We Serve the Aegean

An original internet campaign called “We Serve the Aegean” has just been launched. Its creators, the Greek Gastronomy Guide website and Blue Star Ferries, got together to present another view of the Aegean islands through their cuisines and food traditions.“We Serve the Aegean” will be showcasing each island through its history, geography, local products, characteristic foods and much much more. Everything needed to leave us with a rich taste of what each particular place has to offer. Simply because gastronomy is the best way for the traveller /  visitor to become aware of the essence, the spirit, of a place, and its people and their day to day life, dipping below the surface and beyond the stereotypes repeated in the tourist brochures. The campaign covering the 18 islands served by Blue Star Ferries (Crete, Rhodes, Kos, Kalymnos, Astypalaia, Patmos, Santorini, Ios, Mykonos, Naxos, Paros, Syros, the Minor Cyclades, Amorgos, Ikaria, Chios,  Lesvos) transforms the journey into a voyage to gastronomic destinations that open their arms to offer their best culinary experiences. “We Serve the Aegean” turns the map of the Aegean Sea into a user-friendly, amusing game, so that while sailing from island to island travellers are fed tidbits of interesting information about each one. And, once their appetite has been tickled, they’ll get to know the producers of the local specialities, the owners of the most distinctive tavernas, restaurants and cafés in each spot, as well as details about festivals, markets and landmarks/sights. The aim of this “guide” is to enhance a visit to the islands by enriching it with insights into their food traditions, products and tastes, weaving them into a more complex portrait of their overall identity. In this way, the specialities and products become the best ambassadors for each place. For example, skotyri and mosenda are trademarks of Ios; Santorini has tomato fritters and Assyrtiko wine; Mykonos is famous for its louza and spicy kopanisti cheese, Tinos for its saltsitsi and volaki cheese, Lesvos for the sardines of Kalloni and gkiouslemedes, Naxos for its graviera cheese and zambon, Paros for its salatouri and souma, Rhodes for its melekouni and lakani, Kos for its posias cheese and katimeria, Kalymnos for its octopus fritters and alipasta . . .  These names may be Greek to you now but this campaign will make them part of your vocabulary. “We Serve the Aegean” represents an effort by Blue Star Ferries to help promote the Aegean archipelago but it is also an exceptional example-prototype for the creation of similar initiatives by businesses which actively support the view that Greek Gastronomy, in all its aspects, can make a substantial contribution to further upgrade the tourist image of this country. The Aegean’s stupendous scenery, its authentic local products, its special tastes, its people and their festivals, church fairs, customs and warm welcome can give the visitor unique experiences, offering a genuine and inimitable acquaintance with the gastronomy and culture of each place. We wish “We Serve the Aegean” a good voyage, we hope Blue Star passengers will take advantage of information that will add mouth-watering gustatory pleasures to their holiday, and we encourage other entrepreneurs to hop on board and copy this worthy initiative. Greek Gastronomy Guide