Kassos, a small island with a large maritime tradition and culture, is the southernmost island of the Dodecanese group and lies between Karpathos and Crete.
Dairy products on the island are still made according to traditional methods using hand-powered equipment.
Popular local dishes are dolmades (stuffed vine leaf rolls), roast lamb, kouloures (bread rings), and pilaf—rice covered with hot butter, cinnamon, lemon, and black pepper. Foodies will love artichokes stuffed with rice, brine-cured olives, kolokythopoulia or kolokythokorfades (stuffed zucchini blossoms), lachanopita (small spinach pies), stewed potatoes, potato skordalia (garlic puree), and mixed wild greens (roikia).
From the sea, there are brine-cured picarel, fried red mullet drizzled savore sauce (wine, vinegar, rosemary, garlic, and tomato), soupiopilafo (cuttlefish simmered with rice), and oven-cooked mackerel with sauce.
Kassos produces several cheeses too: elaiki, which is made from mizithra, as well as psitari, liomatari, and armirotiri. Last but not least, are the mizithropites, small pies made with mizithra cheese.
