One of the most enjoyable trips one can make is gastronomic trips. Because in addition to the beauties of the landscapes and the history of a place, you will learn something more details about the inhabitants themselves. The flavors they prefer and the flavors that fill their homes with. And that’s something that initiates you as a true visitor and not as a tourist of a place. And each place has its own traditional recipes, others more and others less well known. Like, for example, in Laconia,you have to taste the famous sweet Samousades.
It is what will create sweet anticipation for you to return to a place that can combine everything to make you have an unforgettable time. Mountains, seas, tower houses and good food. History and myth told from the lips of the hospitable inhabitants who live in a blessed place.
Gastronomic trip to Laconia
Laconia is a place that offers to make a special gastronomic journey. It produces many local products that are used in traditional recipes that leave you completely satisfied even if you have the most demanding palate. In Laconia you will find from traditional taverns with flavors from another Greece to restaurants with more refined and special flavors.
What is certain is that you will enjoy every bite and you will leave with the best impressions. Dare to taste even the most sophisticated flavors, you won’t lose!
Recipe for Samousades Laconia
Photo Source: sidagi.gr
And of course one of the things you should try before you leave Laconia is the Samousades. A traditional dessert that looks a bit like baklava. But even if you don’t plan a trip to Laconia, you can impress your family and your friends by making it yourself. At sidagi.gr we found the traditional recipe you should try.
Ingredients (for 8 people):
For the samousades
2.5 cups wheat flour
2 tablespoons olive oil
Juice of half a lemon
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 glass of water sugar water
1 glass of water
Nuts
Sugar
Cinnamon
Cloves
Oil for frying
For the syrup
2 glass of water
1 glass of sugar
1 kg honey
1 cinnamon stick
Implementation:
The first thing you do is sift the wheat flour and pour some hot oil into it. Then rub it with your hands while adding some lemon juice, some baking powder, 1 glass of iced sugar water, and a glass of plain water. In the next stage, slowly start kneading until the dough has drunk the water. While kneading, cut the dough from time to time with a knife, fold to knead well. When you see that the dough is ready, let it rest. During this process break and chop the nuts with a knife.
Once the dough is ready, flour a surface and open a sheet, very thin. At first you have to pour the nut all over the surface of the leaf and start sprinkling with a little sugar and a little cinnamon. At one end of the sheet add a little flour, touch the rolling pin and begin to wrap the sheet around the rolling pin. When the whole sheet is finally wrapped in a roll, slowly remove the rolling pin and press with your hands to stick the leaves well together.
Next step just before the end: Cut the roll into slices with a knife, pin a clove and toothpick to each piece so that it does not open in the frying pan. Put plenty of oil in a shallow saucepan to warm up and fry the samousades. Allow the samousades for one night to rest and the next day you put them in the syrup.
How to make the syrup:
In a saucepan, you should pour 2 glasses of water and 1 sugar and let them boil. Then add a cinnamon stick and as soon as they boil add a kilo of honey. Remove the toothpicks and put the samousades for about 10 minutes in the syrup.
Read also:
Gastronomic trip to Santorini with tomato meatballs and boussés
Syros: Gastronomic trip with the traditional recipe for loukoumia
Frequently Asked Questions
Samousades are a traditional sweet dessert from Laconia, Greece, that resembles baklava. This delicate pastry is made with thin sheets of dough filled with nuts, sugar, and cinnamon, then fried and soaked in a honey and cinnamon syrup. They are an essential culinary experience when visiting Laconia and represent the region's rich gastronomic heritage.
To make Samousades, prepare a dough with wheat flour, olive oil, lemon juice, baking powder, and water. Roll the dough very thin, fill it with chopped nuts, sugar, and cinnamon, then roll it around a rolling pin. Slice the roll, secure each piece with a clove, and fry in oil. Finally, soak the fried pastries in a warm syrup made from water, sugar, honey, and cinnamon for about 10 minutes.
For Samousades, you need 2.5 cups wheat flour, 2 tablespoons olive oil, lemon juice, baking powder, water, sugar, nuts, cinnamon, cloves, and oil for frying. For the syrup, combine 2 glasses of water, 1 glass of sugar, 1 kg honey, and a cinnamon stick. The recipe serves 8 people.
While Samousades look similar to baklava, they are a distinct traditional Laconian dessert with their own unique preparation method. Samousades are made by rolling a single thin sheet of dough around a rolling pin with nut filling, then slicing and frying the pieces, whereas baklava typically uses layered phyllo sheets. Both are served with honey syrup, but Samousades have a distinctive rolled structure and texture.
Samousades are a must-try when visiting Laconia because they represent the authentic gastronomic heritage of the region. Tasting traditional local desserts like Samousades allows you to experience the flavors and culture of the inhabitants, transforming you from a tourist into a true visitor. Laconia offers a complete experience combining beautiful landscapes, history, hospitality, and exceptional traditional cuisine.
