The cuisine of Xanthi prefecture is very unique. Here people combine traditional Thracian tastes and recipes with influences from Asia Minor and the cuisine of Pomakoi. Eastern food is very delicious. Do not miss to try sausages, pastourma (dried meat usually from camels), kavourma (a local salami), sarma (bowels of lamp stuffed with rice and spices), youfkades (type of pasta), chilopites (type of pasta) and kebab. On the coasts you can taste fresh fish and sea food. Xanthi is also popular for its sweets made of excellent quality products. Sweets like karioka, saragli, nougkas and others, as well as its amazing eastern syrup sweets have made Xanthi very popular.

RECIPIES

Traditional Saragli
Ingredients
1k flaky pastry for baklava (approximately 13-15 flaky pastries)
1 ½ k butter, ½ k walnuts
½ k trimmed dried bread
2 k sugar
1 tablespoon lemon juice
Zest of half lemon
1 tablespoon cinnamon
7 glasses of water
Preparation
For the stuffing mix the dried bread with the walnuts and the cinnamon.
On a large clean surface spread the first three flaky pastries which will be the base of our pastry. Spread some of stuffing then place another flaky pastry on top and repeat this procedure until you reach the fifth flaky pastry. In the same way we do 2 more saragli until all of our ingredients have finished.
From a kilo you can get 13-15 flaky pastry, therefore calculate that each saragli has to have up to 5 flaky pastries and the stuffing should not be a lot, but just enough to cover each flaky pastry. The stuffing should be in the middle so it does not spill out when wrapped.
When you finish with the above, roll the pastry carefully .
If there is too much flaky pastry hanging around cut it with a knife.
Then cut the rolls into approximately 1-2 cm slices.
Place the slices on a tray, where you have spread some butter, so that the staffing looks up.
Melt the butter, take out all of its foam and before it gets cold spread it with a spoon on each slice.
Bake in medium temperature for an hour until it is brown and you can smell the walnut. In the meanwhile prepare the syrup by boiling sugar, lemon, water and the lemon zest in a pot.
When the syrup is thick take out the lemon zest and keep it warm until our pastry is done. Sprinkle warm syrup on the freshly baked pastry and cover it with a clean towel. The pastry will absorb the syrup and after an hour it will be ready for serving.

Pork with pickled cabbage
Ingredients
2 k of pickled cabbage
4 tablespoons of unsalted butter
1 tablespoon of tomato purée
3 small spicy peppers (optionally), 1/2 cup of olive oil
1 ½ k pork, preferably shoulder bone cut in pieces, juice of two lemons, salt and pepper
Preparation
Cut the cabbage as for a salad but in thicker slices and we ry it from its water. Warm up the butter in a large casserole and add the cabbage and the tomato puree. Leave it for 10-15 minutes until soft. In another sauce pan fry the meat with the oil and spicy peppers for few minutes. After its brown place it in the casserole together with the cabbage, pour the lemon juice and stir with a wooden ladle. Cover the casserole and let it boil for 1 1/2 hour on low fire.
It is served in shallow plate and accompanied with red wine.