The
Ottomans called the island “the orchard of the Empire” because it
produced practically everything. Self-sufficient with a long tradition
in the love of beauty and the good life, it developed a fine cuisine with
well-balanced combinations of taste and aromas.
 Even
in the simple daily food it is certain that the housewife will take care
the food looks as good as it tastes. Meat with quince, staffed lamb, potato
and meat stew, spicy meatballs, sougania (onion meatballs), vine leaves
staffed with rice, zucchini flowers staffed with rice of cheese, zucchini
balls, onion pies, little cheese pies, sweet smelling homemade pasta, and
on the other hand the taste of the sea: fresh fish, scallops or limpets
with spinach or rice
The
desserts of the island are also very interesting: maybe the best marzipan
in the country, shaped in forms that bring to mind the elaborate decorations
of the ancient column deriving from the acanthus and other leaf forms,
baklava (pastry) with almonds and olive oil scented with mastic and rose
water, honey sweet halva made with fresh cheese. Since the people of Lesvos
are famous food lovers, it is easy for one to find good food in taverns
as well as in the island’s coffee shops.
 From
the local products renowned is the olive oil and also the ladotyri - cheese
matured in olive oil, a specialty of the island - and other diary
products, meats, sausages, salted preserves - famous are the Kalloni sardines,
but fish from the waters of Lesvos in general is admired for its flavour,
and of course ouzo. One can buy locally produced food staffs and artefacts
from shops and from women’s cooperatives.
"Aphrodite"
Restaurant-Taverna an ideal place for family vacations ,
located on the shore, you can enjoy the famous ouzo from Mytilini, together
with local traditional greek recipes and international cuisine
Lesvian
recipes :
Sougania” ( Stuffed onions )
-
1 kg large
onions
-
½
kg rice
-
½
kg minced meat (veal)
-
2 tbsp.
parsley (finely chopped)
-
1 ripe
tomato (grated)
-
1 teacup
Lesvian olive oil for the filling
-
1 tsp.
cumin
-
salt and
pepper.
Preparation
Peel
onions and boil them until soft. Separate the leaves. To prepare the filling:
in a bowl mix the minced meat, the tomato, the cumin, the olive oil, the
rice (washed), salt and pepper. Place a small quantity of the filling in
each onion leave and fold it to close. Arrange the stuffed onion leaves
in a wide casserole and place a weight (e.g. an inverted dish) on top of
them to prevent them from opening. Add water and olive oil and cook gently
for 30-40 minutes over medium heat.
Clams with spinach
-
12 clams
(with the shell) from the bay of Kalloni
-
600gr
spinach
-
160 gr
Gruyere cheese of ladotyri (grated)
-
120 gr
cooking fat
-
160 ml
fresh cream
-
160gr
Lesvos "Feta" cheese (crumbled)
-
2 shallots
-
1 onion
(finely chopped)
-
salt,
black pepper (freshly ground)
Preparation
Boil
the spinach for 5 minutes and strain. Heat cooking fat and fry the onion
gently until transparent. Add spinach, season with salt and pepper and
fry for another 5 minutes. Remove from heat, add the fresh cream and "Feta"
cheese and mix well. Remove the clams the shell and fill with the spinach
mixture. Place the clams and grated Gruyere cheese on top. Bake in a moderate
preheated oven for 10-15 minutes. Serve hot. |
