GASTRONOMY

Lesvos has a well-deserved reputation as a gastronomical paradise.
Yes, we really eat and drink very well here!

Since the days of antiquity, when even the Roman general Lucullus had his villa in Mytilene (his cooking implements can still be seen today at the Archaeological Museum in Mytilene), the island’s inhabitants make very good use of the riches with which nature has endowed them. 

Lesvos could also be know as the “Olive Island”.  A major portion of the surface is covered with olive groves, some quite ancient, which produce among the highest quality and purity olive oil in all of Europe. Naturally, the clear, golden olive oil is a major component of healthy Mediterranean cooking, and is an ideal gift to take home. 

Equally well-known is the island’s traditional drink “ouzo”. This cool and potent drink is the standard accompaniment to a table full of tasty appetizers, known as “meze”.   While ouzo is produced all over the island, many of the best known brands are from the city of Plomari, known as the Ouzo Capital.  Many of the brands available are small production units, and are found only on the island.  Most of these are family operations, some in their eighth or ninth generation of production, and each with a special family recipe which gives their ouzo its own distinctive flavor.

The western part of Lesvos is much drier and less heavily forested than the eastern part, and most of the inhabitants are busy with their flocks of sheep and goats. They produce very high quality “feta” cheese, as well as other hard cheeses.  The best known and loved of these cheeses is called “ladotyri” or oil cheese, since the freshly formed rolls of cheese are ripened in olive oil, giving them a unique and very distinctive flavor.

The salting of fish as a method of preservation has been in use for literally thousands of years.  Lesvos is noted as a producer of a large variety of salted fish, either whole or in filet form, including sardines, mackerel, anchovies and others, which are often served as appetizers together with ouzo.  The best known of all of these is the small sardine which is only found in the Gulf of Kalloni on Lesvos.  These are salted in the morning, and are ready to be eaten by the evening.  A real treat !

We always buy Kalloni sardines when the morning fishermen have them, salt them ourselves, and believe me, they are gone by the next day.

Lesvos is also an island with a “sweet tooth”. The large variety of fruit and vegetables produced are turned into many types of marmalades, jams, as well as pies and irresistible pastries.  Locally produced honey is a basic ingredient, and is available with various flavors, including pine forest, thyme and wild flowers.