Lemnos is a volcanic island located on the edge of the Aegean. This authentic place makes you wonder if you are really in paradise. Wonderful nature, delicious food, and travel treasures, one will discover at every step. Lemnos isn’t just renowned for its wine; it’s a bountiful self-sustainable island, rich in resources. As a result, its culinary scene thrives on the abundance of locally sourced ingredients.
Local products
Besides Lemnos’ wheat and barley, it’s worth checking out the island’s fava, which is made with lathouri (an herbaceous legume), as well as its string beans (ambelofassoula) and Lemnos tomatoes (for an exceptional summer salad), dried white or black-eyed beans, ‘Virgin Mary’ chickpeas and much else.
The traditional variety of vine cultivated in Lemnos is the muscat of Alexandria, which makes for an exceptional, very aromatic wine, a P.D.O. Lemnos, which along with Lemnos’ equally notable corn, has been famous since the time of Aristotle.
Try the local cheeses, like Kalathaki of Lemnos, melichloro and kaskavali, a sharp cheese whose production method is lost in time. In addition, in Lemnos, one can find homemade pasta, trahana, thyme honey, paximadi, lobsters, red mullet, shrimps and cuttlefish as well as local bitter oranges, apricots and zucchini.
The cuisine of Lemnos has been influenced by the Greek refugees from Asia Minor who settled on the island after WWI in 1922.
Sesame production on Lemnos yields exceptional quality, resulting in highly nutritious tahini and traditional halva. Local legume varieties like the afkos fava bean have seen increased cultivation, while beekeeping, particularly thyme honey production, is on the rise. Olive oil production has also advanced in recent years.
The island’s fertile land yields a plethora of wild greens and herbs, from wild asparagus to capers, thyme, oregano, and chamomile. Lemnos’ gastronomy showcases these local ingredients in a variety of dishes, including pies with homemade pastry, casseroles with tomato sauce and flomaria, oven-baked recipes, and more.
Meat staples include pork, lamb, goat, poultry, rabbit, and a limited amount of veal. Given Lemnos’ coastal location, its cuisine naturally features an array of enticing seafood dishes. The creativity of Lemnos’ culinary tradition extends to its traditional sweets. Alongside an assortment of spoon sweets, the island produces unique delicacies
Among the unique local recipes is a fish soup where trahana replaces rice.
Gastronomy
Benizelika: Small, almond-based sweets with white icing. The famous Greek statesman Eleftherios Venizelos was treated to this sweet when he visited the island.
Katmeria or Katimeria: Fried pita made from a simple pasta dough. It is served with cheese or petimezi.
Kourkouta: A kind of dessert, similar to rice pudding, but made with bulgur rather than rice.
Lazari or Lazroudia: Small human-shaped bread rolls filled with dried figs and made for the Saturday of Lazarus during the Easter holidays.
Louloudia: A sweet very similar to diples. Served with honey and finely ground almonds
Manti: Small dumplings are filled with various fillings. They are boiled in broth and tossed with hot butter and a difference in aromatics. The red colour of the sauce comes from the paprika and butter.
Samsades: A Christmas sweet, very similar to baklava, but rolled and filled with almonds.
Feloudia: A simple sweet made from slices of pumpkin baked in the oven and sprinkled with sugar, cinnamon, raisins and a little olive oil.
Flomaria: Traditional hilopites. Local pasta is made from milk, eggs, flour and semolina. Once dried, most of the time, they are accompanied by meat, but also as a soup with tomatoes, vegetables or milk.
Amygdalota: Particularly widespread, since almond trees flourish on the island.
