The octopus garlands

The octopus garlands

This afternoon feels warm at Pisso Livadi , so I make myself a large cup of coffee and go outside, to drink it at the veranda, overlooking the sea. From there, in a clear day like this, I can see Naxos, Iraklia, Ios, Sikinos, and sometimes Santorini. Dozens of small fishing boats are moving slowly, with their engines making that characteristic sound that covers the talks of the fishermen. Tomorrow morning, people will gather at this picturesque port, to buy fresh octopus.

Octopus is one of the marvels of the sea that the people of the Aegean highly appreciate, and use it as one of the basic ingredients for many traditional recipes: octopus giouvetsi (cooked with pasta), octopus meat balls, fried, or stifado( cooked with onions and wine). But the recipe that best brings out the sea aromas of the octopus most, is when the octopus is charcoal grilled.

Immediately after octopuses are caught , fishermen of the islands rub them on big rocks by the sea. They then wash it with sea water and hung it to dry in the sun for a couple of days, in order to become really tender. Octopus garlands decorating fish taverns and fishermen’s houses are very common picture here.. And when the charcoal grilled octopus is served with lemon, a so simple but yet a so full of flavor taste, you do feel that you have come closer to the secrets of the Aegean Sea.