“Where can I book a table to experience the traditional cuisine of Syros?” It’s a question I’ve been asked countless times by visitors, yet I’ve never been able to give a simple answer. The truth is, Syros doesn’t have a single, fixed traditional cuisine – much like Athens or other cosmopolitan hubs. The culinary heritage of cities is often a patchwork of influences; while there are some distinctive habits, it’s nearly impossible to distill them into a definitive collection of recipes.

Syros, and its bustling capital Ermoupoli, are a perfect example. The city, located in the heart of the Aegean, has long been a crossroads of cultures, soaking up the customs and flavors of travelers who passed through, lingered briefly, or settled for good.

This rich tapestry of multiculturalism is reflected on the tables of Syros today, where a delightful blend of influences and unexpected combinations come together in meals that might include parsley salads, sun-dried tomatoes in batter, cabbage rolls, oregano-spiced fligounia pasta, and beef braised with quince. Desserts can range from asure pudding to delicate meringues and Cycladic almond confections, all sharing space on the same table.

Every household tells its own culinary story, often entirely distinct from its neighbors. It’s rare to find a menu with a singular identity or an unambiguous origin. Such is the gastronomic essence of Syros: a dynamic, ever-evolving mosaic where histories intertwine and flavors harmonize, creating an experience as unique as the island itself.

Timeless Cosmopolitanism

The pots and pans of Syros tell the island’s story in a way no history book ever could, blending centuries of diverse influences into a rich culinary heritage. The island absorbed many Western customs from its Frankish and Venetian rulers, even while the rest of Greece was under Ottoman rule. Later, waves of refugees from Chios and Psara arrived, followed by sophisticated, culinary-savvy immigrants from Asia Minor who had already adopted European gastronomic sensibilities. Their kitchens were unmistakably urban and bourgeois in character.

The Chiots who built Ermoupoli played a pivotal role in shaping its unique identity. Wealthy gourmands with ties to the broader world, they brought resources and international influences with them, driving the island’s economic and social growth. “They immediately developed shipping and trade,” explains Yannis Zygomalas, a descendant of the prominent Chiot family that founded the Bank of Athens (later the Ionian Bank). “Many were doing business in London, Marseille, Russia, Morocco, Egypt, and elsewhere. Prominent shipping families like the Skaramangas, Benakis, and Syngros all hailed from Chios.” The Chiots also dominated the spice trade – a luxury at the time, signaling a distinctly urban cuisine with international influences. “Spices were costly, and their presence in cooking was a hallmark of an affluent, cosmopolitan culinary style,” Zygomalas notes.

Ermoupoli itself became a paragon of European sophistication. French governesses, staff from the British telegraph office, and architects from Bavaria, Germany, and France arrived on the island, contributing to the construction of neoclassical buildings and bringing with them a wealth of gastronomic traditions. These influences intertwined, creating a culinary landscape that was as international as it was sophisticated – a reflection of the vibrant, dynamic community that defined Syros.

At the same time, the residents of Ermoupoli traveled extensively, mingling with the European bourgeoisie, having their clothes tailored in France, and returning to Syros laden with luxuries and delicacies. They hosted lavish banquets, often serving French cuisine, the culinary standard of sophistication at the time. Some even brought Parisian chefs to their island kitchens.

“This is how Syros became the island of restaurants,” recounts Kiki Zygomala, mother of Yannis Zygomalas. “Tables were draped with linen tablecloths, set with porcelain dinnerware and polished silver cutlery. Grand receptions and literary salons were held in aristocratic homes.”

These opulent gatherings are immortalized in literary masterpieces like The Time of Chrysanthemums by Manos Eleftheriou, The Great Chimera by Karagatsis, and The Psychology of a Husband from Syra by Emmanouel Rhoides. The authors vividly describe intricate menus and lavish dishes served in the salons of Ermoupoli’s elite.

Rhoides even recounts extraordinary culinary practices of the time, such as feeding turkeys with nutmeg to make their meat more fragrant or killing red mullets with a pin to prevent the “bitterness caused by spasms of prolonged agony.”

It is no coincidence that Syros, the capital of the Cyclades, was also the birthplace of Greece’s first printed cookbook. I Mageiriki (The Culinary Arts) was published anonymously in 1828 and attributed to Panagiotis Zontanos, a doctor from Kydonies (modern-day Ayvalik). “Flipping through its pages, you’ll find variations of recipes in German, Spanish, English, and Russian styles,” notes Kostas Prekas, a grocer and researcher of Syros’ culinary history. This remarkable manual, containing one hundred recipes, reflects the international spirit of Ermoupoli’s kitchens and their cosmopolitan legacy.

A Touch of Asia Minor

The refugees from Asia Minor, followed later by those from Constantinople, arrived in Syros carrying scars but also beauty, enriching the life and culture of Ermoupoli with their intricate and fascinating ways. Their culinary practices, such as using sugar, molasses, raisins, cloves, cinnamon and an array of other spices in stews and stuffed dishes, introduced the island to new techniques and tastes.

“All this temperament, flair, and elegance that defined their appearance also resonated in their culinary art,” explains Dr. Irini Hardali, herself of Asia Minor descent. “They cooked with passion, creativity, and a genuine love for food.”

The bourgeoisie of Ermoupoli eagerly embraced these influences from Asia Minor, incorporating them into their abundant dining traditions. Dishes became richer, flavors sweeter, and aromas more intricate. These newcomers, who hailed from the opposite side of the Aegean, didn’t favor pork, as was usual in the Cyclades. Instead, they cooked lamb, beef, and poultry, such as guinea fowl.

Signature dishes like Ayvalik-style quince-braised beef, Asia Minor-style meatballs with green olives, cabbage rolls, and pilafs enriched with vermicelli and dried fruits, as well as delicacies like pastirma and cured fish like lakerda, quickly found their way into the kitchens of Syros. These dishes weren’t merely preserved; they became part of the broader culinary repertoire of the island, only more as techniques and habits than as fixed dishes. For instance, the concept of the mezze seamlessly merged with the simple cucina povera of the island, and the custom of pairing drinks with different courses took hold. A meal might begin with ouzo and end with wine, echoing the region’s evolving dining traditions.

The refugees from Asia Minor also played a pivotal role in advancing the art of loukoumi-making (Turkish delight), which had been introduced to Syros by the Chiots. They also brought new confections such as tsoureki (sweet braided bread), Smyrna-style cookies, saragli (rolled baklava), and ravani (syrup-soaked semolina cake), along with creamy desserts. One standout was asure, a pudding adorned with Aegina pistachios and dried rose petals.

“Before this, the locals knew only kollyvozoumo, a kind of wheat broth typically served at memorial services, thickened with toasted flour,” explains Dr. Hardali. “They didn’t use niseste (corn starch) for thickening sauces or creams. But they embraced asure, enriching it with apricots and walnuts.”

Today, this legacy lives on, celebrated annually by the Asia Minor Association of Syros, which continues to serve asure to mark the feast of Saint Barbara, maintaining a sweet connection to their roots.

Syros’ Lavish Market and Culinary Evolution

In the bustling market of Ermoupoli, which now occupies the compact Chios Street connecting the port to Miaouli Square, the wealthy ladies of the town once found every imaginable delicacy. The grocery stores of Syros sold more Roquefort and Parmesan than feta cheese. French powdered milk, English pickles, and taramas were available in tins, barrels, and sacks. Mrs. Vangelitsa Tsousoglou recalls that her family’s store, Edodima kai Apoikiaka (Groceries and Colonial Goods), stocked such items from the early 20th century until 1973.

Syros sailors brought back recipes, ingredients, and techniques from around the globe, enriching the island’s culinary repertoire. Game meat also entered the urban cuisine of the era, likely influenced by English aristocratic dining traditions. “Greengrocers displayed feathered game strung on hooks, and when its sale was banned, they raffled it off to find buyers,” recalls Mrs. Marika Preka.

There were also stories of clandestine trade: “Boats smuggled mastiha from Chios hidden inside porcelain oil lamps,” recounts Yannis Zygomalas, who notes that mastiha became a defining flavor for Chian-descended families in Ermoupoli. “Kourabiedes, meringues, and almond sweets were unimaginable without mastiha’s distinctive aroma,” he explains. Chiots also introduced rose sugar, lemon blossom essence, and spoon sweets like quince, grape, and pistachio, along with their famous gardens, brimming with rose bushes, sweet lemons, mandarins, and other citrus trees.

At formal dinners – and eventually in everyday cooking – dishes like snail stew, cabbage rolls with pine nuts and raisins, zucchini stuffed with tangy béchamel, artichokes filled with rice, and meatloaf stuffed with eggs became staples. “Everyone ate savoro (a sweet-and-sour fish dish), but meat was the centerpiece of most meals,” notes Yannis. Even today, the residents of Syros eat less fish compared to other Cycladic islands. “This is how a creative and imaginative cuisine developed – the urban elite shaped it to their tastes,” he adds.

One iconic example of this ingenuity is the sfogliatsa, a celebrated confection from Ermoupoli’s patisseries. This syrup-soaked dessert combines a tart-like pastry base, a fluffy almond sponge filling, and a topping of crisp phyllo pastry. “Elsewhere in Greece, it’s known as Copenhagen, but the Syros version stands out for its crunchy base and distinctive aromas of mastiha and rosewater,” explains journalist Ioanna Stamoulou.

Other confections showcasing these layered influences include mastichakia (syrup-soaked pastries with mastiha), nougatines, and rodinia (almond sweets filled with buttercream). However, in the villages of Syros, many of these desserts seemed exotic and financially unattainable at the time – a testament to the divide between the island’s cosmopolitan center and its rural outskirts.

The Culinary Landscape of Industrial Syros

During the industrial revolution of Syros, the island witnessed remarkable growth, including the establishment of a steam-powered flour mill that also produced starch and pasta made from wheat imported from Odessa. Tomato canneries and glassworks flourished, alongside the rise of a burgeoning working class. Men and women from rural Syros and nearby islands formed the core of Ermoupoli’s substantial factory-worker base. These working-class laborers brought their modest meals in sacks: dried bread, rusks, terrines, sausages from pig slaughters, sun-kissed vegetables, sun-dried tomatoes, and preserved sweets like dried figs and pasteli (sesame honey bars).

Their resourcefulness in preserving agricultural produce ensured longevity and provided lessons in household economy that enriched the local cuisine. The unique products of the Cycladic terroir – blessed by intense sunlight, sea salt, and persistent winds – became defining elements of Syros’ culinary identity.

The archives of the Syros Agricultural Cooperative, found in Kostas Prekas’ library, document the local ingenuity in utilizing produce. For example, “rabbit figs” – overripe figs that might otherwise spoil – were collected from trees or the ground and dried for use. The cooperative also created the famed San Michali cheese, a mature, aged cheese with a flavor profile somewhere between graviera and Parmesan. Farmers and vintners were central to the cooperative’s success, cultivating renowned Syros tomatoes, zucchini, and native grape varieties like Serifiotiko and Kountoura, which today produce intriguing modern wines.

At the same time, the working class sought simple pleasures and affordable sustenance. Fry shops, taverns, and inns like Tou Lili and Tou Tempelei (the latter still operating in Ano Syros under the stewardship of third-generation owner Leonardo Roussos) catered to their needs. These humble establishments offered cheap food and entertainment, with rebetiko and light folk music setting the atmosphere.

From these frying pans and pots emerged iconic dishes that endure in the island’s culinary memory: atherinopita (whitebait pie), tirititim (a Syros omelette specialty), breaded meatballs, fried sun-dried tomatoes in batter, parsley salads, caper salads, stewed and rigani-spiced pork offal, stuffed pork belly, and blood sausages with rice. To satisfy their sweet tooth, they used every available resource, including pork fat for making kourabiedes (shortbread cookies). They also craft sweet cheese pies using local cheeses like tirovolia with the island’s exceptional thyme honey, a hallmark of Syros since ancient times.

Syros’ beekeeping tradition even gained international recognition, as Father Stephanos Dellarokas, a prominent priest and scholar, dedicated five-sixths of his ethnographic treatise to The New Method of Beekeeping as Practiced on Syros, Island of the Archipelago, published in Paris in 1790. This seminal work highlights the island’s longstanding expertise in honey production, further enriching its gastronomic legacy.