Table of Contents
LOCAL PRODUCTS.
MILOS SPECIALTIES
BEVERAGES.
Wines of Greece. Greek Beer. Greek Spirits.
This unique Cycladic destination is approximately 90 miles west, northwest of Santorini. And like Santorini, it is a volcanic island whose volcanic soil produces fantastic products.
On top of this, you have the Greek, Roman, Venetian, and Turkish influences from their many occupants.
While excavating on Milos, they found the skeletons of sheep, goats, pigs, and even cows. From these bones, scientists can see the animal’s diets included weeds but also grain.
They are also finding ancient seeds, another indication of the local people growing their food.
The principal livestock on Milos today are sheep and goats. In addition to fresh meat, they supply milk for the island’s famous cheeses.
Milos, like most Greek islands, has a local group of fishermen. The fishing community is large enough to supply the island with fresh seafood.
Unfortunately, the number of fishermen is dropping. The good news is that fishing villages like Klima still dot the island and tell the history.
Frozen food is not popular with the Greeks, and Milos’ cuisine is no different. Instead, it centers around seasonal vegetables and local meat and seafood.
Hopefully, during your visit, you can sample the white Milos pumpkin, Santorini tomato, and other local specialties. Then, come, it is time to taste Minos.
Taste Milos Through Local Products.
P.D.O. (Protected Designation of Origin) products come from a specific area. Therefore, they have characteristics due to that particular geoclimatic environment, and production takes place in that region.
P.G.I. (Protected Geographical Indication) products also come from a specified area. However, only one of its characteristics needs to be from this area. Also, only one part of the production must occur in the region.
Milos grows delicious fruits and vegetables in arid soil, often without fertilizers. However, none of them have reached P.D.O. or P.G.I. status yet.
Currently, there is only one product with P.G.I. status, and it shares that with all the Cycladic islands.
- P.G.I. Cyclades Wines.
Taste Milos Specialties.
You will find the standard Greek items that appear on just about any Greek menu.
However, the island has several traditional things you will find nowhere else. Or at least their preparation and presentation.
While on Milos, shouldn’t you taste Milos cuisine?
Milos Meze (appetizers).
- Ladenia – is an excellent example of a dish reflecting its heritage. Greek cuisine includes pies. The Venetians bring Italian influences to Milos. The island is famous for tomatoes. What kind of Italian-influenced tomato pie can you create? The similarity to pizza ends there. The dough is more like focaccia bread, but it isn’t. The toppings are tomato (not sauce), onions, capers, and olives. There is no cheese. It is a specialty on the island of Kimolos, just across from Pollonia.
- Pitarakia – is the local spin on fried cheese pies. The most traditional filling includes local cheese, onion, and herbs.
- Kritharenia Koulouria. – Koulouria are the traditional cookies they make for Easter, so this must be a dessert, right? However, Kritharenia means barley rusks, so these are not sweet. Instead, locals soak the risks in seawater before topping it with the local tomato.
- Tomatokeftedes – fried tomato balls are not exclusive to Milos. You can find them on several of the Cycladic islands. However, on Milos, they use the super-tasty local tomatoes giving the fried yumiies a boost in flavor.
- Taramasalata – is a dip using tarama (salty cod or other local fish roe.) In addition, they blend in olive oil, lemon juice, and bread or potatoes for thickening.
Milos Sausage.
The butcher shop and the restaurants offer sausages with pork and other pork dishes. I could not spot one pig during my travels across Milos. Furthermore, I could not find a sausage exclusive to Milos, but the local butcher does put their spin on recipes. So taste Milos’ sausage, and see what makes it different.
Taste Milos Cheese.
What makes Milos cheese any different than other Greek cheeses? First, it is the source of the milk. The goats and sheep can roam on Milos, eating all the local grasses and weeds. This diet affects the taste of the milk. There are also a few cow’s milk cheeses.
The preparation of the cheese is not that different than anywhere else. However, the drying or aging of the Milos cheese does differ. The island’s volcanic caves create natural storehouses for the cheese. Due to their cool temperature and humidity, they add a distinct flavor to the final cheese.
Only one dairy on Milos exports their cheese. So if you want to taste Milos cheese, you need to visit.
Milos Soft (cream) cheese.
- Mizithra (myzithra) – on Milos is a surprisingly mild cheese, usually from pure goat’s milk. This unpasteurized whey cheese is soft, snowy–white, and creamy (similar to ricotta) when young. This form is popular with watermelon or a drizzle of local honey. As it ages, it takes on some tang and hardens. They use this cheese for grating.
- Manoura – is a semi-soft, fresh white cheese where they mix goat and sheep whole milk to get the whey. Think feta, but creamier and much less salty. They hang the curd in baskets to drain. It is popular in pitarakia, salads, pastries, or cheesecake. It is often the cheese in Milos Saganaki. As it ages, they salt it to preserve and harden the cheese. This cheese is famous for grating on pasta.
- Xinomyzithra – is a soft white cheese with a granular to a creamy texture. They make it with 100% goat’s milk, which has a sour taste. It is popular in salads, over a rusk with olives and local tomatoes, and in pies.
- Touloumotiri (touloumi) – is a soft cheese from a mixture of sheep and goat’s milk. They hang it in an animal’s skin to age. The skin adds a strong, slightly spicy flavor. It is popular as a table cheese with fruit or in salads.
- Skoutyri – is a Milos version of touloumotyri. Using bits of Manoura and Misíthra, they create a flavorful cream cheese popular in the local cheese pies.
Milos Hard cheese.
- Melichloro – is a sheep’s and goat’s milk hard cheese. The flavor is rich and complex, reflecting the herbs and wildflowers that the goats and sheep were eating. Although popular for grating over various dishes, you may find it with a drizzle of thyme honey.
- Mileiko – is a local goat cheese that they cover in oil before aging in the caves. The oil gives the cheese a dark color on the outside and creates a spicy flavor. Mature Melichloro tastes similar to Parmesan.
Pasta.
They were eating pasta in Greece before they took it westward when colonizing Italy. During the Venetian occupation of Milos (1204 to 1566,) several variations of pasta would sneak into the kitchen.
There is no exclusive pasta noodle to Milos. Instead, they use different noodles with seafood, chicken, or meat.
- Skordolazana – is a Milos specialty of tagliatelle pasta with garlic sauce (Skordalia) and local tomato sauce.
- Pastitsio (Greek Lasagna), probably from nearby Syros, has Perciatelli pasta (similar to ziti.) Although there is local tomato in the ragu, there is more bechamel sauce.
Taste Milos Meat.
As on most Greek islands, you will find lamb and goat on many menus. However, grilling is the most popular preparation.
- Pork Brizola – is the Greek pork chop. It has a marinade of red onions, garlic, olive oil, wine vinegar, and Greek oregano.
- Beef Bifteki – are the baked Greek beef patties. On Milos, they have local tomatoes on top.
- Lamb Shank – is another dish you can find anywhere in Greece. On Milos, it has the traditional onion, garlic, dill, olive oil, lemon juice, and oregano marinade. I also found the shank chopped and mixed with the local tomato paste over pasta.
You may find other meats on Milos, usually in a local tomato sauce.
Milos Poultry.
I can find chicken on many menus from the grill or in a lemon sauce. However, most chickens on Milos seem to be a source of fresh eggs instead of the entree.
- The rooster in Red Sauce – is surprisingly good. The chef slow cooks the rooster in a local tomato and red wine bath until it is fall-off-the-bone tender. The Milos version may be over pasta with bits of local cheese on top.
And the Egg.
- Strapatsada – is not exclusive to Milos. You will find it just about anywhere, and the most common recipe is eggs with tomato and local cheese. On Milos, this includes the extra-tasty local tomatoes and cheese. Unfortunately, the Greeks rarely eat this at breakfast.
Almost Vegetarian.
- Bouyiourdi – is more of an appetizer than a main meal, but it can also be a meal. On Milos, they use the local Manoura cheese. They put this in a clay pot with tomatoes and spicy peppers and bake it.
Taste Milos Seafood.
Milos is a Greek island, so seafood is prevalent. Check out all the small fishing villages. The town of Pollonia on the east end seems to be the most popular place.
If you like shellfish, look for raw oysters, especially in Pollonia.
You can find a fresh octopus in a tomato stew, baked, or from the grill. It is not unusual to see it in salads.
- Octopus with fava – this dish is also popular in nearby Santorini. They grill fresh octopus and serve it over fava. This puree is not hummus but fava with yellow split peas, onions, and garlic.
Now the sad “rest of the story.” Greece cannot keep up with the demand for squid. The fried calamari is almost 100% fressh from the freezer and not from Greece.
“Officially,” frozen seafood should have the abbreviation ‘kat’ or some mark after it on a menu. It never hurts to clarify with your waiter if it is fresh (Fresca).
Vegetables.
Leafy greens such as lettuce are hard to come by in the Greek islands. However, the Greeks love their Horta (greens). Spinach is undoubtedly popular. Each island uses what grows naturally or with minimal help.
- Santorini Tomato – is a variety of cherry tomatoes from nearby Santorini. With similar volcanic soil, the tomato does equally as well on Milos. The tomato has a deep red color and has firm flesh. They have a strongly acidic yet sweet taste. You will find them fresh, sun-dried, or in a “juice.”
- Beltes – is from the juice of the tomato. After squeezing the juice and separating it from the skin and seeds, they add salt and let it evaporate. They use the dry end-product in numerous ways. They dip it in olive oil and spread it on bread as a meze. It seems to go into most recipes except the desserts.
- Vlita – is similar to dandelion greens in taste but is not nearly as sharp or bitter. Milos residents grow it in their gardens. A popular way to serve them is to toss them with olive oil and red wine vinegar after boiling.
Herbs, Spices, and Seasonings.
The typical Milos garden may have sage, rosemary, Greek oregano, capers, and tomato plants. Every family also has a few nearby olive trees, if not on the property.
- Kritamo – a popular flowering plant from the carrot family, thrives on Milos. It also goes by the names sea fennel and samphire. It has a very distinctive crisp and salty taste and resembles baby asparagus in size. Due to the strong taste, they use it sparingly in salads or as a flavoring for fish and shellfish.
- Capers – is another plant that flourishes in Milos. Expect to find them in salads, entrees, and even pies.
Taste Milos Fresh Fruits.
Fruits you will almost always find in the summer market include:
- watermelons (Karpoúsi) are a drought-resistant variety with giant seeds. They have great flavor.
- pumpkins
- melons
- oranges
- grapes
Not only does the fertile land grow excellent produce, but they do not pick them until they are ripe. That makes such a difference.
Desserts and Sweets.
Few desserts are unique to only Milos. Instead, they have sweets similar to other islands but use their local ingredients, cheese, honey, etc. A few to be on the lookout for include:
- Karpousópitta – is a watermelon tart. They slowly bake (dehydrate) the fruit’s flesh until it is a marmalade-like mass. They spread this on a crust. It looks more like a slice of pizza than a tart.
- Loukoumi – is a more solid form of Koufeto. Think Turkish delight in texture.
- Kalisounia comes from the island of Crete. The Milos version of these cheese pies uses myzithra cheese. A drizzle of honey makes these meze a dessert pie.
- Kouféto (Koufeto) – is a spoon sweet with the local white pumpkin, honey, sugar, lemon juice, and almonds.
Taste Milos Honey.
The island is home to numerous bee-keepers making honey. Many are doing it for personal use, but there are also several large producers. Many of the individual operations are organic. However, they will sell their surplus. Ask around.
On Milos, they produce thyme honey and multiple-blossom honey. The latter has a strong scent of flowers, often lavender.
Click the orange link to read more about Greek Cuisine.
Taste Milos Beverages.
Spirits.
- Souma – is the Cyclades version of Tsikoudia. This liqueur comes from the leftovers of wine production. First, they ferment the grape skins and other remains from the fall-pressing for six weeks in a barrel. After this, they distill. As a result, the Souma varies in potency (alcohol level).
Beer.
Greek-owned breweries begin disappearing when European beer conglomerates go on a buying spree in the 1960s.
A little behind other countries, Greece began micro-brewing in the late 1990s. Tinos now has its award-winning microbrewery. (You can still get the stuff from northern Europe, but you’re not in Amsterdam.)
- Syrma Brewery makes a golden ale that includes the local thyme honey as an ingredient. Unfortunately, as of 2022, they do not offer visits to the brewery.
Taste Milos Wine.
Although Milos has similar wine growing conditions as nearby Santorini, the wine industry is not as popular in Milos.
Currently, local wine production is insufficient to meet local demand. As a result, many restaurants and tavernas have to import their house wines.
The P.G.I. Cyclades zone includes all the Cycladic islands and all varieties. P.G.I. Strict rules include the vineyards must be at an altitude exceeding 100 feet above sea level. Currently, there are ten wineries within this zone producing P.G.I. Cyclades wines. They expect those numbers to increase.
On Milos, they produce whites, roses, and one red wine. The Assyrtiko (white) and Mavrotragano (red) grapes are currently the most popular, but there are several others they are testing.
Although not on Milos (yet), there are two P.D.O. wines in the Cyclades: (P.D.O. Santorini and P.D.O. Paros).
Cyclade Grape Varieties.
In addition to Assyrtiko, other white grapes you can find throughout the Cyclades include Aidani White, Asprouda Santorinis, Athiri, Gaidouria, Katsano, Kritiko, Maloukato, Mandilaria White, Muscat White, and Savvatiano. Red grapes include Aidani Black, Athiri Black, Avgoustiatis, Fokiano, Kotsifali, Mandilaria, Vaftra, and Voydomatis.
Milos Wineries.
- Konstantakis Winery – is not far from the fish tavernas in Pollonia. The winery, now under the eye of the third generation of winemakers, produces six different wines. The wine, like local cheese, ages in the island’s caves. The winery is open late afternoon in the warm months. Visits in the fall and winter require a reservation.
Wineries all over Greece are not like in the U.S.A. The majority of them require reservations. Click the Orange link to see their website.
Taste Milos Summary.
Are these all the traditional foods and wines of Milos? Hardly!
But these will keep you busy for a few days and give you an insight into the local cuisine.
So many people try to visit Milos for a day and leave with the wrong impression.
Why not plan to spend 2-3 days and see, experience, and taste Milos?