This island has strong gastronomical tradition, gives forth an aroma embellished with influences from Asia Minor and offers unforgettable moments of fish-eating nearby the sea.
The long-lasting history of the area is unbreakably connected with the production of unique products, such as the wine of Lemnos, the punnet cheese, wheat and sesame of exceptional quality, which supported the local economy in many and different periods of time – some of them still do that till nowadays.
Here, cooking is developed in the framework of traditional nutrition, while pure and traditional products of Lemnos land play a dominant role till today. The cases of creative cooking are almost inexistent, without being a problem at all, because everything you eat is pure, fresh and well-cooked.
In this island you may taste a great variety of dishes, snacks, fish, seafood and meats and you will be surprised pleasantly of their unexpectedly simple and totally original finesse.
Simplicity and quality
Seek only for the authentic. Shops that the locals are frequenting constitute the secret and guarantee for tasting the best. And don’t ever think that haunts, which can satisfy the most demanding palates, are a few.
Even in the remotest villages, you may find a small café to drink raki (alcoholic beverage) accompanied by a snack. Many times people may offer you something and you may feel in your skin the spontaneous hospitality, which in other places, unfortunately, is gone.
As Lemnos constitutes one of the richest islands of Aegean (since ancient years it was almost self-sufficient), it has a remarkable gastronomy, which is preserved at very good levels because of the lack of mass tourism. Here, cheap Greek mousaka is unknown, even in the most tourist areas, while food remain authentic and is based on exceptional source materials of the island, during the whole year.
In any case, the island already disposes of the world-wide tendency that longs for the authentic simplicity. Cuisine of Lemnos presents a unique wealth, which remains untouched by commercialization and “of shorts”.
The basic influences of the island’s gastronomy come from central Greece and its islands, Asia Minor and Egypt.
People of Lemnos, who from ancient years were farmers and cattle-breeders, prepare their food with local products and follow a nutrition similar to their island’s scenery: frugal and simple. Nowadays, what is considered to be “must” at world-wide level, for the dwellers of Lemnos is the self-evident for centuries now.
Wheat, legumes, milk products, vegetables, pork, kid and lamb meat, chicken, hunting, fish and seafood (the most delicious of Aegean) abound in this land, in contradiction of veal, which is rare, while calves are very little in the island. Cheese pies and yellow pumpkin are fantastic.
Here, you may, also, taste the most delicious lobsters on earth, which are alive and kicking, fresh, delicious and in exceptional price! Today, the flavors that you meet in taverns don’t differ too much from home-cooked food.
Wheat, honey, wine!
These three goods constitute the base of the tradition of Lemnos. Beyond these, seek for the famous frumenty, by exceptional milk, with which they make delicious soups, special pies and groats –all of blessed wheat. Besides, it isn’t contingent that Lemnos was characterized as the granary of Athenian Democracy, during the era of its omnipotence and later of Constantinople.
Moreover, rusks and flour of Lemnos are also famous, with which they prepare not only marvelous bread, but also noodles.
The traditional homemade noodles are made of wheat, milk and eggs. Their preparation demanded a joint work and so housekeepers were going sometimes in one house sometimes in another in every neighborhood and among songs, gossips and anecdotes, they kneaded and opened their pastry sheet. It’s not impossible for this habit to be kept till today, in some villages.
Cheese
Except from fresh fishes, which are fished in the surrounding limpid sea, milk products also have an importance position in daily table, with first and best the punnet of Lemnos (renowned feta). For its preparation they use ewe’s or goat’s milk that thicken in punnets weaved of green rushes. There is fresh and dry or honey-salted punnet, which is dried-up at shadowy places during summers.
Honey
The honey of Lemnos is of excellent quality, gives off a sweet smell of thyme and is considered to be one of the best and expensive in Greece. In the past, it was produced by prosperous people of the island, who had apiculture as hobby, but nowadays many amateurs and real professionals may provide you with pure product. On no occasion, don’t leave from the island without tasting its honey.
Meat
For people of Lemnos, meat means lamb or goat. Pork was butchered the next day after Christmas and this fact constituted a family feast. They ate it almost all. Veal played and still plays a very little role in their daily life. The cock is also meat for the dwellers, with which they prepare soup or braised meat with noodles.
Fishes
People of Lemnos became fishermen and they get used to the taste of seafood just the last 2 centuries, that-is-to-say, after the removal of pirates risk. They were taught the magic of unnecessary and luxury from people of Asia Minor and refugees from Constantinople, while they were influenced by cosmopolitan nutrition habits from rich people of Romeikos Seashore. However, till today, the element of tradition always exists in their kitchen.
Bread and rusks
The variety of breads and rusks is exceptional, from wheaten, semolina or mixed with barley flour: seven-kneaded (soft and flavored rusks, kneaded with yeast and chickpea fungus), klikia (small cheese-breads in snail shape), kleftopsomo (bread spread with honey and powdering of caster sugar, which, according to tradition, is made of the bride’s mother, before the wedding, and is “stolen” by a neighbor, who serves it out to the neighborhood).
Frumenty
Wheaten frumenty of Lemnos is famous. In the old days, they crushed wheat in stone hand-mill, mixed it with sour milk, let it in the sun for drying, and then they passed it from sieves. Till today, they use it for preparing soups, pies, stuffed vine leaves or for accompanying lamb meat.
Split pea or, according to the local speech, aykos: an exceptionally rare legume. It is a small green pea, which after being dried in the sun, it crushes in millstone. When it is boiled, it becomes like a cream, gets a green color and is particularly sweet.
Pickles
Café and most of the houses are never running short of pickled aubergine and gherkin.
Vegetables
Mountain weeds, black-eyed beans, fresh or dry broad beans and string beans, are only some of the necessary vegetables on the table of Lemnos.
With these they make tourlou (cooked mixed vegetables), the specialty of Lemnos which reminds of briam.
Seafood
The variety of fishes and seafood is, also, great. Lobster accompanied by weeds, dill and barley-shaped pasta or rigatoni constitute a marvelous specialty, but also squids, cuttlefishes or octopus pilaf, with or without tomato.
Garlic paste
It mainly contains almonds, while the area has many almond-trees. It fits greatly with fried fishes, such as cod or shark, but also with fresh broad beans or beets.
Pies
In Lemnos, pies constituted and still constitute a special section: herb-pies, cheese pies, bougatsa (cream-filled pastry), pies with frumenty and so many others