Page 29 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - Greek Islands

Eat Your Greens
A prominent part of Greek TOP WEIRDEST
5
cuisine since ancient times, DISHES
wild greens – especially
assorted chicories – are avidly Stífnos
gathered through out the A Cretan dish made
countryside between with non-deadly
October and May. Ranging nightshade greens.
in flavour from disarmingly
sweet to dauntingly bitter, Volví
they liven up a host of dishes. Pickled narcissus bulbs,
Try mild Cretan stamnagáthi, found on Crete.
which has become so popular
that specialist crops are now Foúskes
cultivated, or pickled caper Popular on Kálymnos
shoots (kápari) – leaves, thorns and Rhodes, this marine
and all – on Nísyros (p194). invertebrate looks ugly
but tastes delicious.
Gyalisterés
A simple salad
of boiled wild Smooth Venus molluscs,
eaten alive; if they
greens, served twitch when you drip
with bread lemon juice on them,
and lemon
they’re good to go!
Tsitsírava
Pickled wild pistachio
shoots on Skópelos
and Alónnisos.

Grilled sardines
served with lemon, a
summer speciality
Fresh From the Sea
Those expecting basic dishes
of kalamári or grilled octopus
are in for a pleasant surprise.
Dominating fish markets and
taverna menus are assorted
breams, especially skathári
(black bream), fangrí (red
porgy) and sykiós (corvina).
Mid-summer brings sardélles
(sardines, preferably grilled);
gávros (big anchovies) and
atherína (sand smelt fried
with onions and flour). Most
islands have at least one
excellent taverna in which to
try this array, but seek out
psarotavernas (seafood
tavernas) such as Klimataria
(p74) for something special.
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