The Taste of Mani: Honest, simple, Mediterranean
Mani’s food is as uncompromising as its landscape: bold flavours, few ingredients, nothing unnecessary. What grows here, what lasts, what nourishes after a long day under the sun is what makes it to the table.
Enjoy Slowly
Tsouchti (The Maniot carbonara): A traditional Maniot dish of thick pasta tossed in hot olive oil, topped with grated, charred mizithra cheese and a fried egg. Simple, hearty and full of character, it exemplifies Mani’s rustic comfort food.
Syglino (Smoked pork): Strips of pork cured in salt, smoked over sage and kept in olive oil. Once a way to make food last through the seasons, now a dish best shared with good bread, sharp cheese and time to spare.
Lalagia (Fried dough twists): A crisp, golden Maniot staple, served plain, with cheese, drizzled in honey or both. A filling snack you can find at any local bakery.
Paspalas (Rustic porridge): A mix of porridge of wheat flour with water and local olive oil, slowly fried so as to get fluffy enough and feed the family. Served as such or with fried onions, pork and quail, it is the epitome of Mani’s resourceful cucina povera.
Chortopites (Savoury herb Pies): Wild greens wrapped in thin pastry and baked until golden. A recipe that hasn’t changed because it doesn’t need to.
Gournopoula (Slow-roasted pork): Crisp skin, tender meat, the scent of garlic, oregano and olive oil drifting through a long afternoon. A feast dish, made for loud tables and second helpings.
Kagianas (Tomatoes & eggs): Tomatoes cooked down to their sweetest, eggs. A delicious, healthy meal to have as brunch, lunch or dinner.
Seafood: Mani’s coastline offers a steady bounty, and its seafood is treated with the same simplicity and care as everything else in its cuisine. Tsipoura (sea bream), barbouni (red mullet) and atherina (small whitebait fish) are lightly grilled or fried and served with nothing more than olive oil, lemon, and salt.
Red shrimps from the Laconian Gulf are prized for their sweet, delicate flavor, while octopus, mussels, and squid are grilled, simmered in wine, or served whole with just a squeeze of lemon.
