Table of Contents:
BREAKFAST.
LUNCH.
DINNER.
WINE / LIQUEURS.
SUMMARY.
Wines of Greece Greek Beers. Greek Spirits.
A Hidden Culinary Jewel.
The cuisine of Naxos is a pleasant surprise. Due to its draw by more Greeks than non-Greek tourists, the restaurants can’t get away with things like they do in larger touristy areas.
I am far from sampling every restaurant on the island. However, I have not had a bad meal anywhere on the island. Even the restaurants along the harbor promenade, a magnet for visitors, are above average. You can taste Naxos in just about everything.
To clarify, I do not go out for Italian in Greece any more than I would look for Greek in China. When in Naxos, I want to taste Naxos. I still avoid the restaurants with barkers standing out front, and even Naxos has a few. And I avoid the ones right on the water which are charging 10 euros more because of the view. I am happy sitting across the street and still seeing the sea.
The great news, Naxos still has a large number of restaurants even after all my filters. Even the souvlaki stand is excellent.
Culinary history.
In the old days (before cars and trucks), menus were tied to what was available. Along the coast, it was seafood. In the fertile plains and valleys, it was more beef, cow’s milk cheese, and local produce. While in the higher elevations, goat and sheep prospered and eventually became dinner.
The climate, or more specifically the rain in the mountains, unusual for Greek islands, supported cattle breeding. Naxos was years ahead of other islands in making products from cow’s milk and serving beef. A taste Naxos still leads other islands in.
Today, thanks to transportation and better refrigeration, you find the three different menus are everywhere.
Breakfast
Thank goodness we are not Greek, as many of them have a Greek coffee and a piece of toast for breakfast. If you are at a hotel, chances are breakfast is included and will consist of Greek yogurt with local honey, fruits, cheeses, and sweet and savory pies (a local ingredient stuffing wrapped in phyllo dough.)
They will also have juice (from local citrus trees), tea, and usually something similar to American coffee.
If your lodging does not include breakfast (even if it does) make your way to the old Bakery in Naxos Town’s old section, it also goes by the name Velonis Bakery (O Fournos tou Veloni.) Here is one of the last wood-burning ovens still in use. The smells coming out of this place will force you to sample something hot out of the oven. It is near the cathedral. The alleyways of the Chora (old section) don’t have names, so I cannot give you an address.
Lunch.
Lunch is not the big meal of the day as in some European countries. Sundays at Mama’s is a whole different lunch.
Gyros, souvlaki, and salads are typical entrees. Make sure to try the Naxian sweet tomato for a taste Naxos does so well.
And there are the cheese spreads and some of the local cheeses:
- Arseniko – has a strong flavor and a hard texture. It is made from sheep and goat milk and is excellent for grating.
- Myzithra – is a whey cheese from sheep or cow’s milk. It has a lightly salted taste.
- Xynomyzithra – is a goat’s milk cheese that is rich, creamy, and leaves a small sour aftertaste. As they do not heat the milk, it has a short life, and you need to eat it right away.
- Xynotyro – Xyno means sour. For this cheese, they take Xynomyzithra cheese, let it dry out and harden, before adding to the cheese. A more potent, bitter taste.
- Gravieraem Naxos – is the Cadillac of cheeses. A sweet, buttery cow’s milk cheese. It is the only cheese on the island with a P.O.D. designation.
Taste Naxos Zamboni. This meat is the local cured pork leg. It is something you should try at lunch or maybe as an appetizer later. With some local cheese…
Dinner
Dinner comes later for the locals and visiting Greeks. They may have meze with a glass of wine around 6:00 pm with a meal after 8:00.
Traditional entrees reflect the old-time menus. They are available in most places now, but they have roots from specific areas of the island.
Something else that makes Naxos special. There are very few celebrity chefs here. Many of the “head chefs” are between 60 and 80 years old and respond to the title mom — no fufu, foam, or faux food on these plates. Here you taste Naxos in all its traditional simplicity.
From the highlands you have:
- Goat roasted with Naxian potatoes. (The island’s spuds have Protected Geographical Indication status.)
- Braised goat with macaroni.
- The roosters are free-range, and they braise them slowly in local wine.
- Rabbits take a long hot soak in lemon until the meat falls off the bone.
From the pasturelands and valleys:
- Pig rosto – is a pork leg stuffed with garlic and then slowly braised in wine.
- Pork fricassee – is served with local provatsa (aka amarando.) This green is sea-lavender, and they use the leafy part.
- Veal stew spends the whole day in a pot with eggplant and local cheeses.
- And the before mentioned fresh vegetables and fruits.
From the seaside:
- A broad array of Fresh fish.
- Gavros Marinatos is the local fresh anchovies marinated in vinegar or lemon juice.
- Lobster by itself or with pasta.
- And something that appears on almost any Greek island menu, grilled octopus.
Something else that sets Naxian cuisine apart is that olive oil is not the only thing they use for frying. Many of the recipes from the pasturelands include butter, which, on a farm, is more in supply than olive oil. The olive trees grow better in other climates. Butter or olive oil, they are delicious.
Desserts
You will find the staples such as baklava and gelato (not really Greek.) However, there are three desserts famous for the taste Naxos has given them.
- Karidopita – is a Greek walnut cake that they soak in sweet syrup. Somewhat like a cake version of baklava.
- Melachrino – is a cake similar to the walnut cake, but with the local Citron, liqueur added to the batter as a flavoring.
- Kaimaki ice cream – is made with mastic-resin (the teardrops of Chios) salep (a thickening agent) and sheep’s milk. It has a unique texture and flavor. They serve it alone, with spoon sweets (jam) or with the walnut cake.
Naxos is not the only location in Greece to find these desserts, but the island has put a great twist on them.
Local Wines
It is not unusual to see grapevines in the garden, on a trellis on the patio, or behind rock walls outside of hillside villages. The “best” grapes come from the area surrounding the hillside village of Koronida, in the mountains of the north. A stop for a glass if passing through is highly recommended. You must taste Naxos wine.
This island is the home of Dionysos, the god of wine, so the wine must pour from the faucets, right? Although wine flows freely on this island, finding a good bottle of local wine to purchase is another adventure. It is possible, but it is not as simple as you might think. But don’t panic.
There are a few local producers who bottle their wine and sell it in the local stores and restaurants. It’s good. In the markets, you can find recycled plastic containers with local wine made by the proprietor or his friend. Some are 3 euro a bottle. You get what you pay…
Taste Naxos Wine 101
There are some wine-focused shops in the Chora which can help you weave your way through the local wines. Many of the local wines have an alcohol content that may bring on another type of weaving. Tasting with a local expert is a great experience, and I think it is a requirement as wine breaks down communication barriers.
For the island of wine, there is quite a bit of only OK wine.
What about winery visits? There is a family-run winery in northern Naxos that I have tried several times to visit by calling ahead. It says to call for reservations. Each time, they tell me, “no,” and the last time I was told, “no one visits.” I try not to take it too personally and may purchase a bottle of their wine at a store to drink while I console myself.
One of my pet peeves about the Cycladic islands is that there are almost no wineries, dairies, or farms that you can visit. Even “foodie” tours usually go to a shop to sample. I would guess that many places are not big enough or with enough help to handle a visitor center.
Another thought is since English is not necessarily a second language on this non-touristy island, they avoid difficult conversations by not opening their front doors. I hope this is something that can change in the future as the locals are part of the local products.
I May Whine.
So what do I do? I order the house wine at lunch and dinner. Chances are, the owner of the establishment knows precisely where those grapes began growing. I believe wine from the same area as the rest of your meal tastes better.
If you are looking for California wines, go to California. In the fancier restaurants, you can order bottles, but chances are, they are from nearby Paros. They have tasty wines, but they are not “local,” And they offer the OK local wines. That’s why a visit to a wine shop early in your stay is so important.
Wine Types.
The two predominant grapes on the island are:
- Assyrtiko – Greece’s super white grape variety that can hold up under the many different climates Greece throws at it.
- Mandilaria – is an indigenous grape to the Greek Islands and is found in a majority of their red wines.
Local Liqueurs
Every city, town, village, island, taverna has their grappa. And when in Greece… It is an acquired taste, so start small, with a glass of water nearby.
But Naxos has a local liqueur you should sample that no one else has. It carries the P.D.O. (Protected Designation of Origin) label.
Kitron – is a liqueur made from pure alcohol in which they steep the leaves of the Citron tree. The leaves have a potent oil that is released. The Citron is similar to a lemon but with a taste all its own. Originally going by the name median apple in ancient times, it was popular in Middle Eastern cuisine. The high acidity works as a flavor enhancer.
Many places make their own. My taste buds are still not ready for most of those. In Chalki, there is a distillery where the Vallindras family has been making it for more than 120 years. If you’re in Chalki, stop by for a tasting. If not, you can find it in most shops selling liqueurs. I recommend starting your Kitron experience with the known brand.
Taste Naxos Summary.
Although you cannot visit production sites in too many locations, you can see the nearby villages and sample in the tavernas. Local wine, cheeses, fresh produce, and the local grilled meats will give you enough reasons to return.
To read more about Greek Cuisine.