traditional Greek Cuisine from other regions. So come, let’s taste Mykonos.
Taste Mykonos Local Dishes.
Kopanisti – Is this soft cheese a traditional food item from Mykonos? Its P.D.O. Status seems to confirm it is.
They have been producing it here for more than 300 years. They make this salty, spicy cheese from cow, lamb, and or goat’s milk. There is an unusual fungal growth in the island’s milk that gives it a hot taste. Red pepper flakes add pop. You will usually find it during the appetizer (Meze) course.
Cycladic Cuisine.
If we want to be clinical, other islands make a similar cheese to Kopanisti. But the cheese on Mykonos has the P.D.O.
Mykonos has several products and dishes similar to the other Cycladic Islands, but with a local twist.
Cheeses.
- Tyrovolia – is a soft white cheese that is less spicy than Kopanisti. They bake it in Greek pitas, salads, and desserts. Also great by itself.
- Ksinotiri – is a sharp (sour) cheese with buttermilk as the main ingredient. They leave it out in the sun to become firm. With a semi-sharp taste, it finds its way into many of the Venetian-influenced dishes containing pasta or tomato sauces.
Taste Mykonos Meats.
- Louza (loin) – is a dried filet of pork with allspice and savory as the only seasonings. After a bath in saltwater, it drys in the wind.
- Noumboulo (a strand of rope) – is a dry smoked tenderloin of pork. Although you find both of these on Mykonos, they are Venetian in origin.
- Myconian sausages – are only made from pork and have little to no fat included. Favorite seasonings are savory, pepper, and or oregano.
Meze.
- Mostra – is a Mykonos meze because it uses kopanisti cheese. It is fresh tomato and Kopanisti on a slice of rusk. What is rusk? Rusk is wheat bread, with no preservatives, that they bake twice, so it lasts longer. Think of a loaf of bread made out of Triscuits.
Taste Mykonos Baked Goods.
- Rafiolia – is a typical dessert of fried dough that they fill with cheese and, and sprinkle with cinnamon. On Mykonos, they often use Tyrovolia cheese.
- Melopita (Honey Pie) – is a dessert similar to a cheesecake, using the local Tyrovolia or Mizithra cheese and local honey.
Additional items that make traditional Greek dishes more Myconian are broad beans or cabbage sauteed in pork lard or the addition of fennel.
To taste Mykonos, you have to accept that many dishes are not traditional to the island. But the style of preparation or the ingredients used, give them a local twist.
Read more about traditional Greek Cuisine.