The picturesque island of Halki lies just a few miles from Rhodes. It is a small, mountainous island that boasts beaches with golden sand and is ideal for anyone seeking a break from the urban bustle and stress. With its wonderful climate and kind people, the island is a haven for body and soul. The sole settlement, Nimborio, serves as port and capital.
In recent times, Halki has been declared “a center for peace and friendship”. Youths from around the world visit the island each summer to take part in cultural activities. A municipal hostel was created for them.
Halki cuisine is dominated by ofto, a method of roasting meat opposite rather than over the flames. Lamb or goat stuffed with rice and livers then roasted in a traditional wood-burning oven is mostly commonly served at Easter. For those who like seafood and fish, there are sea squirts and mackerel, a wonderful fish soup called kakavia, dusty spinefoot and salt-cured picarel. The island produces two cheeses—mizithra and akseboturiato—and three types of pasta, the shell-shaped koulia, makarounia, and koulouria, which can be cooked with tomatoes or lentils.
The island’s signature sweets are kserotigana (fried dough strips) and loukoumades (deep-fried batter puffs) drizzled with local thyme honey.
