Table of Contents
LOCAL PRODUCTS.
THAT’S ITALIAN
Peloponnese Wines Greek Beer. Greek Spirits.
There is no one dish that you travel to Nafplio for, that you cannot find elsewhere in Greece. There are different variations, in traditional recipes, but it is not the hometown of moussaka or baklava.
If you ask a local to describe a taste Nafplio is famous for, they can. It better be some of their mother’s or grandmother’s dishes. But mothers and grandmothers are making similar recipes all over Greece.
So should foodies skip Nafplio altogether? Not. Although there are no one-of-a-kind dishes, they make the meals here with local products. Many of these have tastes you cannot find elsewhere.
With its seaside location, you find seafood in many dishes. And you will find the traditional dishes. These are traditional to Greece, not Nafplio.
Taste Nafplio Local Products.
The local products add a distinctive taste to dishes.
Local Cheese
- Manouri-myzithra is cheese from sheep or goats whey. In this region, it is a dry cheese similar to ricotta.
- Feta is not what you think it is. Try it in Greece. You have not had real feta until you do.
- Manouri is a whey cheese made from goat or sheep milk as a by-product from feta. To this, they add cream.
- Graviera is the Greek version of the French gruyere, and they make it from cow, sheep or goats milk.
Taste Nafplio Fruit.
The king is the local orange. You will find it as juice, in seafood and pork dishes, jams and spoon sweets. The runners-up include lemons, apricots, and grapes.
Vegetables
Olives, eggplant, and potatoes are the most popular vegetables from this area. The terrain gives them a unique taste all their own.
Honey
The local bees have an abundant supply of heather, which leads to a mild, somewhat buttery taste.
Italian Influences.
Although I do not talk about Italian products outside of Italy, the Venetians were in Nafplio too long to ignore. You can see their influence on the local cooking. Today, some kinds of pasta are more Greek than Italian.
- Gkogkes – are noodles in a shell-like shape. Traditionally, they toss it in olive oil and sprinkle with local Manouri-myzithra cheese.
- Striftades (little twists) looks like long-grain rice.
- Toutoumakia is the Peloponesse word for egg noodles. These are often square.
Taste Nafplio’s Other Local Products.
All regions, islands, villages, caves, and some local knitting circles have their rake or ouzo that they distill locally. Nafplio is no different. They have a distillery that has been producing ouzo and brandy since 1869. Many tavernas will carry the Karonis ouzo. When in Rome, do what the Romans do. In Nafplio, drink the local ouzo.
To read more about Greek Cuisine.