Andros, like every part of Greece, has unique culinary characteristics. The island is blessed with fertile valleys filled with orange, lemon, mulberry, pomegranate, fig trees, and vegetable gardens. It produces oil, wine, raki, digestif liqueurs made from citrus fruits by local cooperatives, and pontzi, a local alcoholic beverage made from raki and honey.
The honey, a key ingredient in Andriot cuisine, is of exceptional quality, with producers using traditional methods and winning awards at exhibitions. Andros is also renowned for its charcuterie, like all the Cyclades islands. Try louza, marinated pork in sweet red wine, seasoned, and smoked, served in thin, almost transparent slices. The sausages are spicy, smoked, and have a strong anise aroma.
Citrus fruits are used to create syrupy spoon sweets, such as walnut, nerantzi, rose, sour cherry, and pambiloni made from the island’s large aromatic citrus fruit, as well as bergamot. Local dried fig sweets called pastelaries, made with crushed walnuts, cinnamon, and sesame seeds, are also popular.
Cheeses play a significant role in Andros’ cuisine: try Armexia, Malachto, Volaki, Petroti, Ladotyri, Krasotyri, and Kopanisti, found in every restaurant and tavern on the island, often incorporated into dishes. Andros’ most emblematic dish is froutalia or foutalia, the famous traditional and hearty omelette, one of the island’s most well-known recipes.
Andros is famous for amygdalota (almond sweets sprinkled with powdered sugar and flower water) and honey-drizzled kaltsounia with walnuts and pine nuts, as well as baked almond pastitsakia. The now classic island treat, Nougatina, is feather-light and scrumptious, featuring almond meringues with a superb patisserie cream nestled between, all adorned with a rosette of whipped cream and a cherry on top.
Wines and Drinks
In the past, the island’s vineyards hosted over thirty grape varieties. Today, the most famous varieties in Andros are as follows:
Begléri: A late-ripening and productive variety, producing wines with medium alcohol content, distinct acidity, and a unique aromatic personality.
Armeletousa: A red, perhaps the most characteristic variety of Andros, yields high-alcohol wines with moderate color intensity and mild acidity.
Tsipouro: This remains a favorite drink, with the distillation process not showing significant differences from the past. It is used for making liqueurs, such as sour cherry liqueur, walnut, pomegranate, and Andros’ specialty, kaisi (a variety of apricot).
Maloukato: A resistant and late-ripening variety, characterized by its high sugar concentration and good must acidity.
Koummari: A red variety, also known as Koumariano or Koumaria. A relatively early variety, it can produce wines with good color, high alcohol content, and satisfactory acidity. It is also suitable for the production of sun-dried, sweet wines.
Mavrostyfo: A deep-colored variety, with thick, astringent skin, capable of producing tannic, dry wines with good alcohol levels.
Koundoura Mavri: Also known as Mavrokoundoura, it is synonymous with Mandilaria.
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Andros: Accommodation on this Unique Cycladic Island
