Table of Contents:
THE FOOD
THE DRINK.
Wines of Greece. Greek Beer. Greek Spirits.
Many islands do not have a signature dish. They have their spin on items you can find anywhere, like grilled meats or moussaka, but it is a variation, not a stand-alone.
Quite often, the variation is whatever they have locally, such as a spice or herb. On many of the Cycladic Islands, lack of water limits growing and farming.
Thanks to a constant source of water, Andros has several “local” items besides spices. The local nuts and citrus also add a taste Andros does not share with other islands.
Let’s start with meze “appetizers.” Due to ample mineral water, they raise livestock (cows and goats) on the island. This source of milk leads to cheese.
Taste Andros Cheese
- Armexia – is a soft white cheese similar to feta cheese, but is not allowed to carry that name.
- Analati – is a hard unsalted cheese usually made with goat’s milk. They thicken the liquid, then dry it in muslin bags that allow it to drain and harden.
- Kopanisti cheese – starts with mizithra cheese. They ferment the cheese with salt, other cheeses added, kneaded, then covered with a cloth soaked in vinegar. This spread cheese has a spicy taste.
- Petroti – (petra means stone) is a flavorful salt-free cheese made with goat’s or cow’s milk. They use a “stone” to squeeze out the liquid. This cheese is best when young (fresh).
- Volakia (Volaki) – comes from pasteurized cow’s milk. Think of a salted version of Petroti cheese. When young, it has a rich buttery flavor. The texture is similar to mozzarella and is suitable for salads. Try the Horiatiki (tomato, sliced cucumber, green pepper, sliced red onion, Kalamata olives) salad with Volakia. As it ages, it hardens and takes on some spice. Great for meze.
Sausage
- Louza – Although you can find variations on neighboring Tinos and Mykonos islands, the Louza on Andros is different as it is made of pork sirloin and uses other spices, which may include orange zest and aniseed. They salt it, then smoke it over cypress, before browning it in lard and cutting into pieces. There are also local sausages with anise, which creates a unique taste Andros claims.
Olives and Capers.
They both grow locally, and you can find them in salads, recipes, and on their own.
Entree
Indeed, there is seafood, and grilled meats, but the most traditional, signature dish of the island is an omelet.
- Froutalia – They sautee sliced potatoes and island sausage in pork fat until tender. To this, they add an egg and local cheese mixture (and spices including mint), letting it cook on both sides until you have an Androit omelet.
Desserts
Another area where Andros shines is after-meal sweets.
Although none of these desserts are unique to Andros, they do them well, and you should try them.
Spoon Sweets (preserves, fruit spreads) – are a mixture of fruits preserved in sugar that they eat by the spoon. Lemon and orange blossom are the “specialties” on the island. Other favorite flavors are local walnut, rose water, sour cherry, apricot, and fig.
- Amygdalota – is an almond “macaroon-like” cookie (or cake) you can find just about anywhere in Greece. The Andros difference is the use of local almonds and orange blossom water.
- Kalitsounia – is a crushed walnut sweet, which you can also find many places besides Andros. Maybe it’s the local walnuts that make it an island “specialty.”
Thyme and fruit tree blossoms make for tasty honey.
- Andros honey – is also a primary ingredient in several sweets. The Thyme pollen gives it a lovely scent, and it is velvety on the tongue. As it is for local consumption, most jars of honey do not have preservatives or additives.
Drinks
- Raki – is an unsweetened, alcoholic drink from grape distillation. It usually has aniseed as a flavoring. Although every island seems to have their Raki, Andros appears to have more of it, and they share it with everyone.
- Pontzi – is a concoction of the local Andros raki, with local honey and berries. The sweet hides the flavor of the raki but does nothing to lower its kick.
- Sineti (Sinetiano) wine – comes from the village of the same name in a valley south of Hora. They sun-dry the grapes to give them extra flavor. Taste Andros wines with local dishes for a perfect pairing.
To read more about Greek Cuisine.