Cycladic Cuisine Served Up with Pride at Sifnos Fe(a)st

The Greek island of Sifnos will be holding its annual Festival of Cycladic Gastronomy “Nikolaos Tselementes”, which marks its 10th anniversary this year, bringing foods from the islands to the table on September 8, 9 and 10 at the village of Artemonas.

Every year, restless cooks from across the Cyclades flock to Sifnos for the festival, bringing in their bags traditional recipes and local ingredients which they share producing some of the finest delicacies in the Aegean.

Taking the spotlight will be traditional dishes from the island cuisines of Amorgos, Anafi, Andros, Antiparos, Donousa, Iraklia, Ios, Kea, Kimolos, Koufonisia, Kythnos, Milos, Mykonos, Naxos, Paros, Santorini, Serifos, Sikinos, Syros, Schinoussa, Tinos and Folegandros, with Astypalaia as this year’s special guest.

An initiative of the the Sifnos Cultural Society held in the honor of Sifnos-born master chef and cookbook writer Nikolaos Tslementes (1878-1958), the festival aims to promote Cycladic cuisine in Greece and abroad.

Today the initiative has grown into one of the largest cultural events in the Cyclades with the support of locals, dozens of volunteers, private initiative, the South Aegean Region and the Sifnos Municipality, and brings together islanders from all of the Cyclades, professional dancers and musicians as well as more than 300 guests.

Parallel events include book presentations, workshops and day happenings, local product displays as well as the traditional “panegyri” (open-air fair).