The town called Skala Kalloni in Lesbos island has been hosting a one-of-a-kind festival dedicated to a single species of fish for nearly a century. Sardine Festival in Lesbos brings together sardine lovers from all over the world.

 

Is a festival held for only one fish species? If such species is sardines, the answer is "yes, it's done". What anchovies mean to us is exactly what sardines mean to the Portuguese, Spaniards and Greeks!! There are so many recipes about this fish that it's not surprising that there's also a festival about this fish. This event is hosted by Lesbos, which is famous for its sardines and other food festivals, every year in August.

 

 

Sardines, which are slightly flattened on the sides, have a round body, silvery edges, greenish upper sides, and can reach up to 20 cm in length, are one of the symbols of this island, whose main means of living is fishing. Sardines caught in Kalloni Bay are considered one of the pinnacles of Greek cuisine. Many people say that they have never come across a sardine like the one they ate in Lesbos. Maybe it's because sardines aren't eaten in winter but only caught in summer.

 

 

Visitors to the Sardine Festival in Lesbos have the opportunity to taste the best sardines of the Mediterranean basin accompanied by ouzo. Besides sardines, they taste Lesbos' famous feta cheese, yoghurt, fried zucchini known as "kolokithlouloudia", spinach pie known as "spanakopita" and cheese pie known as "tiropitakia", of course, listening to the fancy melodies of the Mediterranean playing in the background!

 

 

Lesbos is famous not only for the sardine festival in Skala Kalloni, but also for the Ouzo festival, the wine festival in Anemotia and the food festivals held in Molyvos and Petra in early July every year. What do you think? Are the reasons for visiting Lesbos increasing for those who enjoy eating?

 

Photographs: Elle Hughes, Alex Teixeira, Dave Van Wijk, Ganapathy Kumar (Unsplash)