Kalloni Sardines — Papalina

The small, sweet sardine caught in the Gulf of Kalloni is among the most celebrated foods in Greek gastronomy. The enclosed gulf’s particular ecology produces a fish with a flavour distinctly softer and less oily than most sardines. Eat them grilled at a harbour taverna in Skala Kallonis. Preserved versions in olive oil are the best take-home option. The Sardine Festival in August is the peak celebration.

Ladotyri Mytilinis — PDO Cheese in Olive Oil

Ladotyri Mytilinis is a Protected Designation of Origin sheep’s-milk cheese aged in olive oil. The combination of the cheese’s salt and tang with the fruity olive oil that preserves it is distinctive and unlike any other Greek cheese. Buy it sealed from a local cheese shop or cooperative rather than a supermarket. It travels well and keeps for weeks at room temperature if the seal is intact.

Ouzo Meze — The Lesvos Table

Ouzo is not a drink to consume alone. It should arrive with meze — small plates that change with the season, the catch and the kitchen. The combination of sardines, octopus, local cheese, olives and whatever the taverna has prepared, alongside slowly clouding ouzo over ice, is one of the great eating experiences in the Aegean. The afternoon is the traditional time; do not rush it.

Olive Oil

Lesvos has approximately 11 million olive trees — the Kolovi and Adramytini varieties produce oils with a character experienced tasters recognise as distinct from the oil of Crete, Kalamata or Attica. Buy at source: the Museum of Industrial Olive-Oil Production at Agia Paraskevi provides the heritage context; cooperatives in Petra, Agia Paraskevi and other villages sell the oil itself.

Eresos Figs

The figs of Eresos — harvested in late summer and early autumn — are considered among the finest on the island. Fresh in August and September; dried versions available year-round from local cooperatives.

Lisvori Anise

The star anise from Lisvori village (near Polichnitos) is the flavouring ingredient that defines the character of Lesvos ouzo. In July when the anise fields are in bloom, the area around the village has a fragrance unlike anything else on the island.