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Businesses, flavours and experiences across all the islands — choose a category.
List it for free and showcase it to thousands of visitors.
List now →Discover the beaches, culture, and experiences you must not miss in the Cyclades.
Behind the golden beaches and wild bars of Ios lies a sweet, almost secret tradition of thyme honey and almonds, waiting to be discovered by anyone who walks the alleys of Chora with a little more attention.
Ios has built its reputation on two things: the endless golden beaches that stretch along more than thirty kilometres of coastline, and nights that never seem to end. And yet, behind this image of carefree youth, the island hides a quieter, deeper flavour. A flavour that doesn’t shout, but fills the air with fragrance.
Climb the steps of Chora an hour before sunset, when the light turns the whitewashed walls to gold and the noise of the beach fades behind you. There, in a corner overlooking the Aegean, you’ll meet the sweet side of Ios — the one that summer’s rush usually passes by.
On the dry stone terraces of Ios, wild thyme grows among the rocks, defying the summer sun. The bees that visit it produce a honey that is thick, dark-coloured, with an aroma reminiscent of the island’s own mountains.
This honey is not merely an ingredient; it is the backbone of Cycladic pastry-making. It is spread over sweets, soaks into doughs, sweetens yoghurt in the morning. One taste is enough to understand why the Cycladic islanders treasure it like gold.
Pasteli, made from sesame and honey, is one of the oldest sweets in the Greek world — it is said that the ancient Greeks already knew it as an energy food for travellers and sailors. On Ios, an island that for centuries fed its inhabitants with whatever the dry land could yield, pasteli remains a symbol of frugality and ingenuity.
Amygdalota, on the other hand, bear witness to the Cyclades’ relationship with the almond tree, which blossoms early in spring in shades of pink and white. Kneaded with almond, sugar and rosewater, they are traditionally served at weddings and christenings — a sweetness that accompanies a community’s great moments.
Chora of Ios is made for getting lost in. Narrow cobbled lanes, white houses with blue shutters, small chapels appearing suddenly around a bend. In this landscape, a stop at a traditional pastry shop works like a pause — a moment of stillness within summer’s bustle.
The scent of freshly baked almond, the sweet cold water that accompanies every treat, the view opening between the alleys all the way to the sea — together they compose an experience that escapes the island’s mass-tourism image and brings you closer to its authentic identity.
The Cyclades learned early on how to transform the poverty of the land into richness of flavour. Without abundant water, without fertile fields, the people of Ios turned to whatever could withstand the drought: almond trees, thyme, sesame. From this necessity was born a pastry tradition that is simple yet deeply flavourful, passed down from generation to generation.
Every treat you taste today is, in a way, a small story of survival and creativity — a flavour that carries within it the sun, the stone, and the patience of an island.
On Ios, a sweet is not just a moment’s pleasure; it is a bridge to the history of the place.Cycladic Tradition
Next time you find yourself on Ios, set aside a little time away from the beach. Seek out the taste of thyme honey, the crunch of pasteli, the sweetness of almond. You’ll discover that this island of youth also hides a soul full of memory, patience and authenticity — a flavour that lingers long after the sun-soaked day has ended.
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