In Milos, the temptations are many because you are almost constantly confronted with the enticing display of bakeries, confectioners, ice cream parlours, and delicatessens.
If you like to try different food, in Milos you will be able to discover local specialties that will make your holiday extremely worthwhile. While strolling on a summer night through Adamantas, Pollonia, or Plaka, you will be amazed by the numerous lit-up shop windows, filled with local food freshly made.

Many traditional dishes, as so often in the course of decades or even centuries, have been created out of necessity in order for people to survive with the limited foodstuffs available. Here in Milos, it is often watermelons, pumpkins, and tomatoes that are used in various ways.

When you arrive in Milos you have to try these 8 specialties of the island:

1. Ladénia

What might be mistaken for pizza in a local bakery, is actually traditional ladénia. The dough base of ladénia is not leavened dough but a kind of hearty batter that is almost fried because of the vast amounts of olive oil. The ladénia consists of toppings such as: tomatoes, onions, capers, and olives.

2.Dried tomatoes & Belté (tomato paste)

Dried tomatoes are sun-ripened, sun-dried, preserved in sea salt, and uniquely aromatic in flavor. In contrast to dried tomatoes stored in oil, in Milos, they are sold in dried form as loose bulk goods. They are naturally very salty and should be soaked in water before use – for example, when making tomato keftedes.

Aromatic Milos tomatoes can also be processed to produce a highly-concentrated paste. It is unnoticed because it is used sparingly on the little pieces of white bread in the middle of meze dishes, with grilled fish, or with potatoes from the oven, because of its saltiness. In any event, it’s definitely not simple tomato puree but a local specialty.

3.Milos cheese

Due to the lack of cows on the island, the cheese produced on Milos is made as you would expect from sheep’s and goat’s milk. There are various kinds of hard cheese with the intensity of taste varying with the degree of ripeness. The opposite of Milos’ hard cheeses is Misíthra, an unbelievably mild cream cheese, usually made from pure goat’s milk. It doesn’t only go with a hearty meal but is also traditionally eaten with watermelon or a little honey.

4.Krítamo

Kritamo is usually accompanied by salad. Kritamo has a very distinctive taste and should therefore be used sparingly but it gives salads a very exotic flavor.

5.Kouféto

Kouféto is a typical confection from Milos. You can happily eat it on its own as a “spooning compote”, or you can combine it with yogurt, white bread, or a croissant as a marmalade. Koufeto is produced from white pumpkin, honey, and almonds. You can find it not only in delicatessen but also in many bakeries.

6.Karpousópitta

You come across watermelons very often on Milos.
One somewhat unusual specialty is karpousópitta, a watermelon tart. After an inevitably very long baking process the flesh of the fruit has turned into a marmalade-like mass. It tastes best when it’s super fresh, juicy on the inside and crispy on the outside.

7.Milos honey

Anyone who pays attention when passing through the landscape will frequently see beehives here and there. Milos honey comes from thyme or other herbs.

8.Milos wine

In Milos, the wine tells stories about the place. Greece is generally known for good wine and a good story.
The rich volcanic soil of Milos helps the vines to thrive quickly.
You should definitely visit a winery and try local and non-local varieties.

If you crave to try new dishes and traditional foods, come to our beautiful Cycladic island, Milos.

And for those of you who have tasted Ladenia from my mom, you can ask Mrs. Varvara for the recipe.