12 Mouth-Watering Greek Island Dishes You Absolutely Need To Try
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We don’t know about you, but one of our favorite things when traveling is discovering new and exciting flavors, and traditional Greek cuisine has to be one of the most diverse and exciting. A feast for the senses, Greek food satisfies the soul and warms the heart. However, it’s easy to fall into the trap of trying the same food everywhere.
If we told you to think about Greek food, you’d likely imagine horiatiki (Greek salad), moussaka, and gyros. While these are all delicious, Greece has so much more to offer. Almost all the Greek islands are renowned for serving dishes unique to the island. To learn more, here are 12 tasty dishes to discover on the Greek islands.
Chochlioi boubouristi – Crete
Let’s start with a hearty dish commonly eaten on the island of Crete. Chochlioi boubouristi is a fried snail dish that goes to show that snails are not only held in such high regard by the French. Snails have been a staple of the Cretan diet for thousands of years.
In Crete, the snails are coated in flour, pan-fried in hot oil, bathed in wine, and seasoned with rosemary. Traditionally, the snails used in this dish would be hand-collected after rainfall. Today, heliciculture is a big business on the island, with multiple snail farms providing local restaurants with their snails. Many local families and restaurants also make snails “stifado,” meaning a hearty stew.
Read also: Best Traditional Greek Dishes
Pastitsada – Corfu
Often associated with the island of Corfu, Patitsada is a Greek specialty consisting of pasta topped with braised meat and a spicy tomato-based sauce. This stew-like recipe is usually made using beef or veal but can also be made using chicken. It’s a surprisingly easy dish to make and is served all over the island.
To make pastitsada, the chef cooks their choice of meat in fresh or canned tomatoes, olive oil, garlic, onions, white wine, and various seasonings, including black pepper and salt. Once cooked, the braised meat and sauce are commonly served over bucatini pasta. This aromatic, comforting, and flavorful dish in Corfu is the perfect Saturday night dinner.
Read also: Corfu Travel Guide
Dolmadakia – Kasos
You may have previously heard of or tasted dolmades or dolmadakia. This traditional dish sees vine leaves stuffed with a delicious filling, forming a sushi-like roll filled with goodness. The origins of this dish are hotly debated, as it’s widespread across the Mediterranean.
However, no matter who tries to claim it next, we’d always argue the best dolmades are found in Kasos, the small island near Karpathos and between Rhodes and Crete. These Greek light bites are a delicious appetizer with sweet, zesty, and earthy flavors that will set you up nicely for your main course. In Kasos, dolmadakia are tiny and stuffed with rice and herbs and dipped in a sweet and flavorful tomato sauce. Some dolmadakia recipes also include minced beef or pork.
Read also: Best Places in Greece for Expats
Fourtalia (Greek Omelet) – Andros
Admittedly, it might not sound as exciting as other dishes on our list, but fourtalia, the Greek omelet that originates in Andros, is incredibly delicious. Many women on the island call this dish ‘the lazy man’s dish’ because it’s easy to make. Nevertheless, it’s perfect for a hearty breakfast or an excellent go-to dinner.
This omelet is usually cooked in a frying pan with sausage, cut potatoes, eggs (obviously), and sprinklings of spearmint and oregano. In addition, some Greeks also add zucchini, artichokes, and fava beans. The result is a tasty omelet that rivals the very best Spanish tortillas. Some locals serve their omelet with a glass of village wine and a Greek salad.
Read also: Best Greek Islands for Nature Trips
Ladenia – Kimolos
The following recipe is a big hit on the island of Kimolos, southwest of the Cyclades. Ladenia is a traditional Greek flatbread or focaccia and perhaps a precursor to pizza. However, don’t let anyone from the island hear us say that. As far as village food goes, nothing tops it—pardon the pun!
It has a thick, soft, and fluffy dough characterized by its simple but flavorful toppings. Ladenia can be topped with various toppings, but it’s almost always covered in fresh heirloom tomatoes, extra virgin olive oil, and oregano. Other ingredients to top Ladenia include cured meats like pastrami, feta cheese, Kalamata olives, and red onion.
Read also: Beautiful Places To Visit in Greece Beyond Athens
Fytoura – Zakynthos
Fytoura is a traditional sweet treat loved on the island of Zakynthos. A popular dessert, it’s a Greek fried semolina pudding made with semolina, a type of flour, and sprinkled with sugar and cinnamon. These delicious mini-pies are often compared to halva and bougatsa (sweet custard pie).
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While fytoura is best enjoyed in a traditional Greek restaurant in Zakynthos, its simple recipe does make it easier for you to make it at home. The ingredients needed to make fytoura are water, crystal sugar, coarse semolina, butter, rose water, salt, sunflower oil, and cinnamon. However, if you’re anything like us, you’d prefer to leave it to the professionals.
Read also: Amazing Cities in Greece
Skordostoumbi – Zakynthos
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Another popular dish you must try during your visit to Zakynthos is skordostoumbi, occasionally dubbed ‘Zakynthos garlicky eggplant.’ This authentic Ionian island recipe is the perfect example of beautiful Mediterranean diet cooking. The ingredients are simple, but the flavors are out of this world.
This plant-based Greek recipe translates to “stuffed with garlic.” You can expect a yummy sweet and sour vegetable dish with stuffed aubergines, crumbled feta, tomato and vinegar sauce, and freshly chopped herbs if you order it. On its own, this dish isn’t usually very filling, which is why it’s often served with pita bread.
Read also: Incredible Greek Islands Beyond Santorini
Pitarakia – Milos
Milos is a beautiful Greek island in the Aegean Sea best known for its pristine beaches and volcanic landscape. However, we love the island more for its Greek cheese pies, known locally as pitarakia. Pitarakia are mini fried cheese pies most commonly made with handmade pastry, onion, and local cheese, such as manoura.
This dish is also made in Crete, but the two recipes differ. The main difference between the two is the types of cheeses used because both recipes use local cheese. The Cretan version of this recipe uses mizithra. In Milos, if local cheese isn’t available, most residents and chefs replace it with feta. This dish can be served as an appetizer, breakfast, or snack.
Read also: Surreal Places in Greece
Ntomatokeftedes – Santorini
Ntomatokeftedes, also called tomato keftedes, is a popular appetizer on the Greek island of Santorini. While Santorini is most famous for its stunning landscape, world-famous viewpoints, and fiery sunsets, it would be a travesty to miss this tasty light bite during your visit. If you missed them during your visit, you must return immediately.
Tomatokeftedes are fried tomato balls made by frying crushed or pureed tomatoes in oil. Most recipes include ingredients like zucchini, onion, and feta cheese to enhance the overall flavor and texture of the dish. This crispy appetizer is then taken to a new level with the addition of herbs and spices like oregano, mint, and paprika.
Read also: Best Things To Do in Santorini
Sefoukloti – Naxos
The food in Naxos is one of the main reasons people visit the island. It produces a fascinating variety of local products and exquisite dishes that shouldn’t be missed. One dish you don’t want to miss is sefoukloti, arguably one of the most unique dishes in Greece.
Sefoukloti is Greek for chard, a type of green leafy vegetable. In Naxos, the word sefoukloti describes a chard and spinach pie that combines savory greens with the sweet flavors of local honey and cinnamon’s sweet and woody flavor. As if that wasn’t enough, the recipe also often contains raisins and lemon juice. Trust us, this is a flavor sensation you have to try.
Read also: Naxos Travel Guide
Revithada – Sifnos
The penultimate Greek island recipe on our list is revithada from Sifnos. This super simple and easy-to-make chickpea stew is on the menu in most authentic Sifnos restaurants. The most basic and traditional version uses chickpeas, olives, onion, flour, salt, and cold water. Some local recipes also use sage and black pepper.
While this may be a simple recipe, the results are fantastic. You can expect a wholesome chickpea dish jam-packed with plant-based protein, fiber, healthy fats, and complex carbohydrates. After baking for four hours in an oven, the chickpeas also have a beautifully soft texture. It’s worth noting that revithada is suitable for vegetarians and vegans.
Read also: Most Beautiful Greek Islands
Bakaliaropita – Kefalonia
The final recipe on our list is a must-try if you’re lucky enough to visit Kefalonia. Bakaliaropita is a gorgeous fish pie recipe using one of Greece’s staple ingredients: salted cod. Bakaliaropita can also be made using octopus, but the salted cod has an unbeatable sweet and slightly salty flavor that tastes perfect in this pie recipe.
To make the pie, the cod is first soaked in water for 24 hours to remove the salt in which the fish has been cured. It is then mixed with tomatoes, herbs, olive oil, and rice and baked in a tray with homemade pita dough. The only thing that makes this dish better is a crisp glass of white wine.
Read also: Best Party Islands in Greece
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