A little later in the year, for Carnival, next in line are dairy desserts, rice pudding, cream desserts, goat and sheep’s milk yoghurt, which is fresh produced in large quantities at this time.

And it wouldn’t be Easter in Sifnos without the smell of roasting ‘mastelo’ (lamb or lamb cooked in a clay pot, also called a ‘matselo’, with red wine and dill baked in a wood-burning oven), without the ‘poulia tis Lambris’ (the ‘birds of Easter’, a kind of brioche), honey pies, a sweet prepared with Sifnian boiled ‘athotyros’ (fresh soft white cheese) and local thyme honey.

The joys of marriage ceremonies are celebrated by preparation of Sifnian diamond-shaped ‘pasteli’ (honey and sesame toffees) and pan or oven-cooked marzipan (with or without sugar).

The traditional festivals of the island are accompanied by communal meals at long tables, reminiscent of meals in ancient times or early Christian ‘Agape’ or Love feasts. They involve the serving of traditional ‘revithada’ (chickpea soup) and braised lamb or goat ‘kokkinisto’ cooked in ‘red’ tomato sauce in special large metal pots or cauldrons and served with pasta, or during Lent, fried cod with garlic sauce and salad.

On Sundays, the main dish is the chickpea soup, baked in clay pots (‘skepastaria’) for several hours overnight, in wood-burning ovens fed with vine twigs.

Other dishes never absent from the Sifnos meal are chickpea patties, caper salad (stewed dry caper), kalasouna (pies filled with wild greens and rice), ‘manoura’ (yellow hard spicy cheese matured in ‘gyli’ (red wine dregs)), and, depending on the season, ‘chyrovoskoi’ (wild greens), ‘myzithra’ cheese (fresh goat cheese with a slightly sour taste, ideal as an addition to Greek (‘village’) salad), or string beans with garlic puree. Also popular are dried figs, ‘loli’ (a sweet dessert made with red pumpkin), syrupy ‘spoon’ sweets and liqueurs made with fruit that grow abundantly in Sifnos, and infusions made from the rich variety of plants and herbs growing wild on the island, including sage and chamomile.

Local Sifnos sweet treats can be found in the traditional bakeries and patisseries, in the form of aniseed biscuits, butter biscuits, boiled and baked almond marzipan, honey and sesame ‘pasteli’ bars, Greek ‘loukoumia’ (‘Turkish delight’), ‘bourekakia’ (honey nut phyllo pastry rolls), and syrup ‘spoon’ sweets.

Cooking lessons in Sifnos

Traditional cooking lessons on a sunny day in a beautiful farm in Sifnos! One of the most interesting and fascinating experiences in Sifnos island, is to participate in a traditional cooking class. In the farm, you will have the chance to discover the secrets of Sifnos’ traditional diet by cooking together, over friendly conversations while enjoying the hospitable environment.

We will be expecting you to arrive at 10:00 am. Once we will gather & meet each other, we will start discussing about the history of the farm & the Sifnian cuisine, along with the cultivation of the vegetables.

At 10:30 we will start creating our healthy menu of the day, two salad dishes, two appetizers and two main courses. A choice of local dry white or sweet sun-dried red wine will accompany your meal. For dessert, we have a selection of fruits, depending on the season, such as watermelon, melon, pear, apricots and damsons, all of them unique as they are grown from our own organic seeds.

At 12:00 we will take a short walk down our farm, discuss about how farming was 100 years ago, visit the goats & taste some fresh fruit & vegetables from our gardens. We will then visit a pottery workshop located exactly next to the farm, where you will have the chance to enjoy a quick demonstration and take a look / buy a traditional ceramic for you! We will return to the farm around 13:00 and we will enjoy all the delicacies that we have prepared together.

During your entire visit, a friendly and accommodating English speaking assistant will be eager to answer any questions you may have.

Days: Tuesday – Thursday – Friday – Sunday

Time: 10:00 – 14:00

Minimum participation age 10 years old.

Maximum participation: 14 people.