Cuisine of Cyclades
In many ways, the Cyclades are the heart of Greece, the stuff of stark white and pure blue travel posters, tourist destination par excellence today but with roots and customs that date back to the farthest reaches of the past.
The Cyclades have always been a cultural and commercial center. Their name means circle, for the way the islands are situated in the Aegean Sea, starting with Andros, the northernmost island, and ending with Sifnos, where the circle closes. In between are legendary places: Santorini, Syros, Mykonos, Delos, Paros, Naxos, and Tinos, but also tiny jewels such as Amorgos, Kea, Milos, Folegandros, and more.
From prehistoric times, denizens of the Cyclades were able sailors and traders. Certain islands were and still are rich in minerals such as obsidian and chalk (Kimolos), emery (Naxos), perlite (Milos), and, once, gold in Sifnos. Naxos, Paros, and Tinos are still renowned for their marble.
Delos was the commercial hub of the Cyclades in ancient times, with well over 20,000 inhabitants. Paros, Santorini, Serifos, Sikinos, and Milos were also important islands. Milos, in fact, was known for the quality of its wine. After the fall of the Byzantine Empire to Catholic crusaders in the 13th century, the Cyclades became a Venetian stronghold. Naxos became a duchy and the island group’s administrative center, until the Ottoman Turks conquered all the islands save for Tinos in 1566. Tinos fell to the Turks in 1715. Yet the three and a half centuries of Venetian rule left an indelible mark on the culture and, by extension, food lore of these islands. There is still a large Catholic population in Syros and Tinos.
One sees such influences on the local table first in the names of various dishes. Specialties like boutino (a kind of blood sausage), tziladia (jellied fish or pork), and rafiolia seem imbued with an Italian essence, yet the roots of these and most island foods are ancient.
While it is impossible to generalize, most of the Cyclades are arid, and such a landscape has shaped the cuisine, providing the raw ingredients that have flourished here from time immemorial. The cuisine here is startling both in its breadth but also in its exquisite simplicity. Flavors are clean and pared down.
Most modern visitors associate the Cyclades with vacation paradise, yet many food customs in these islands are as old as time. What is most inspiring is the way they survive and flourish today.
While each island is unique, there are common threads in the cookery of the Cyclades: Capers, for example, are one of the most important local ingredients, especially on the driest islands, while the tomato, the yellow split pea, a national dish on Santorini, Thirasia, and elsewhere; and the chick pea, mainstay of the local kitchen on Sifnos, Serifos, Syros, and many other islands, are ingredients that have sustained the inhabitants of these islands for eons. Pork is a particular local favorite and the yearly winter pork slaughter has traditionally provided families with their main source of protein through Easter, when the stuffed Paschal lamb or goat takes first place.
In the cheeses of the Cyclades one sees certain distinct similarities, too. For one, the islands of Naxos, Tinos, Andros, and Syros are among the few places in Greece that traditionally produce cow’s milk cheeses; then there is a whole litany of fascinating, very simple, very old cheeses made of goat’s and sheep’s milk, cheeses that sound uncannily like many of those mentioned by Homer.
Another motif in the cooking of the Cyclades, but also of the Dodecanese, are the countless vegetable and legume fritters, or ersatz keftedes. These simple dishes are the perfect example of how island cooks, faced with limited ingredients, turn the simplest foods into delicious, sating feasts.
Pork has always been an important part of the local diet, providing a major source of protein that lasted, thanks to the myriad preparations-from sausages, to jellied pork, preserved meats, charcuterie and more-half the year. But certain islands, namely Tinos, became home to a local breed of tall, big-boned cattle, which thrived on the island from the 16th to 20th centuries and provided both meat and a wealth of cheeses. Every island is home to countless goats, which have provided both milk and meat throughout the year. Some of the most delicious goat’s meat recipes hail from the Cyclades, usually simple dishes either in the oven or in the casserole, seasoned irresistibly with the herbs that sprout wild on these sun-parched islands.
Although each of the 30-odd Cyclades is unique, and many boast glorious pasts, the cuisine here is simple and direct, with an innate elegance that derives from the beauty and intense flavor of so many local ingredients, which have stood the test of time.