Chef Dimitra
Ionian Pasta Flora (Πάστα Φλώρα Ιονίου)
Pasta Flora is the Ionian-Venetian jam tart Greece made its own: tender shortcrust, thick fruit filling, and a lattice that bakes firm enough for school-day squares.
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Chef Dimitra
Kourabiedes Neas Karvalis (Κουραμπιέδες Νέας Καρβάλης)
Nea Karvali's refugee Christmas cookie is all butter, toasted almond, rosewater, and powdered sugar. Brown the butter, cool it, then beat it pale for the sandy crumb.
Chef Dimitra
Thessaloniki Koulourakia Paschalina (Κουλουράκια Πασχαλινά)
Thessaloniki Easter koulourakia are Holy Thursday butter cookies, braided small, brushed with egg, and baked deep gold so the orange-vanilla crumb stays tender for the week.
Chef Dimitra
Cretan Moustokouloura (Μουστοκούλουρα Κρήτης)
Cretan moustokouloura are dark grape-must cookies made with petimezi, olive oil, orange, and warm spice, soft enough for coffee and sturdy enough to keep for days.
Chef Dimitra
Amygdalota Hydras kai Androu (Αμυγδαλωτά Ύδρας και Άνδρου)
Hydra and Andros give amygdalota their island surname: ground almond, sugar, egg white, and rosewater, baked pale so the center stays soft as marzipan.
Chef Dimitra
Greek Macedonian Melomakarona (Μελομακάρονα Μακεδονίας)
A Greek Macedonian Christmas cookie with orange, semolina, honey syrup, and walnuts. The cookie cools first, the syrup stays hot, and that is how melomakarona drink properly.
Chef Dimitra
Chios Koulourakia Mastichas (Κουλουράκια Μαστίχας)
Chios mastiha gives these buttery koulourakia their clean pine perfume. Grind the resin with sugar first, shape simply, and bake them pale gold.
Chef Dimitra
Zacharena Symis (Ζαχαρένα Σύμης)
Symi's zacharena are yeasted Easter cookies scented with mastic and rosewater, baked dry and pale, then covered in powdered sugar until they look like small snowdrifts.
Chef Dimitra
Corfu Koutsouloi Piperatoi (Κουτσούλοι Πιπεράτοι)
Corfu's hard pepper biscuits carry black pepper, cinnamon, clove, and the island's Venetian memory in a dry little dough made for dunking, not nibbling softly.
Chef Dimitra
Stafidota Ierapetras (Σταφιδωτά Ιεράπετρας)
Ierapetra's stafidota are soft Cretan raisin cookies, olive-oil dough folded around walnuts, orange, and cinnamon, then sealed shut so the filling bakes plump instead of dry.
Chef Dimitra
Koullourka Kyprou (Κουλλούρκα Κύπρου), Cyprus Easter Rings
Koullourka Kyprou are Cyprus's sesame-crusted Easter rings, gently sweet and fragrant with mahlepi and mastic, with sourdough giving the small breads their chew and long keeping.
Chef Dimitra
Cretan Sweet Paximadakia Glyka (Παξιμαδάκια Γλυκά Κρήτης)
Cretan sweet paximadakia are small twice-baked rusks scented with anise, orange, and almonds, made to keep well and soften just enough in the coffee cup.
Chef Dimitra
Finikia Smyrneika (Φοινίκια Σμυρνέικα)
Smyrna's Christmas finikia are olive-oil cookies shaped like dates, filled with cinnamon walnuts, baked until sandy at the edge, then dipped warm into honey syrup.
Chef Dimitra
Cretan Koulourakia Portokaliou (Κρητικά Κουλουράκια Πορτοκαλιού)
Crete's orange koulourakia are the fasting tray cookie: olive oil, fresh juice, zest, and sesame worked into a soft dough that bakes crisp at the edge and tender inside.
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