Karpathos~A Food Lover’s Paradise
Olympos woman stuffing zucchini flowers
Our Karpathos getaway travels into the island’s kitchens this week for a look at the unique style of cooking that makes Kukla’s Kouzina tick!
Step into our kouzina and learn about what makes our cuisine so different from the other corners of Greece, and what makes it so irresistible.
Last week you got to see the beauty of Karpathos, this week you get to taste it!
Kalos orisate! (kah-LOHS oh-REE-sah-teh) Welcome!
Step into our kouzina and learn about what makes our cuisine so different from the other corners of Greece, and what makes it so irresistible.
Last week you got to see the beauty of Karpathos, this week you get to taste it!
Kalos orisate! (kah-LOHS oh-REE-sah-teh) Welcome!
Mythological Proportions
Karpathian cuisine is as awe-inspiring as the Titans, the elder gods who made Karpathos their home. The island's history dates as far back as 2500 B.C. and its occupation by numerous peoples and their cultures is reflected in its cuisine. This history tells the story of pieces of a puzzle that, over centuries, came together to form what is now known as Karpathian cuisine.
This cuisine's diversity is an effect of not only climate and location, but also of occupation by various civilizations recurring throughout time as a result of wars and invasions.
Records show that Karpathos was inhabited by numerous outside cultures which began in Neolithic times with the Minoans, who introduced a variety of foods from the sea, as well as savory olives and their complex flavorful oils, herbs such as oregano, and thyme-scented honey.
The Minoans were followed by the Mycenaeans, whose culture was rich in farm-fresh, as well as dried, fruits and vegetables, sheep and goat dairy products, game meats, chicken, celery, cardamom, mint, and fennel. Then the Phoenicians transported wine to the island’s shores. The Dorians came next with their Spartan diet of olive oil, garlic, pomegranates, figs, whole grains, apples, grapes, flax seeds, lentils, and a number of other high-nutrient staples we now refer to as superfoods. The Romans arrived with barley, millet, wheat, and cheese, all of which were infused with honey in certain recipes. The Venetians instituted pasta into the Karpathian diet, which led to the creation of pastitsio. And the language of the Ottomans inspired recipe names such as moussaka, tzatziki, giouvarlakia, keftedes, and mboureki. There was even a Genovese basil-loving pirate, Moresco, who ruled over the island! Aromas of citrus, allspice, cinnamon, and crystallized vanilla dominate Karpathian cooking, and it is unknown whether they sprouted here and were taught to others or vice versa. Tomatoes became incorporated into Greek cuisine in the late nineteenth century and were widely used in Dodecanese cooking during the Italian occupation from 1911 to 1947, and still are today. This is just one element exclusive to the nature of cooking in this area.
The Italian occupation resulted in a marriage between the two styles of cooking, and this melding is well represented in the meals you’ll encounter on this island, like pasta with meat sauce or makarounes. Some restaurants feature both cuisines and you’ll see items like shrimp parmigiana and pizza on the menu alongside moussaka and souvlaki.
These influences, combined with the island’s faithful native roots, have made Karpathos incomparable in its novel style and preparation of food, creating a culinary icon that lives only on this distinct island and is enhanced in the pages of our cookbook.
This cuisine's diversity is an effect of not only climate and location, but also of occupation by various civilizations recurring throughout time as a result of wars and invasions.
Records show that Karpathos was inhabited by numerous outside cultures which began in Neolithic times with the Minoans, who introduced a variety of foods from the sea, as well as savory olives and their complex flavorful oils, herbs such as oregano, and thyme-scented honey.
The Minoans were followed by the Mycenaeans, whose culture was rich in farm-fresh, as well as dried, fruits and vegetables, sheep and goat dairy products, game meats, chicken, celery, cardamom, mint, and fennel. Then the Phoenicians transported wine to the island’s shores. The Dorians came next with their Spartan diet of olive oil, garlic, pomegranates, figs, whole grains, apples, grapes, flax seeds, lentils, and a number of other high-nutrient staples we now refer to as superfoods. The Romans arrived with barley, millet, wheat, and cheese, all of which were infused with honey in certain recipes. The Venetians instituted pasta into the Karpathian diet, which led to the creation of pastitsio. And the language of the Ottomans inspired recipe names such as moussaka, tzatziki, giouvarlakia, keftedes, and mboureki. There was even a Genovese basil-loving pirate, Moresco, who ruled over the island! Aromas of citrus, allspice, cinnamon, and crystallized vanilla dominate Karpathian cooking, and it is unknown whether they sprouted here and were taught to others or vice versa. Tomatoes became incorporated into Greek cuisine in the late nineteenth century and were widely used in Dodecanese cooking during the Italian occupation from 1911 to 1947, and still are today. This is just one element exclusive to the nature of cooking in this area.
The Italian occupation resulted in a marriage between the two styles of cooking, and this melding is well represented in the meals you’ll encounter on this island, like pasta with meat sauce or makarounes. Some restaurants feature both cuisines and you’ll see items like shrimp parmigiana and pizza on the menu alongside moussaka and souvlaki.
These influences, combined with the island’s faithful native roots, have made Karpathos incomparable in its novel style and preparation of food, creating a culinary icon that lives only on this distinct island and is enhanced in the pages of our cookbook.
cooking a goat in an outdoor kettle, Karpathos
baking bread in an outdoor stone oven, Olympos
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Keeping up with the Karpathians
To become truly familiar with a culture one must live with its natives, breathe the same air, and of course, sample its foods. Foods reveal a story of the people who create them—cultures of the sea have diets abundant in fish, those inland take from the earth, and their use of spices reflects the passion they happily share. On Karpathos, all these elements combine to tell the tale of a civilization with a generous lifestyle that makes every day a celebration.
The recipes born here reflect their heritage and maintain an originality that sets them apart from standard Greek cuisine. Foods also vary by location on the island, as some are extracted from the unspoiled mountain village of Olympos that remains frozen in time, others from the inland farming town of Volada. Then there's the picturesque, age-old fishing port of Finiki that can’t be beat when it comes to seafood. Eating on this island is truly a slice of heaven of which the myths only hint! |
fishing boat, Finiki
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fresh catch, Finiki
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A Dish by any Other Name
The differences between Karpathian cooking and mainstream Greek cuisine are apparent in a number of dishes that share a common name but actually have their own distinct food personalities. The following examples are proof positive that a rose, or dish, by any other name is just as sweet…or savory.
Spanakopites Karpathikes (Karpathian spinach pies)
Savory spanakopites Karpathikes do not mimic the well-known spanakopita but exhibit their own distinctive, undeniable charm. Spice-scented homemade dough half-moons are filled with a spinach, rice, and onion mixture that is lightly flavored with lemon juice and herbs (no cheese in these, and you won’t miss it!). These individual pies are baked until risen, golden and seriously aromatic.
On the island, especially in Olympos, baking is done in stone or brick communal ovens outside of the home. The food not only tastes better but it keeps the house cool…seriously important when it’s warm-to-hot most of the year. A classic case of If you can't stand the heat, take it out of the kitchen!
On the island, especially in Olympos, baking is done in stone or brick communal ovens outside of the home. The food not only tastes better but it keeps the house cool…seriously important when it’s warm-to-hot most of the year. A classic case of If you can't stand the heat, take it out of the kitchen!
communal outdoor brick oven, Olympos
Makarounes (pronounced mah-ka-ROO-nes)
In the world of everyday pasta dishes, most people think of a tomato-based sauce. In Karpathos, pasta takes on a whole new meaning. Makarounes, an island specialty, is a peasant dish whose star ingredient is a homemade, finger-rolled, shell-shaped pasta (similar to cavatelli). The makarounes are cooked, then tossed with onion and garlic that were sautéed in olive oil, and topped with grated hard myzithra cheese (sheep and/or goat’s milk). Although this sounds too simple to fall into the realm of Greek cuisine, one forkful will prove that you don’t need a dozen ingredients and hours slaving over a hot stove to make a delicious Karpathian dish. Quick, easy, and entirely satisfying!
makarounes, first scored with the tines of a fork, then rolled with fingertips.
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cooked makarounes tossed with sautéed onion and garlic, then topped with grated myzithra
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Arnaki Kleftiko (slow-baked spring lamb, pronounced ahr-NAH-kee KLEF-tee-koh)
In Greek, kleftiko means stolen. In Karpathian history, thieves (kleftes) lived hidden in the mountains and would steal a lamb or goat, then they'd slow-cook the meat (up to 24 hours) in the ground in a sealed pit so there would be no smell, no visible smoke, and no sign of a stolen animal. The meat was so tender and delicious that the recipe was passed down through the generations and was named after the thieves. In Karpathos, kleftiko is still made the old-fashioned way (isn’t that usually the best?), on the bone, marinated in garlic and lemon juice, and slow-baked in a pit-oven. Sometimes it's wrapped in parchment and baked in a clay pot.
Left: arnaki kleftiko baked in a pit (the meat is so tender it falls off the bone). Right: kleftiko wrapped in parchment and baked in a clay pot.
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Mbaklavas Karpathikos (Karpathian baklava)
Unlike mainland baklava, mbaklavas Karpathikos is made with an olive oil-based pastry dough that is rolled into a spiral of thin layers, then sliced, and deep fried. Once drained and cooled, the diamond-shaped, flaky slices are drenched in a fragrant, spiced honey syrup and sprinkled with walnuts. Made for special celebrations, these extraordinary treats are piled high on trays, wrapped in colorful cellophane and tied with elaborate bows. When dining on the island, you can find these at just about every restaurant and it’s the first thing on the menu at bakeries.
Karpathian baklava
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traditional baklava
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kouloures
psilokouloura
sweet kouloures
Olympos woman rolling out the dough for spanakopites
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Other must-try indigenous foods you’ll find on the island include full-cream cheeses like salty almotyri (armotyri) and spiced meriari served with a variety of rustic bread loaves and kouloures (donut-shaped biscuits made with wheat, barley, or a combination of both), psilokouloura (thin, sesame-covered, olive-oil breadsticks), kouloumbotes olives, ofto (baked lamb or goat stuffed with rice), skaros yahni (baked fish) or “Karpathian fish” as the locals call it because the skaros fish can only be found in the Karpathian sea, kavroumas (strips of pig meat, similar to bacon, that are fried and served with bread), lahanopita (cabbage pie), drilla (a thick goat’s-milk sour cream), vyzanti (lamb stuffed with bulgur or rice and baked in a wood-burning oven), and hondros (meat prepared with bulgur).
Pastries are also abundant and include xylikopites (pies made with creamed cheese, honey and sugar), sweet tourtes or sitakopita/myzithropita (mini pies or tray-sized pie prepared with locally-made sheep’s and/or goat’s-milk sitaka or myzithra cheeses), alevria cookies (the dough is kneaded in honey and butter), sisamomeli (a sesame-and-honey confection served at weddings), and poungia (Carnival spiced cheese crescents with honey). 
Olympos baker stringing kouloures to dry after baking
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Farm to Table ~ the Original Movement
beekeeper
Karpathian thyme honey
fresh figs
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Food in Karpathos is prepared using homegrown ingredients. It’s been that way for centuries because, as an isolated island, it’s difficult to get supplies from the mainland. There are also very few markets on the island so when ingredients are needed, the natives go to the source.
Thyme honey comes from their bee farms and is extracted from their own honeycombs. Fruit and vegetables are grown organically. Cheese is made from the milk of their sheep and goats. Bread is baked using their own grains that are ground in their gristmills powered by the wind. If you’re eating in Karpathos, most of the ingredients are as local as local gets. This is the purest form of the farm-to-table movement, and it started here! |
basil
wild artichoke
zucchini flowers
gristmill inside of windmill, Olympos
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We hope you enjoyed our Karpathian kitchen raid. In next week's blog Tavernas & Restaurants of Karpathos, we'll take you into the best tavernas and restaurants in Karpathos where the foods we just talked about leap off the menus, and the hosts make you feel right at home! For our classic Karpathian recipe for Kritamo Toursi, check out Pickling~Greek Island Style.
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Until then~
Kali orexi! Good appetite!
Kelly
Sign up for our e-newsletter (if you haven’t already) and stay connected on social media for cooking tips and recipes, as well as for all Kukla's Kouzina updates and news.
Thanks for following us and we’ll see you next Monday!
Until then~
Kali orexi! Good appetite!
Kelly
Copyright © Kukla's Kouzina: A Gourmet Journey~Greek Island Style / The Naked Truth About...Greek Cooking!
Web design by Kelly Salonica Staikopoulos
Web design by Kelly Salonica Staikopoulos
