Sweets and preserves occupy a distinct place in Naxos’s gastronomic constellation.
Recipes have been handed down from mother to daughter for generations and are prepared in the traditional way with pure local products. A large variety of them can be found in most villages.
One of Naxos’s best-known traditional sweets is melachrino – a walnut pie containing a small quantity of locally produced citron liqueur and usually served with kaimaki ice cream (made from sheep’s milk).
Xerotigana (fried dumplings) is another traditional treat, offered at various fetes.
Endowed with a wide variety of fruit trees, Naxos also offers an array of spoon sweets and preserves, the most characteristic of them being the varieties of cherry, citron, quince, sour cherry and papilona (a cross fertilization between bergamot and bitter orange), which are sold at many outlets on the island.
