A Cook's Souvenir from Greece?

[gochrisgo]

I am traveling to Rhodes, Mykonos and Santorini in early September. I'm wondering what a good souvenir for a cook would be? A piece of cookware, or linens or housewares? Thanks for any suggestions of items as well as shops to find these items.

[1sweetpea]

I was backpacking in Greece a few years ago and wasn't able to carry much by way of souvenirs in my pack, since Greece was my first stop on a 6-week vacation. I would have loved to have brought back a delicious extra virgin olive oil, some vacuum packed high quality olives, some dried Greek oregano and maybe even some beautiful ceramic dishes for serving mezes.

[emilief]

Cookware, linens or housewares?? No. Maybe some lovely handmade Greek pottery. The only other thing that comes to mind is a mortar and pestle made of marble. AS far as food, greek oregano is the best. Also, dried mit and Greek honey, especially thyme honey. Have a great trip.

[phoenikia]

Agree that the marble mortar and pestles are really nice.

Greek coffee pot or olive wood spoons/spatulas/cutting boards etc. would be my pics.

Rhodes has a lot of nice shops selling tablecloths and other linens, but make sure you check that they are made in Greece if you want a truly Greek souvenir- many of the cheaper ones are now made in Asia and India.

You could also pick up some Greek foodie items- I brought home a Greek style marzipan from a gourmet shop I found in Mytilini, you could also buy spoon sweets (the fruit preserves in jars) or dried pastas that might not be common elsewhere (like trahana).

Also, I like to come home with regional cookbooks (specific to the island, rather than a standard Greek cookbook). Often a few cookbooks are available in English, French or German.

The food in Rhodes can be amazing, esp. if you manage to get off the beaten tourist track path- more interesting than most parts of Greece in my experience, so if you were looking for a regional cookbook, I'd look for one in Rhodes.

Although I like the fava and tomatokeftedes that are quite common in Santorini, generally, I found the food in Santorini and Mykonos to be disappointing, and I don't remember seeing any interesting foodie shops or kitchen stores when I was there.

[gochrisgo]

phoenikia , thanks for your great advice. Too bad I might not see much of this when I am in Santorni and Mykonos -- sounds like the best stuff is a bit more off the track and I'm not sure if I will be able to get there from my cruise.

[E.Kolliopoulos]

If you will arrive Athens first, near Syntagma Square is a place called Masticha Shop. Masticha is a gum ,or resin from trees that only grow in Chios, and no place else in the world. I would suggest the Masticha liquor that you serve chilled, but for cooks, you can make incredible sauces, like no other. They have a complimentary recipe booklet that you can include in the gift bag.