Being a tourist carries a responsibility towards the community from social, economic and ecological perspectives. One major tourist attraction is the gastronomic specialties of the area visited. In this perspective, consuming local foods is a significant contribution to preserving the identity and boosting the economy of your tourist destination.
If your destination is Sigri, you are a lucky tourist! A small town in the North West of Lesvos Island in Aegean Greece directly gives you the feeling of being part of the small community of its three hundred inhabitants. Take a seat in a small restaurant by the sea shore, and while watching the fishing boats and feeling the breeze of the sea, you can indulge yourself in a rich meal of fresh foods and traditional recipes. Starting with the fresh “greek salad”, the famous “tzatziki” and other starters like “zucchini flowers”, “eggplant in tomato sauce”, you cannot miss the fresh sea foods including the “octopus”, “scampis” and different varieties of local fish, all served or cooked with the very fine olive oil of Lesvos the “Olive Island”. Is something missing on the menu? Of course, how can one forget the “Ouzo”! The meal wouldn’t be complete without the national drink produced from anis seeds planted in the island itself.
“Most of the restaurant ingredients are purchased locally, with very few coming from the neighboring island of Xios” confirmed Adonis, the owner of a local café in the center of Sigri. Adonis buys his vegetables from the local market as well as other available products such as the Ouzo and cheese. He is confident about the quality and taste of these products and is comfortable with their availability. Adonis serves the seasonal foods as “Ouzo tempters” which are generally snacks that accompany the drink. He also buys some of the fruit deserts from the women cooperatives of Lesvos Island, or of the neighboring island if not available in Lesvos. Adonis said that tourists usually ask for local dishes and like to try and explore traditional meals.
In the restaurant next door, the owner was proud to state that his mother is the cook of the restaurant, and that all meals are first prepared and tasted by their small family before being shared with the customers. He also confirmed that all available products on the island are given priority compared to the imported products which are most probably from other parts of Greece. You can feel the freshness and authenticity of what your taste buds will appreciate in Sigri! An English couple having breakfast in that restaurant stated that the freshness of the local food makes the difference in taste; while another tourist insisted on his desire to participate in the development of the area by making sure that the money he spends goes to the local people and not to foreign companies.
So if you go to Sigri, enjoy the delightful local meals while contributing to sustainable tourism!
