Original Greek Cuisine Santorini
Introduction to Greek Food in Santorini
Santorini, with its famous Greek cuisine, is an incredible destination for any traveler looking for beautiful sights and peaceful beaches in Greece – but it’s also the perfect place to satisfy your taste buds!
As with most parts of Greece, the culinary influences on this island are heavily based on traditional recipes handed down through generations.
You can find a lot of delicious Greek dishes around almost every corner here, so it’s easy to immerse yourself in the local cuisine while still feeling at home with familiar Mediterranean favorites.
With fresh ingredients of the island, direct from its farms and fields, there’s no doubt that you’re getting an authentic taste of Greece when dining out in Santorini.
The key is to know what to eat in Santorini during your visit.
Must-Try Traditional Dishes in Santorini
One dish especially worth trying when visiting Santorini is moussaka – a hearty casserole made with fried eggplants layered with minced meat and potatoes topped off by a creamy béchamel sauce before being baked until golden brown.
In Santorini, fava is another must-have meal here; this puree of yellow split peas can be served either hot or cold depending on your preference – served warm with onions and oil, it becomes one of the island’s main appetizers or served cold mixed with cucumbers, it makes for a light summery snack! It is also healthy and nutritious.
Grilled seafood is also prevalent due to its abundance throughout the Aegean Sea.
In Santorini, octopus is cooked over a charcoal fire until, ideally, tenderly takes center stage here, accompanied by other seafood delights such as shrimp and calamari.
And let’s not forget tzatziki – a classic combination of yogurt, garlic, olive oil, and cucumber that goes great alongside almost anything else you order!
Combining Ancient Flavors with Modern Techniques
Although many recipes around Santorini are rooted deep within its long history, some have been adapted to suit modern tastes while remaining true to their origins!
For example, chefs often prepare ‘tomato fritters’ – small pieces of bread dough which are rolled into thin discs and then deep-fried before being covered in grated tomatoes seasoned lightly with oregano salt; this dish dates back centuries but has been reinterpreted many times over since then resulting in different variations offered up today across other restaurants all over town!
Another favorite among locals here is Melitinia – shortbread cakes filled with either walnuts or almonds generally served during special occasions such as weddings or baptisms as part of celebratory feasts – these pastries have become extremely popular among tourists looking for something sweet after dinner too!
Finishing Touches – Sweets & Beverages
The Greeks love their sweets just as much as they do savory dishes – kataifi (shredded pastry stuffed with nuts) is often found on menus around town inside small pastry shops tempting those who pass by its sweet aroma wafting out from within!
Baklava (phyllo pastry layered between chopped nuts) is one of the best classic desserts prepared throughout Greece; however, various interpretations depend on where you go; some are dipped lightly into honey syrup, while others prefer theirs drizzled generously onto each piece!
Of course, no meal would be complete without beverages – ouzo (strong alcoholic drink flavored mainly from aniseed), tsipouro (a similar spirit made from wine grapes), raki (a more robust version of ouzo) along with thick frappe coffees or refreshing juices make up just some options available when deciding what libation corresponds best to your chosen meal selection.
Where to Eat Authentic Greek Cuisine in Santorini
No matter what kind of food you’re looking for during your visit, there’s always something delicious waiting for you at Ilios bakery, one of the best restaurants in Santorini.
Begin your culinary journey with fava from original Santorini’s fava beans, or try saganaki, one of the most popular appetizers in Greece, made from cheese fried in olive oil and lemon juice.
Other delicious options include moussaka – a layered eggplant dish topped with a savory meat sauce – and souvlaki.
These signature dishes will give you an unforgettable taste experience that won’t soon be forgotten!
What to eat in Santorini
Fava Santorini
The Fava Beans are a unique traditional product you will find in most restaurants in Santorini.
The yellow-colored pea comes from the Lathyrus Clymenum flower, growing exclusively in Santorini and Anafi, a small island adjacent to Santorini.
The volcanic soil of the island is probably why this product is cultivated only in Santorini.
That type of fava bean has a more velvet texture and a sweeter taste.
Surprisingly enough, archaeological excavations have revealed grains of fava from the ancient site of Akrotiri, on the southern side of Santorini.
This shows that this product has been cultivated in Santorini for about 3,500 years.
Fava beans are sowed in December and harvested in June. Via a natural process, the beans ripen in underground storehouses for a year.
Afterward, they dry in the sun and get cleaned, peeled, and sliced. Fava beans are sold all over Greece and are also exported abroad.
Fava is considered not only the most traditional product of the island but also constitutes a PDO product of Greece.
The original and best way to savor it is by pureeing it after hours of boiling, pouring virgin olive oil over it, and topping it with minced onion and olives.
Tomatokeftedes (tomato fritters) Santorini
One of the most popular appetizers you can taste in Santorini is the tomato keftedes (tomato fritters), which consist of tomatoes of Santorini, basil, and mint.
Santorini’s famous tomato keftedes (tomato fritters), the Santorinian tomato, has a unique aroma and flavor that will open your appetite before the main meal.
Today, Santorini tomato is one of the typical products of Santorini, and there is a pate factory that gives reasonable hope that the local tomato variety will continue to produce various products.
Where to taste them? Visit Ilios bakery or make an online order.
Santorini Cherry Tomatoes
Santorini is not only famous for its unique beauty but also for its unique cherry tomatoes.
It has a deep red color, and its exterior is somewhat harsh, as opposed to its interior, which is juicy.
Santorini tomatoes are so small that most visitors to the island find it hard to believe they are real tomatoes.
Santorini’s tomatoes are unique and grow exclusively, as its volcanic soil contributes to its production.
The harvest season is a real celebration for the island.
For traditional tomato cultivation, small pits are created on the ground 30cm from each other, where several dried seeds are planted.
Sowing occurs in February, while harvesting occurs from late June to early August.
White eggplant
Another rare product of Santorini Local Food with many comparative advantages is white eggplant.
It has few seeds, does not absorb much oil when fried, and has a delightful taste.
It is the perfect accompaniment to ouzo or wine.
You will find white eggplant in various restaurants on the island, which is worth trying.
Our suggestion is to choose eggplant salad with white aubergines.
Chlorotyri (Chloro Tyri)
The traditional local cheese of Santorini is called “Chlorotyri” and is made of goat’s or sheep’s milk.
Produced in minimal quantities by local producers and therefore challenging to find!
It is creamy and slightly sour, and if you find it somewhere in Santorini, try it anyway!
Chlorotyri is spread on slices of bread or mixed in the salad.
Where to find it? It is a local minimal-production cheese you will only find in Greece.
Melitinia
In Santorini, melitinia are sweet treats offered at various celebrations such as engagements, weddings, and festivals.
Made with unsalted mizithra cheese – similar to ricotta – and yogurt, they are scented with mastiha. Learn about these delicious cheese pastries that are 100 percent made in Santorini.
Deriving from the ancient Greek word melitero, meaning ‘sweet as honey,’ the melitinia are delicious sweet cheese tartlets – similar to the Cretan kaltsounia.
However, Santorini’s version is more delicate and refined. Skillfully pinched by hand, the dough is made of flour, water, salt, butter, or olive oil.
At the same time, the filling is a mixture of fresh mizithra or anthotyro cheese, flour, sugar, eggs, vanilla, and mastiha (or mastic) powder.
Traditionally made on Holy Tuesday for the evening of Easter, melitinia requires time and craftsmanship.
Indeed, rumor has it that the women who make the most pleats in the dough are the best bakers.
And while you can find them in bakeries throughout the island, the homemade options are unique and delectable.
It is a real family affair, with each woman of the household or team given a specific task: one in charge of pinching the dough, one for the filling, and so on.
And suppose you’re visiting the island during Lent. There is also a Lent variety called Dourtouletia, where the filling is honey-roasted almonds rather than cheese.
If you feel like trying one, there are plenty of recipes online, but visit Ilios Bakery to taste the real deal.
Apochti
Apochti is a meat eater’s dream, a traditional pork jerky made from salted pork loin brined in vinegar, then dried and seasoned with pepper and vinegar.
It’s both eaten straight and often as a companion to wine, where it works as a palate cleanser between tasting different varieties and vintages.
It’s also used in many main dish recipes in homes and restaurants across the island.
If you’re a jerky lover, this is one to taste. It pairs outstandingly with red wine.
If you tour some of the best wineries in Santorini, you will indeed have this served with wine.
Moussaka
Moussaka is one of Greece’s most famous and popular culinary exports, a sort of Greek lasagna made with eggplant and ground meat (usually beef) layered with a béchamel sauce.
Like Italian lasagna, this is a filling dish with layers of cheese, veggies, ground meat, and spice.
In many ways, this is a sort of Greek comfort food, with its hearty, warm, and satisfying flavor and texture, regardless of when you eat it.
Still, it combines all of the unique flavors of Greek and, specifically, Santorini cuisine.
Because moussaka is a typical comfort food, it can be found at many restaurants across the island.
Where to eat Moussaka? Visit Ilios bakery or make an online order.
Saganaki
Saganaki is an appetizer that’s a staple of local cuisine, made of a delicious melding of sweet and salty from fried cheese drizzled with honey.
The dish is simple to make and cooks in no time; a chunk of cheese is baked into a golden brown crust with a gooey melted inside, then drizzled with local honey to top off the salty and mildly salty pungent cheese with a natural sweetness that ends with a unique flavor.
It’s a straightforward dish that is a favorite among cheese lovers.
Wines of Santorini: Asyrtiko, Athiri, Aidani, Mandilaria, Mavrotragano
Santorini is a wine-growing region. The wine has been produced on the island since antiquity. Still, during the Middle Ages, Santorini wine became world-famous under the influence of the Venetians.
Italian power still exists in the modern vinification of Santorini: the most famous sweet wine of Tuscany is Vin Santo. Vin Santo of Santorini (“Vinsanto” to distinguish it from Tuscan wine) is made from grapes dried in the sun after harvest.
In Santorini, you will find many wineries in a Greek version of the Napa Valley that you can visit to see the production and try various local wines.
This is Santorini, one of the most beautiful places in the world. The peculiar character of Santorini’s wine comes mainly from the island’s unique volcanic lands.
There are about forty domestic varieties of grapes in Santorini, and the vines are low to be protected from strong winds.
Where to get the traditional wines of Santorini? At Ilios bakery cava.
FAQs: Everything You Need to Know
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