Cooking in Zakynthos

Zakynthos is well-known for its cuisine, which may not include numerous dishes, but presents selected delicacies. It’s no secret that the inhabitants of the island love using oil, wine and particularly garlic; most of the recipes in Zakynthos are based on these ingredients.

Most housewives in Zakynthos make a delicious casserole dish, the “Sartsa”, with veal, garlic, oil, tomatoes, oregano and pieces of ladotiri, a traditional cheese made in Zakynthos. The inhabitants of Zakynthos have a strong liking for onion stew, which in the local variation is made with veal, fresh tomatoes, garlic and laurel leaves, as well as stuffed chicken, which is cooked both in the oven and the frying pan. Another delicious dish made in Zakynthos is eggplants “skordostoumpi” (with garlic and vinegar).

Apart from these dishes prepared by the housewives, the island is well-known for various other specialties. One of these is the local ladotiri, a spicy cheese, made from sheep’s milk, and is preserved in jars full of olive oil. At Easter, the people of Zakynthos prepare a delicious dish called hiromeri, a kind of sun-dried salt pork, made of the fatty parts of the pork, which is spiced with pepper, laurel leaves and garlic.

 The people of Zakynthos also knead very tasty breads. Apart from the usual varieties of brad, most bakeries in Zakynthos also sell the xoriatiko (country) bread, which is made from whole wheat and is dark-coloured. During the days of fasting, and especially on the fifteenth of August, the so-called “eftazymo” bread is made in Zakynthos, according to a very impressive recipe. Its preparation is quite different from other kinds of bread since the main ingredient of this bread is chick-peas, which are basically the bread’s yeast.

Many different kinds of sweets are made in Zakynthos. Some of these are: the pasteli, the mandolato, the fitoura and the mandoles. The pasteli is a sweet known since the ancient times, and is made of sesame and honey. The mandolato is considered to be the par excellence specialty of Zakynthos and is made with egg whites, roasted almonds, honey or sugar. The fitoura, which is found only in Zakynthos, is made from a mixture of semolina and water, that housewives refrigerate and later on cut in pieces they fry in oil. At the end they sprinkle cinnamon and sugar over the sweet. The mandoles sweet is basically almonds covered in candied sugar and requires a particular preparation. The fitoura, the pasteli and the mandolato are sweets that locals and visitors of the island crave for, and are usually sold by outdoor sellers at the island’s festivals. 

Apart from the sweets and the special dishes produced on the island, one may find excellent wine selections in Zakynthos, such as the “Verdea” and the “Avgoustiatis”. One may also find the exquisite Strawberry liqueur, made from a wild strawberry that grows on the island.