Sifnos Set to Serve Up Cycladic Treats at Tselemenetes Food Fest

By Maria Paravantes

The island of Sifnos is ready to treat visitors and locals to the best of Cycladic island cuisine on September 7-9 at its annual Festival of Traditional Cycladic Cooking “Nikolaos Tselementes”, commemorating Sifnos-born master chef and cookbook writer Nikolaos Tslementes (1878-1958).

Aiming to promote Cycladic cuisine in Greece and abroad, the 11th Tselementes festival features cooks, chefs and foodies from across the Cyclades sharing traditional recipes and preparing some of the Aegean’s finest delicacies.

The three-day event, first organized over a decade ago, has evolved into one of the largest cultural events in the Cyclades. Locals, volunteers, private initiative, the South Aegean Region and the Sifnos Municipality, have jointly worked towards the promotion of the region and its gastronomy clinching in the meantime gold for “European Gastronomic Festival 2016” by CEUCO (European Council of Enogastronomic Brotherhoods) and silver in the Best City Awards 2016.

The food fest will be held in the village of Artemonas and besides the gastronomy and nutrition-related events will include book presentations, workshops, local product displays, morning seaside cooking classes as well as plenty of song and dance.

Sifnos Island Cyclades Greece / © Maria Theofanopoulou

Traditional dishes and sweets from the island cuisines of Amorgos, Anafi, Andros, Antiparos, Donousa Iraklia, Ios, Kea, Kimolos, Kythnos, Milos, Mykonos, Naxos, Paros, Santorini, Serifos, Sikinos, Syros Schinoussa, Tinos and Folegandros will take center stage.

The festival opens daily at 6pm and closes at 9.30pm with music and dance events.