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    Urban Bliss Life » Travel » Europe » Greece » Making Traditional Greek Makarounes in Olympos, Greece

    Published: March 4, 2019 / Updated: October 13, 2021 by Marlynn Jayme Schotland · This post may contain affiliate links.

    Making Traditional Greek Makarounes in Olympos, Greece

    100 shares

    Visiting Greece? Immerse yourself in Greek cuisine & culture by learning about traditional Karpathian dishes, including makarounes - a specialty pasta dish.

    Makarounes for sale

    One of my favorite ways to learn about a destination's culture and history is through it food. In addition to food tours and dining at local family-owned restaurants, I love taking cooking classes while traveling.

    While we visited Olympos on Karpathos island in Greece, our wonderful tour guide Evangelia of Ecotourism Karpathos treated us to a feast at her family's house. She and her mother Sophia taught us how to make traditional Karpathian makarounes.

    Jump to:
    • 🍝 Traditional Makarounes
    • Making Makarounes
    • 🍽 A Karpathian Feast
    • ✈️ Visit Olympos
    • More Greece travel articles

    🍝 Traditional Makarounes

    bowl full of fresh traditional makarounes pasta in Olympos Karpathos Greece.

    Like many islands, Karpathos has a long history of influence from various other countries. When the Italians invaded Karpathos in 1912, they brought with them their love of pastas. Makarounes is a great example of the marriage of these two cultures: handmade pasta with local cheeses.

    Making Makarounes

    hands mixing dough in making makarounes pasta in Olympos Karpathos Greece.

    The beauty of makarounes is in its simplicity. You start by making a simple pasta dough, but unlike traditional pasta, you do not add egg. Makarounes pasta is made with only flour and water.

    Karpathian families have been making makarounes for generations. Therefore, there are few written recipes that are handed down, and few strict measurements. Like much of cooking worldwide, makarounes dough is ready to roll out when you achieve a consistency that feels right to you.

    making makarounes pasta in Olympos Karpathos Greece

    Once the dough is mixed and ready, you shape it into a disc and then cut out thin slices.

    Those slices of dough are then rolled into very long, very thin strands.

    Marlynn and media group rolling dough and making makarounes pasta in Olympos Karpathos Greece.
    Marlynn Schotland rolling dough to make traditional makarounes pasta in Olympos Karpathos Greece.

    This can be the tricky part: rolling the dough thin enough to create somewhat uniform pieces, but not too thin so as to break off.

    several raw shaped dough to make makarounes pasta in Olympos Karpathos Greece.

    After cutting the strands into small one-inch pieces of pasta, you then use your fingers to gently create curled shapes. The makarounes shape resembles curled pasta such as cavetelli and gemelli, but is very distinct.

    Once the individual shapes are formed, they are cooked in boiling water. Then, you sauté or fry up some onions in a pan. The makarounes dish is finished with Greek olive oil, onions, and topped with a generous serving of grated sheep's or goat's cheese.

    bowl full of traditional Makarounes filling pasta with tomato salad in background.

    Makarounes are a quick, simple yet satisfying and delicious meal. We were told that there are even some slight variations in toppings and preparations from village to village. The makarounes we made are the basis of this traditional dish.

    🍽 A Karpathian Feast

    After we made the makarounes, Evangelia and Sophia treated us to a full feast of traditional Greek cuisine. Everything was fresh, homemade, and absolutely delicious!

    bright greens, cucumbers, tomatoes in a traditional greek salad.

    Greek salads traditionally begin with fresh cucumbers and tomatoes. Evangelia and Sophia put their spin on it with their homemade pickled peppers and some basil.

    white bowl full of pickled green peppers layered on top of each other.

    I was hesitant to try the homemade pickled peppers because I tend to shy away from spicy food. But these peppers were delightfully sweet and would make dangerously addictive snacks!

    big white bowl full of cooked octopus in red sauce, olympos karpathos island greece.

    A group fave, along with the makarounes, was this vibrant octopus dish. The octopus was swimming in a delicious sea of onions, bay leaf, and mushrooms. The sauce was perfect for soaking up with the Karpathian bread. So good!

    ✈️ Visit Olympos

    Karpathian woman dressed in traditional white and floral scarf and dress standing in a bright blue doorway of a bright white house in Olympos village, Karpathos island, Greece.

    We had such a wonderful adventure visiting the village of Olympos on Karpathos island. Much of that credit truly goes to our amazing tour guide, Evangelia. I highly recommend booking a tour of Olympos with Ecotourism Karpathos. Their guides are knowledgeable, warm, friendly locals.

    If you are visiting the island of Karpathos, be sure to check out Holiday World Karpathos Travel. Their talented team can help you put together an incredible itinerary. Whether you are looking to visit many of the island's best beaches, the food scene, museums, or check out some of the best kept secrets on Karpathos. This wonderful family-owned business knows the island inside and out. They do an amazing job making sure you get the most out of your travels to the Karpathos.

    More Greece travel articles

    • Beach near Pigadia on Karpathos Island, Greece
      Greece Travel Guide: Overview of Karpathos Island
    • Parthenon at the Acropolis in Athens, Greece
      Acropolis Tour in Athens, Greece
    • fried chicken at Nolan restaurant Athens, Greece
      Where to Eat in Athens, Greece: Nolan Restaurant
    • Olympos village, Karpathos Island, Greece ©UrbanBlissLife
      Greece Travel Guide: Olympos Village on Karpathos Island

    Disclosure: I visited Olympos as part of a press trip, and tours and activities were complimentary thanks to Holiday World Karpathos Travel. All opinions and photos are, as always, my own.

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      Reader Interactions

      Comments

      1. Ram says

        January 11, 2021 at 7:05 am

        Nice Post

        Reply
      2. priyadarshini says

        April 06, 2019 at 4:30 am

        Excellent article with nice pictures

        Reply
      3. HC says

        March 09, 2019 at 8:54 pm

        Oh wow, this would be such an awesome vacation. I love Greek food and would love to go to Greece one day. Thanks so much for sharing!

        Reply
        • Marlynn Jayme Schotland says

          March 15, 2019 at 1:11 pm

          I hope you get to visit Greece one day. It's amazing! Thanks, HC! :)

      4. Jenni LeBaron says

        March 05, 2019 at 12:11 am

        What a phenomenal experience to have while you're on vacation! I love experiencing a culture through their food and it looks like you had a very tasty introduction!

        Reply
        • Marlynn Jayme Schotland says

          March 15, 2019 at 1:11 pm

          It was an incredible experience. Thanks Jenni!

      5. Catherine @ To & Fro Fam says

        March 04, 2019 at 9:49 pm

        Wow, what a cool experience! Food is such a wonderful way to explore culture, and you get the chance to not only learn about what people eat but also about their stories and values. Thanks for sharing this!

        Reply
        • Marlynn Jayme Schotland says

          March 15, 2019 at 1:10 pm

          So true. Thanks so much, Catherine!

      6. Waz says

        March 04, 2019 at 3:43 pm

        Interesting! I've never heard of makarounes and definitely would like to try it sometime. Looks like you had a fun hands on experience!

        Reply
        • Marlynn Jayme Schotland says

          March 15, 2019 at 1:10 pm

          You would love these, Waz! It's easy to make these vegan too :)

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      Marlynn Jayme Schotland 2021 profile pic

      Hi! Thanks for stopping by! I'm Marlynn - a cookbook author, writer, photographer, and mom of two teenagers + a lovable lab retriever. Here you'll find my fast, easy, and delicious recipes, wine pairings, and travel guides. I hold a WSET 2 with Distinction in wine, and am a member of Society of American Travel Writers (SATW) and the International Food, Wine, and Travel Writers Association (IFWTWA).

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