Greek Food & Drink

Greek Food

Greek cuisine is a Mediterranean cuisine. Contemporary Greek cookery makes wide use of vegetables, olive oil, grains, fish, wine and meat. Other important ingredients include olives, pasta, cheese, lemon juice, herbs, bread and yoghurt. The most commonly used grain is wheat; barley is also used. Common dessert ingredients include nuts, honey, fruits and filo pastries.

It is strongly influenced by Ottoman cuisine and, especially in the cuisine of Anatolian Greeks, shares foods such as baklava, tzatziki, gyros, moussaka, dolmades and keftedes with neighbouring countries. To an even greater extent, it is influenced by Italian cuisine and cuisines from other neighbouring southern European countries.

Karpathos has one of the most distinctive food traditions in the Dodecanese, with strong mountain-village influences and recipes that survived because many villages stayed isolated for centuries.

Some of the most local Karpathian specialties are:

• Makarounes — the island’s iconic handmade pasta, usually served with caramelized onion and local goat cheese (“sitaka”). This is probably the signature dish of Karpathos.
• Sitaka — a unique fermented creamy goat/sheep dairy product somewhere between butter, cheese, and yogurt. Very specific to Karpathos.
• Menetes pies — small fried cheese pies from the village of Menetes.
• Koufeto — wedding sweet made from honey and almonds; famous throughout Karpathos.
• Pitaroudia — chickpea fritters with herbs, common in the Dodecanese but especially popular on Karpathos.
• Kapamas — goat stuffed with rice, liver, and spices, slow-cooked for festivals and weddings.
• Ofto — goat or lamb roasted in a wood oven for many hours.
• Dolmades with anthotyro — vine leaves stuffed with local soft cheese instead of meat.
• Xilopites — rustic handmade pasta strips used in soups and stews.
• Trahanas — fermented wheat pasta/grain used in soups.
• Fresh fish and octopus — especially grilled octopus and fish baked with olive oil and tomato.
• Myrmizi — cracked wheat or bulgur dish mixed with local cheese and butter.
• Psilorites bread rusks with olive oil, tomato, oregano, and local cheese.
• Honey and thyme products — Karpathos thyme honey is highly regarded.

Wine & Drinks 

Karpathos has a small but very distinctive local drinking culture centered on homemade spirits, village wine, herbs, and honey-based drinks.

Some traditional local drinks include:

• Souma — the island’s best-known spirit. It’s a strong grape-distilled drink similar to raki/tsikoudia, usually homemade and served at festivals, weddings, and village celebrations.
• Karpathian wine — traditionally rustic homemade wine from small family vineyards, especially red varieties grown in mountain terraces.
• Rakomezé-style herb infusions — souma infused with local herbs like sage, thyme, oregano, or dictamnus-like mountain herbs.
• Honey rakomelo — warm souma mixed with thyme honey, cinnamon, and cloves, especially in cooler months.