While Karpathos is a mountainous island, it is quite fertile and offers many products to its inhabitants and visitors. Moreover the island is know for being faithful to its traditions.
Make your reservation at Akropolis Village on time.
There are many shops were you can find many local products. What to buy before leaving the island, either for yourself or for your loved ones?
1. Wine – Raki
Karpathos has many vineyards. That’s why there also are many small wineries. It has preserved some old-age habits in its wine production and its peculiar wines. The most famous ones are:
- Semi-sweet red from the mountainous part of the island in Othos and Volada.
- Athiri. An ancient white grape variety of the Aegean Sea, which was used for centuries for the production of excellent white dry wines. Its simple and not at all heavy structure and its mild taste make Athiri suitable for a wide range of dishes.
- Fokiano. A sweet wine produced by a rare, robust variety, resistant to disease and drought.
- Cretan thrapsathiri. A white wine with pale yellowish green colour. Excellent accompaniment to rich dishes, with intensity and complexity.
- Gaidouria. A particularly rare white variety, thistle is found on the Cyclades Islands and has a soft, sweet taste.
In addition to wine there is also production of raki, the alcoholic beverage produced by the fermentation and distillation of the grapes.
In the wineries of the island there are tasting rooms, where you can taste wines from different bottles and a shop to buy the ones you like the most.
2. Olives – olive oil
According to the Greek tradition, the first olive tree was planted in the Acropolis. It is said that it was a gift from the goddess Athena to the citizens of Athens. Olive oil was mentioned by Homer as “Liquid Gold”. Olive trees are widely grown throughout Greece and the cultivation in Karpathos covers the largest percentage of the cultivated area of the island. They are mainly of the Koroneiki variety. Small olives are also cultivated for table use.
3. Honey
Honey is the first traditional sweetener used by Greeks since antiquity. In fact, honey along with olives and grapes formed the beginnings of Greek gastronomy. In Karpathos there is honey production from thyme (summer), sage (autumn) and eriki or Erica Calluna (winter).
4. Leather boots
They are called stivania and you can find them in Olympos. Part of the traditional outfit of the the village, these boots are handmade by goat leather. The bright red color that the women’s stivania have, along with their ornate embroidery make them distinct works of art. The embroidery is made by hand or machine. Single women were stivania with more ornaments than the married ones who ware stivani with simpler embroidery.
5. Woven products
In Olympos you can also find many woven products. In the past, the women of the village used to weave everything from sheets to bags for the farmers and shepherds, capes and more. In the local market today you can find many woven products like decorative pieces, with traditional patterns, bags etc.
6. Other
Other traditional products you can find in Karpathos are hand-painted wooden or clay plates, spoon sweets (made with quince, fig, grape, sour cherry), leather slippers, traditional scarves, Greek herbs of the island such as thyme, oregano, sage and lavender for your kitchen and many more.
Make your holidays memorable by bringing back home special souvenirs from Karpathos.
And don’t forget to make your reservation at Akropolis Village on time.
