Today, several small estate producers on the island have moved away from the bulk sales (mainly to Italy and Spain) that once prevailed. Some olive oils, like the award-winning Eirini produced by the Kalambokas family in Plomari, are vying for a place among the elite group of Mediterranean super-premium olive oils that are beginning to pop up in gourmet shops in the United States and elsewhere.
The estate is worth visiting and even staying at, if your idea of the perfect vacation is to be surrounded by nature in a simple, serene setting. Here, with the Kalambokases as hosts, visitors can steep themselves in all that is still so good in Greece: a respect for tradition, a passion for the ancestral land, and the vision and care needed to make age-old products relevant in the modern world.
A Spiritual Home
Ouzo is another success story. On the island, ouzo is the quaff of choice—much more so than wine. And there is good reason: Lesbos is said to be the birthplace of Greece’s national drink. This spirit tastes different on Lesbos and goes down surprisingly easily, despite the fact that it is typically between 80 and 96 proof. Plomari is home to a brand that bears its name and is considered one of the best in the entire country. Several years ago, I visited the distillery and was seduced as much by the intoxicating aroma of locally grown anise—which permeates everything and gives ouzo its characteristic flavor and its milky-white color when mixed with water—as by the row after row of copper alembics, which seemed uncannily low-tech. But Plomari’s drink, like all good ouzo, is the product of a very careful and exacting distillation process.
While anise is the signature flavor, each producer claims his own unique spice blend that may include coriander seeds, fennel seeds, star anise, cloves, mint, and even rosemary, all of which macerate in the alcohol. In the best ouzos, something even a neophyte will recognize by their smoothness and noticeable lack of cloying sweetness, the alcohol is distilled three times and then diluted with varying amounts of water until the desired alcohol content is reached. The local water, full of minerals, is thought to contribute to the quality of Lesbos ouzo.
Some of the top local brands to look for are Plomari, Barbayannis, and Pitsiladi; some are exported to the United States.
Sardines Straight From the Bay
The large southern bay of Kalloni is one of hundreds of bays and coves that lace the coastline of Lesbos, blessing this island with some of the most pristine beaches in the Aegean. Yet Kalloni has more than good looks going for it: Here spawns a small, plump sardine that is made more tasty thanks to a rich diet of plankton in the bay’s waters. Locals savor it right off the boat—grilled, drizzled with local olive oil, and sprinkled with sea salt. The fresh sardine recipe that follows is a similarly elemental preparation, baked with lemon, garlic, parsley, and, of course, olive oil.
Nearby, you can actually see mountains of sea salt piled in the distance, since Kalloni also is home to some of Greece’s most important saltworks. Thanks to that salt and the superb quality of the fish, a canning industry has long thrived on the island, and indeed, Lesbos’ processed sardines are renowned. The method is simple: The sardines are salted for just several hours—much less time than usual—before being canned, resulting in an almost sushi-like succulence. Towers of canned Kalloni sardines are found everywhere on Lesbos, as well as online and in specialty markets in the United States. They are the de rigueur meze with ouzo and often are served with mashed green split peas or alone with a little olive oil.
Artisanal Fare
While the olive oil, ouzo, and sardines travel far and wide from Lesbos’ shores, it is less likely that you will find some of the exquisite island cheeses, including excellent feta, ladotyri (hard sheep’s-milk cheese aged in olive oil), and touloumotyri, a soft, naturally fermented cheese that ages in goat hides and is sold directly from the skin in local markets. It’s a sight!
Another specialty to seek out while there is the trahana. On Lesbos, the trahana is called koupes, because, as its name suggests, the pieces are cup-shaped, and large—not tiny and granular as elsewhere in Greece. Other island products include marzipan confections called amygdalota and some of my favorite Greek sauces and pastas.
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