Table of Contents
LOCAL PRODUCTS.
RHODIAN SPECIALTIES
BEVERAGES
Wines of Greece. Greek Beer. Greek Spirits.
The island of Rhodes is a favorite destination for foodies. Due to its location near the center of the eastern Mediterranian, its centuries-old recipes have many influences.
The kitchens have been home to Ottoman, Venetians, Franks, and Italian cooks.
At the market are items from Asia, Africa, and Europe. And Rhodes has its unique products. What an epicurean daydream. Come, taste Rhodes.
Taste Rhodes Through Local Products.
P.D.O. (Protected Designation of Origin) products come from a specific area. 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. Only one of its characteristic needs to be from this area. Also, only one part of the production must take place in the region.
Olive Oil
The Rhodians take olive oil very seriously. Maybe that’s why olive oil from the island has the P.G.I. Status. Taste Rhodes olive oil for its low acidity and unique characteristics.
Olives
Olive trees can live more than 2,000 years, although the average life span is “only” 500 years. They do not start producing good fruit until they are 5-6 years old. A mature olive tree will provide around 40 pounds of olives each year. These olives will make about five gallons of olive oil. But they do not use olives just for liquid gold; they are a significant food item as well.
What is the difference between green olives and black olives? A few weeks. They pick the green ones before they are ripe. Other than that, they are the same olive. The green olive receives longer brining as they have more of a bitter taste than the black. However, all olives need brining before you can eat them.
Why eat olives? Well, they contain antioxidants, good fat, fiber, and vitamin E. Also, they have polyphenols which help memory. (Make a note of this.) Oleic acids that keep skin soft and healthy. And the oil contains oleocanthal, which is a natural anti-inflammatory. Did you know a few olives before lunch or dinner will send the brain messages of fullness and satisfaction?
Local Cheese
Rhodes does not have any P.D.O. Cheese (yet), but they do make cheese on the island. The majority of the cheeses are from goat or sheep milk and include Cream Cheese and the Gruyere of Rhodes. Always try the local first.
If driving around the middle of the island, check the small mountainous villages if they have local cheese.
Stop at one of the local bakeries to get something to go with your cheese. Local specialties include the Rusk’s (for topping), olive, onion, or anise bread if they have them, taste Rhodes barley pretzel.
Honey
Due to the ecosystem of the island, the bees collect pollen from both the local pine trees flowers and herbs. These include Thyme, Pine Tree, Flower, and Eryka Honey. Each has a unique flavor. Taste Rhodes honey alone or over local yogurt. They have a bee museum for those really into honey.
They use the local honey in a P.G.I. product, the Melekouni P.G.I. – Honey Bars. This mixture is toasted sesame seeds and honey. Ladies would make them for a wedding or special occasion.
Fruits
Although they are not native to the island, or the only island growing them, Rhodes excels in the following fruits.
- Watermelon and Melon
- Orange, Tangerine, Lemon – the jams and sweets they make with these as well.
- The paste of Kaisi – is a paste from apricots. They use it as a spoon sweet.
- Cyclamen – is a flowering plant that grows on the island. They boil the middle of the bulbs, add sugar and nutmeg for a spoon sweet.
Vegetables
- Avranies – are a local type of wild asparagus. They cook it in oil and onions and top with a lemon sauce.
- Tomatoes are delicious.
The other fruits and vegetables they produce you can find on many islands. Due to the many water sources on the island, they can grow most of what they need and export some.
Rhode Specialties.
Meze (appetizers)
- Pitaroudia – Are pies with chickpea dough that they fry. They garnish with tomato, onion, and mint. This combination is a taste Rhodes does so well.
- Karavoloi Giachnist – are snails they cook with onion, olive oil, tomato, pepper, bay leaf, and cumin.
- Chtapodokeftedes – are octopus balls they fry and serve with lemon tahini sauce. They cook and mince the octopus meat, before adding the breadcrumbs and egg.
- Giaprakia – is a Lindos’ specialty. It is a mixture of minced beef, rice, and tomato; they wrap in vine leaves.
- Amarangoi – are daisy shoots they boil in vinegar. They serve it with skordalia (a garlic potato puree)
Meats
- Lacan – is beef, lamb, or goat that slowly braises with wheat (chondros) in a clay pot called a Lacan (Lacani.) This presentation is not an exclusive dish to the island but taste Rhodes
- version.
- Ornitha me loukoumi – is chicken they stuff with rice, giblets, onion, and herbs before boiling. They serve it with chylopites pasta.
- Meat and vegetable entrada – is a slowly-roasted entree using its juices.
- Katsiki stifado – is a lamb stew over rice with cinnamon.
- Chicken with porridge – uses local rice or pasta.
- Spetzofai – is sausages they bake with peppers and onions.
- Hen with loukoumi – is a tender hen with pasta.
- Rabbit stew – They marinade rabbit before slow-cooking it with wine, carrots, and onions.
Seafood
- Psaria (fish) marinata – is fresh fish they marinate in olive oil with fresh rosemary, salt, vinegar, and pepper.
- Psaria tiganita – is a fried fish with a tomato sauce with wheat.
Vegetables
- Stuffed vegetables – include tomatoes, peppers, zucchinis, and courgette (eggplant) flowers.
- Kolokoudi – is a red pumpkin with onion and mint, they bake in the oven.
- Green-red pole beans – they simmer with tomato and pepper,
Pasta
Pasta appears in Greek mythology long before the Italians began conquering. However, it was not the main staple of their diet, and the primary use was as a dish at funerals. The name is makaria. (as in makaria and cheese?)
In Ancient Greece, (1000 B.C.) Lagana was a dough from flour and water, which they cut into strips. Upon its arrival in the Greek colonies around the 8th century B.C., it took on the Latin name laganum.
- Groats, (Pirgouri) – is a bulgur wheat pilaf. Often made with Tsirigia (pork fat and drippings.) This taste Rhodes does well.
- Trachana – is a short pasta they make with un-refined wheat, milk, salt, and egg.
- Chylopites (Hilopites) – are egg noodles, wide like linguine, that they cut into small pieces.
- Matsi – is a type of local noodle, like makarounia or koulouria. One way they prepare it is to boil the noodle in meat stock. Then toss it in a pan with fresh butter and local cheese. They may top this with beans or lentils. They also call this preparation Matsi, so check when ordering if you are getting noodles or the cheesy dish.
Butter Substitute
- Milla and Tsirigia – come from the pig. It is a piece of fat with a small portion of meat in it. They slowly heat it until the fat melts. Tsirigia is a small piece of pork that remains. Milla is a pure fat they use for flavoring pasta, risotto, and other foods. They even spread it on bread and then sprinkle salt or sugar on it.
Desserts
- Katimeria – is the Rhode’s version of loukoumades, Greek dough fritters dripping with local honey. They serve them hot or cold.
- Moschopougia – are a mixture of ground almonds, nutmeg, icing sugar, and rosewater. They usually cut these into small bars.
- Takakia – is a pastry with a filling of ground nuts, nutmeg, cinnamon, and clove. Similar to baklava.
- Mouhalebi – is like a spice cake and does not contain any butter or eggs. Originally it was for Agios (Saint) Fanourios day in August. Now you can find it more often. You eat it if you lose something and want to get it back. Taste Rhodes popular dessert.
- Mouhalebi – is a Turkish dessert similar to panacota. It is popular in Rhodes.
- Mantinades – are thin pieces of dough they fry, then soak in honey, rosewater syrup, and sprinkle with crushed almonds.
To Market, To Market
Unfortunately, there is no longer a daily public market. Several day markets pop up around town 3-4 days a week. Check with a local for their days and locations. These are a great place to find and taste Rhodes’s traditional products.
Click the orange link to read more about Greek Cuisine,
Spirits
Souma
Every island has a name for it, tsikoudia, grappa, marc, on Samos, Chios, and Rhodes, they call it Souma. It is the homemade spirit they serve at weddings, special occasions, or they drink on days ending in “Y.”
Some islands use the mash from the grape harvest.
On Rhodes, they use figs. In August, they dry them on the roof. They spend September and October in large barrels with water and yeast for fermenting.
At the end of October, they boil the mixture collecting the steam. The end product is a pure spirit with an alcohol content between 40-45%. A town party celebrates the steaming.
They do not add any cheap alcohol to it (like many commercial ouzo makers.) Therefore, you should not get a hangover when using it in moderation.
They do not add any flavors like star anise. It is a pure alcohol taste with a hint of sweetness at the end.
Moonshine is making a comeback in America. If you have tasted that, this is similar.
Taste Rhodes Beer
Greek-owned breweries disappear when beer conglomerates go on a buying spree in the 1960s.
A little behind other countries, Greece began micro-brewing in the late 1990s. By the early 2000s, Rhodes had its first local brewery. (You can still get the stuff from northern Europe, but you’re not in Amsterdam.)
Today there are more than 50 artesian beers available on Rhodes, although several are seasonal. The majority of breweries are in the Rhodes town area.
Rhodian Wine
Rhodes wines date back to antiquity. Many believe wine cultivation in Greece began on Rhodes. They are finding wine amphorae (pottery for storing wine) from one end of the Mediterranian to the other. These wine pots date back to the 7th-century B.C. and have the Rhodes mark on them.
The Vineyards of Rhodes benefit from 300 + days of sunshine and frequent rainfall. From May to September, there is a cool sea breeze. Although the Phylloxera did reach the shores of Rhodes, it could not live in the limestone terrain. As a result, there are some self-rooted vines of advanced age, especially in the mountains.
Rhodes wine has several distinctions. They are part of the P.G.I. Dodecanese zone which comprises all of the Dodecanese Islands. Currently, only Rhodes, Kos, and Leros islands have organized wineries.
Then, they have P.D.O. distinction
P.D.O. Rhodes – wines covers white, rosé, and red wines. They may be dry, semi-dry, or semi-sweet in flavor.
They also make white and rosé sparkling wines. These fall under brut nature, extra brut, brut, extra-sec, sec, demi-sec, or doux.
Red Wines – use the Mandilaria grape. On Rhodes, they call this grape the Amorgiano, because they believe it came from the island of Amorgos.
As youngsters, these wines are not great. They have aggressive tannins and high acidity. They either need to age or have the addition of smoother wines. If red wine is 100% Amorgiano, then it needs to age. For blending, Mavrathiriko is the usual choice. The wine can have up to 30% non-Amorgiano in the blend.
White Wines – start with a minimum of 70% Athiri grape. They blend with Malagousia and Assyrtiko grapes.
There are Athiri vines over 70 years old, growing from their roots rather than from American rootstocks. If you get a chance to try one, notice the difference in taste.
Other grapes on the island may include Malagousia, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, and Trebbiano for white wines.
Reds include the Grenache Rouge, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Murvèdre, Cinsault, Syrah, or Tempranillo.
They only grow grapes on the western side of the island. The soil and climate make for better wines. The white grapes are at a higher altitude while the reds grow better at lower levels.
P.D.O. Muscat of Rhodes
The other P.D.O. Wine on the island is the Muscat dessert wines. Their indication will be vin naturellement doux or vin doux (sweet) naturel – vin de liqueur. Also, a few of these wines have grand cru indication because they source grapes from privately-owned, low yield vineyards.
They use the Muscat White and Muscat di Trani grapes. Muscat White is a noble variety and favorite on many Mediterranean islands.
Muscat di Trani is a clone of an Italian mainland grape. A gift from the Italians during their occupation. It is from the Muscat a petitgrain variety that grows near the town of Trani.
Wineries
There are two large commercial wineries on the island. The rest are the mom and pops producing enough for themselves and some to sell.
The C.A.I.R. cooperative is in Rhodes town. They are the largest winemaker on the island and have some excellent wines. If you only have time for one wine tasting, this is the place to go.
Embona
If you have a day, make your way to Embona, the “Yountville” of the Rhodes wine region. It is over an hour drive each way from Rhodes Town. The village sits in a valley at the foot of Mt Attavyros, the highest peak on the island. It is on the west side where it receives the sun, moisture, and Aegean breezes. Make sure to stop and taste Rhodes grilled meats at one of the tavernas.
Emery Winery – is the largest winery in town, second largest on the island, and a great place to start. The third generation of the Triantafillou family is running it, and they have several wines to sample.
Dionysos wine tasting is a 2-minute walk from Emery Winery. More of a wine bar on the sidewalk its an excellent location for wine and watching people.
Alexandris Winery – is a 1-minute walk further on the same side of the street. You can do a winery crawl between these three. Please watch for traffic.
Kounaki Winery – is a few minute’s drive further into town. They have been making wine since 1928 and have several delicious ones.
Merkouris Family Winery – is on the S.W. side of town. Stop here for the outstanding wines, and try a taste of their local souma spirit.
Valley Of The Butterflies
Wine Estate of Anastasia Triantafillou. – A perfect stop if you are going to the valley. It will also break up the trip to/from Embona. There is a small restaurant on site.
Taste Rhodes Summary.
Are these all the traditional foods of Rhodes? 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 Rhodes for one or two days and leave with the wrong impression. It is too big to see in two days, and that would be rushing it. Why not plan to spend 3-4 days and see, experience, and taste Rhodes.