Located in the southernmost section of the Aegean Sea, Kasos is a small, barren island that has built a reputation for its rich and unique local cuisine. The island’s goat and sheep farming industry is highly developed, with numerous cheese dairies, one of which has even earned certification.
The crown jewel of Kasos’ dairy products is the famous ‘sitaka’. This soft, creamy cheese is made from the milk of sheep or goats, and boasts a distinctive sweet and sour taste that locals and visitors alike find irresistible. Other cheeses produced on the island include fresh myzithra, oleic (a dry and salty myzithra left to mature for months in a container covered with butter), almirotyri (a gruyere matured in brine), anthotyro, and Merianino Casos (certified), a soft goat’s milk gruyere produced locally in limited quantities.
However, it’s not just the cheese that makes Kasos a gastronomic destination. The island’s emblematic dish is the ‘dolmades’, small vine leaves filled with a mixture of minced meat, rice, and tomatoes, all cooked in butter (olive oil is not commonly used in Kasos). Another local favorite is the Cassian pilaf, where the rice is boiled in a meat broth with tomatoes, then served separately from the meat and sprinkled with cinnamon. These dishes are an essential part of the island’s great festivals, which are not to be missed.
One of the most famous dishes is “macaroones” – short, handmade pasta served with ‘sitaka’ cheese or garlic, and topped with fried onion and the oil they were fried in. This staple pastoral dish is the main course at the festival held in honor of the Transfiguration of the Savior on August 6. Another delicious option is ‘bustia’: lamb intestines stuffed with ‘paspara’ – a mixture of minced meat, liver, and rice – that will leave you wanting more.
As an island surrounded by the Carpathian Sea, Kasos is also renowned for its seafood. The parrot fish, which rules the surrounding seas, is roasted with its scales and entrails, or made into a delicious, cooked dish in the oven stuffed with tomatoes and lots of onions. Black rice boiled with cuttlefish ink and crayfish pasta are other famous dishes that are sure to delight your taste buds. For something lighter, try ‘Menoules’, sardines and other small fish that are salted, then served with oil and vinegar as a meze dish.
Kasos Island offers a range of unique dishes and local products worth trying. One such delicacy is the ‘roikio’, a wild grass that looks like spiny chicory, boiled and flavored with salt and a squeeze of lemon, or braised in a red sauce or preserved in brine. For those with a sweet tooth, the most famous treat is ‘Moskomoukia’ – fried pastries filled with almonds and sugar and sprinkled with flower water. ‘Hylopites’ – pieces of thin dough rolled out with ‘Hylliki’ and drizzled with honey – are another popular sweet.
In addition to the local dishes, Kasos is also known for its wine. The island’s traditional and popular wine is a smooth, sweet red made from the Fokiano variety and the red ‘Kypreiko’ variety. Although there is no certified winery, many islanders make their wine domestically, each adding a personal touch and style to the process as they vie with one another for who make the best wine each year.
Read also:
Five reasons to visit Karpathos
Best places to eat in Karpathos
