The 3 Best Greek Foodie Islands
It’s somewhat of an exercise in futility, and a surefire way to upset most everyone, but we’ll take a shot at it and attempt to guide you through the 3 best foodie islands in Greece. We know, we’ll probably never hear the end of this but here goes.
Sifnos
We start with what many consider to be the cradle of Greek cooking; the island of Sifnos, the place of origin of Nikolas Tselementes, the Greek pioneering cook who brought a touch of modernity and flair to an otherwise middle-eastern palette, doing to Greece what Paul Bocuse would do in France. Sifnos is a traditional island with few tourists, but it punches above its weight when it comes to its culinary credentials. Its main draw is fish and the ubiquitous fava bean puree. Sifnos also happens to be one of Greece’s main pottery epicenters, so Sifnian dishes tend to utilize large clay pots for the slow cooking of dishes resulting in flavors like no others. The word is out and celebrities like Tom Hanks have been regularly seen dining at Omega 3, one of the best fish eateries in the Mediterranean. The island is also famous for its sweet ‘halvadopites’ and Turkish delight.
Limnos
We hear Limnos is making a splash. This time and tourist forgotten island is a dark horse. With minimal infrastructure and even less desire to cater to tourists, Limnos is slowly becoming The spot. we’re talking slow cooked stews, home-made cheeses, olives, fish and wheat. The island is a volcanic mineral infused utopia where the produce is fresh and out of this world tasty. That makes whichever dish you eat, taste like a kiss from God. Don’t believe us? Go ahead, try the ‘kalathaki’ and ‘melichloro’ cheeses and you’ll experience a spiritual awakening.
Poros
Poros, the sleepy Saronic Island forever looking up to Spetses and Hydra is not to be scoffed at. While it doesn’t boast of a royal lineage like Sifnos, it is low key pretty darn impressive. And as is the case with Lemnos, one of the reasons that’s so, is due to the incredibly fertile soil. Poros town is in fact built on top of an ancient crater and to top it all off, the huge lemon tree forest, the only one in Greece, is a source of magic when the trees blossom. The fragrance of Poros is sensual and opens he appetite.
The 3 Best Greek Foodie Islands
With over 200 populated islands, many of which are microcosms of Greek life and its history and traditions as well as topological differences, the width in the Greek culinary palette is diverse as it is sumptuous. Take a bite out of life.
