LOCAL DISHES.
IOS SPECIALTIES.
BEVERAGES
Wines of Greece. Greek Beer. Greek Spirits.
The island of Ios, between Santorini and Naxos, offers the Cycladic staples.
The Cycladic island group is 33 islands, that as a whole are mainly rocky and arid. However, on some, you will find green patches thanks to natural springs. And on these islands, you will find more crops and livestock farming.
Most of the people of the Cyclades make their livelihoods at sea, either as sailors or by fishing.
The region’s history also influences the cuisine. First, Frankish, then Venetian, and finally Ottoman rule had a dramatic effect. Add to this the accessibility to exotic foods and spices passing through the ports.
A few of the typical Cycladic dishes you will find on any of the islands include:
Kakavia
This traditional fish soup has no official recipe. It is a mixture of whatever fish they catch that day or could not sell the day before. To this, they add whatever vegetables they have handy. So the recipe changes throughout the year. They add olive oil, herbs, and water before simmering. The name comes from the large ceramic “kakavi” cooking pot they make the soup in.
Small Fish.
The small fish, not enough for a meal, usually become an appetizer. They either sun dry them or cure them with salt, which intensifies the flavor. Then, they serve up a plate of them along with raki or ouzo, which also have a strong flavor.
Grilled Seafood.
Perhaps the most common items on the menu as they are often the most readily available. Fish, octopus, lobster, and whatever they can catch appear on the grill nightly. Most preparations are basic, olive oil and maybe some light seasoning.
Chickpeas.
You will find these on many islands, including Ios. Baking them slowly in a pot with onions, tomato, local herbs, and spices is the most traditional recipe.
Taste Ios Through Local Dishes.
The island is famous for its local cheeses. The majority come from a local dairy farm where they use goat’s or sheep’s milk. This is one of the few products they export.
Skotyri.
From the word askos (goatskin), this traditional soft goat cheese matures in a goatskin. Then, they add spices, including savory, to give it a spicy taste and aroma.
Myzithra.
This whey cheese uses sheep, goats, or both kinds of milk. When young, it is a fresh cheese, similar to ricotta. As it ages, it ages, it becomes harder making it a popular grating cheese.
Kefalotyri
This hard, salty white cheese also comes from sheep, goats, or a mixture of both kinds of milk. When available, it is popular in Spanakopita and Saganaki.
Graviera.
Similar to a Gruyere, this Greek cheese from sheep’s milk is slightly sweet. They serve it as a table cheese and use it for grating.
Homer Trilogy.
Due to the low number of cows, this cheese is rare. Similar to a Graviera, this slightly sweet Ios cheese uses cow, goat, and sheep milk. It has a light yellow color.
Taste Ios Dishes.
Although these are not exclusive to the island, Ios adds their own taste to them.
Meze.
Chickpea Balls.
These tasty little balls consist of chickpea flour and heavy measures of fresh herbs and spices. They may include finely chopped bits of vegetables. They fry them until they are crispy on the outside with a warm but soft center.
Tsimedia.
Using vegetable flowers (usually pumpkin) as casings, they stuff them with rice, vegetable, cheese, or herb filling. Then they slowly simmer them. This may be an appetizer or a main dish.
Picarel.
These small local fish are popular sun-dried as a snack.
Dolmadakia.
Taste Ios dolmas as they use fresh vine leaves from the small vineyards on the island. Currently, the micro-winery produces less than 1500 bottles per year. To taste Ios wine, you need to visit.
Goat Soup.
Every Greek mother has a recipe for this soup. No two are identical. Using meat accessible, in Ios’s case, goat, they simmer it until it can be shredded. Usually adding tomato for a red broth, it is not unusual to add pasta from Ios’s Venetian past. They top it with feta crumbles.
Taste Ios Sweets.
Like most Greek desserts, there is some local honey somewhere in the recipe. On Ios, it is no different. They use the local Thyme honey in many recipes.
Pasteli Bars.
Dating back to Homer’s Iliad, this simple sweet is a traditional Greek treat. Using honey and toasted sesame seeds, they cook down the honey, which makes it thicker. The result is a bendable bar of sesame seeds held together by the honey. Of course, they also use sugar now and other seeds, but the original is the best.
Glikia Kolokithopita, Pumpkin Pie.
This is not your mother’s Thanksgiving standby. Using layers of thin dough, they make a crust. Into this, they pour a filling of sweet pumpkin, semolina, sugar, and spices. They cover this with additional sheets of dough before baking. Finally, they cut into small “Greek Pie” pieces.
Karpouzi (Watermelon)
As they are easy to grow on Ios, they use them in several sweets.
Watermelon Pie.
This is more like a fruit-filling pie Americans would be used to. The shell is actually sesame seeds they pour in the pan first. After baking, the filling holds them together, not flour and butter. The filling is watermelon, toasted flour, honey, sugar, and spices. Some bakers put sesame seeds on the top as well.
Watermelon Confiture.
Think jam with more fruit. This is the spoon-sweet version using watermelon. The thick jam can go on yogurt, ice cream, toast, or a spoon right into your mouth.
Myzithra Pie.
We know from our cheese section above that Myzithra is a ricotta-like cheese. Think Greek pies (pockets), not American slices. They make a thin dough (not phyllo) filled with a cheese, sugar, and spices filling. They fry them in olive oil. Local honey goes over the top before serving.
Amygdalota.
Macaroons, macarons, every country, and town invented them. Every country and town has a slightly different recipe for them which is the correct one. See where this is going? Can we agree that Macaroons are a cookie that starts with almond meal or crushed almonds? In between the two almond cookies, they spread the mastic filling. Make sure to taste Ios macarons as they use mastic, a gummy sweet from the mastic tree on nearby Chios.
Taste Ios Beverages.
Like everywhere in Greece, if someone invites you into their home, there is a chance you will not leave before tasting something homemade. This may include wine or liqueur.
There is a small, but growing wine industry. It is not ready to rival Santorini yet.
Pomegranate liqueur.
Like any Greek recipe, even this has 100 (more) variations. Basically, it involves soaking pomegranate seeds in alcohol for at least one month. Tsipouro, a strong distilled spirit from wine pressing, is popular in Greece. To this flavored spirit, they add a pomegranate simple syrup to add sweetness. I have never tasted two different ones that were equal in sweetness. They may also add flavorings, including star anise, lemon peel, cinnamon stick, cloves, cardamom pods, two turtle doves, etc. Take a sip. It is a taste Ios is known for.
Taste Ios Summary
Although it may not have exclusive or Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) products, Ios certainly puts its spin on everything.
In the market, you can find local products from around the island.
On the menus, you can find dishes that are farm or pier to the table.
Your immersion is not complete without tasting Ios.
And if you eat outdoors, expect new friends.
To read more about Greek Cuisine.