Katimeria are fried koulouria of dough stuffed with fresh cheese. They are prepared during Carnival on Kos and Samos as well as on other islands, with some variations in their shape and the ingredients used.
They are typically made on the last Sunday of Carnival before Ash Monday, varying by region. On Kos they are filled with local cheese, honey and cinnamon or topped with petimezi. In the Peloponnese they are stuffed with sweet cream and nuts or dried figs. In Central Greece, they are stuffed with pumpkin, raisins and walnuts, while in the complex of chestnut-producing villages in western Macedonia, called Kastanohoria, the use of chestnut cream confers them a distinctive flavor.
