Food Safari Symi– From Eleni
Eleni wrote: Hi James, I’ve attached something that you may like as a guest blog post while you are on holidays (up to you). I have spent many, many years on Symi and food was always a highlight! Thought it might be nice to share my passion. Cheers from a distant (and cold & wet at the moment) Sydney, Australia! Eleni Kyramariou (Kymos)
A holiday on Symi is as much about the food journey as it is about seeing old friends and family, swimming in crystal clear seas and visiting places where memories are engraved and new ones will be etched! Food is intrinsically entwined in the fabric of all human interaction on this tiny jewel in the Aegean.
August 2015 – This was my second trip back to Symi after my seven year stint teaching English on the island. Just prior to my departure from Sydney (Australia), an intensive diet and exercise regime achieved its goal of providing the scope to gain a few kilos during my short holiday – an inevitable outcome of a Symi stay! So, the two week safari began and every day was full of flavour!
My days were greeted with simple breakfasts of Greek coffee in a mug (Symi meets Sydney) and island delights such as ‘ misokofti’ (a prickly pear jelly) which is made in nearly every household and often shared in the neighbourhood spurring friendly rivalry on whose is the best creation. These taste sensations, against a quiet Pedi Bay morning backdrop makes me not want to leave the courtyard of the house, but time is not on my side…
Lunch was often determined by what the local fisherman had on offer – brought to, weighed and sold on your doorstep! This day was fresh red mullet, a Mediterranean Slipper Lobster (I had to Google the English name for this delicious creature) and a Greek salad all washed down with a cold Mythos! An island feast by any standard!
Next stop – sights, sea and a smorgasbord! A visit to Symi is never really complete without a round island day trip on the Poseidon. A fabulous opportunity to tickle all the human senses! With the wind velocity checked to the point of delirium with the captain, seasickness tablets taken and distributed where necessary and we were off! Beautiful, raw coastal scenery for the eyes, lovely sea aromas for the nose, the sounds of the boat motor and cheerful holiday banter for the ears and the feel of the cool, blue-green sea on the skin. The plentiful array of flavours laid out at Seskli sent the tastebuds on a fantasy journey that made this part of the safari complete.
A visit to Panormitis is a must and, believer or not, there is no doubt that the monastery and its surrounds have a beautiful, if not haunting, energy that is hard to ignore. Church visited, candles lit, ‘promises’ to the Archangel delivered and it’s off to the next ritual stop at Panormitis – the bakery! The intoxicating smell of fresh, wood-fired oven cooked bread, cheese pies, koulouria and a variety of pastries induces weight gain even before any of these little delights are eaten! It is not a place for those with little or no self control and as I fit into that category, was seen leaving with a number of bags full of all my favourite goodies!
Part two tomorrow…
