The Ikaria Way

Greece Travel Secrets reviews the Greek cookbook, The Ikaria Way by Diane Kochilas, containing 100 delicious plant-based recipes.

Front and back covers of Greek cookbook The Ikaria Way

We recently reviewed the excellent cookbook Ikaria by Meni Valle, and some recipes from that book have become keepers for us, part of our regular 'go-to' recipes. And now along comes The Ikaria Way by Diane Kochilas, who is actually from Ikaria originally. I guess everyone just wants to know the secret of why the island of Ikaria is one of the world's Blue Zones, where people live for much longer than average.

the-ikaria-way-front-cover-detail.webp

One reason is certainly that they eat a amore plant-based diet than other people (even in Greece), and in The Ikaria Way the author collects 100 plant-based recipes inspired by Ikaria, which she calls 'the Greek island of longevity'. The New York Times called it the island where 'people forget to die.'

The Ikaria Way is far more than just a cookbook, though. It's a guide to healthier eating, and if you have specific health issues it's a guide to what kinds of food you should be eating to try to help heal your body.

Bowl of Chickpeas and RiceBowl of Chickpeas and Rice

The first chapter alone is worth buying the book for: 'A pantry inspired by Ikaria'. In it the author goes through the kinds of things you'll find in most Ikaria kitchens, telling you a little bit about them, where they originated, what you can do with them, and, most importantly, what health benefits they have. For example, adding more beans and pulses to your diet is known to increase longevity, while chickpeas in particular have been shown to reduce the risk of heart disease.

Garlic Is Good for You

Cloves of garlic

Garlic is in almost all the recipes in this book, which is good as its healthful properties have been known since the days of the ancient Greeks. Athletes used to consume it to enhance their performance during the Ancient Olympic Games. Greek soldiers used to have a garlic-filled diet, especially before going into battle. I suppose if you ate enough of it, your enemy wouldn't want to come near you anyway. 

There are whole sections dealing with dried herbs, fresh herbs, nuts (rich in vitamins and healthy fats), olives and olive oil, and the benefits of sea salt over processed table salt, which has most of its nutrients removed.

Naturally there are entries for the two ingredients which make up the best breakfast in the world: Greek yogurt and honey. Both of these are excellent for your health, and honey is far batter for you as a sweetener than sugar.

Garlicky Red Lentil Soup Dish from cookbook The Ikaria WayGarlicky Red Lentil Soup Dish from The Ikaria Way

The Ikaria's Way Recipes

Reading about the ingredients certainly makes you keen to try some of the recipes which then follow. They're divided into seven categories: meze, salads, soups, bean dishes, grain dishes, plant-based main courses, and drinks, including a herbal tea and some tasty-sounding smoothies. Naturally everything is accompanied by some equally tasty photography, both of the island and the dishes.

Longevity Greens Rice Dish from Cookbook The Ikaria WayLongevity Greens Rice Dish from The Ikaria Way

Sprouts and Mushrooms

One recipe we'll definitely be trying is Pan Shaken Brussels Sprouts and Mushrooms. Caramelised Brussels sprouts are one of our favourite tastes, and we usually roast them in the oven till they're crunchy and almost black on the outside. The thought of doing them in the pan with mushrooms, olive oil, garlic, a strip of orange zest, some star anise, thyme, and a little dry white wine has us salivating already. Mushrooms are also very good for you and are known to have anti-cancerous properties. 

the-ikaria-way-back-cover-detail.webp

Another meze idea that sounds good is Roasted Carrots with Honey, Olives and Garlic. The flavours here are enhanced with thyme again (herbs are such an important part of Greek cooking), and some dry white wine. Yes, there are some wineries on Ikaria but the author says you could use a dry sauvignon blanc instead.

Other recipes that caught our eye included Pasta with Mushrooms and Chestnuts and definitely Garlicky Red Lentil Soup. Garlic and lentils? I feel healthier just for reading the recipe! This Ikaria cookbook is certainly one we'll be using.

Buying The Ikaria Way

If you've read so far you know we really like this book, and if you want to check it out more you'll find it on Amazon.

the-ikaria-way-front-cover-full.webp

Other books about Greece

  • The 2022 edition of the A-Z Travel Guide to Kos is the 15th edition of the best and most comprehensive guidebook to Kos in the Dodecanese islands of Greece.

    A-Z Travel Guide to Kos

    The 2022 edition of the A-Z Travel Guide to Kos is the 15th edition of the best and most comprehensive guidebook to Kos in the Dodecanese islands of Greece.

  • The Bradt Guide to Northern Greece is a detailed guide to Thessaloniki, Halkidiki, Macedonia, Thrace, The Pelion, The Sporades and the rest of Northern Greece.

    Northern Greece Guide

    The Bradt Guide to Northern Greece is a detailed guide to Thessaloniki, Halkidiki, Macedonia, Thrace, The Pelion, The Sporades and the rest of Northern Greece.

  • The Bradt Guide to the Peloponnese is the best book on the Greek region which includes attractions like Mycenae, Epidavros, Olympia, Monemvasia and Nafplion.

    Bradt Guide to the Peloponnese

    The Bradt Guide to the Peloponnese is the best book on the Greek region which includes attractions like Mycenae, Epidavros, Olympia, Monemvasia and Nafplion.

  • A Rope of Vines by Brenda Chamberlain is an evocative memoir of the author’s time living on the Greek island of Hydra in the early 1960s.

    A Rope of Vines

    A Rope of Vines by Brenda Chamberlain is an evocative memoir of the author’s time living on the Greek island of Hydra in the early 1960s.

  • Ikaria by Meni Valle, brings together the best and healthiest Greek recipes with an evocative travelogue about Ikaria, one of the world’s Blue Zone places.

    Ikaria Book Review

    Ikaria by Meni Valle, brings together the best and healthiest Greek recipes with an evocative travelogue about Ikaria, one of the world’s Blue Zone places.

  • Heaven on Earth is a collection of 19 travel pieces about Greece by Mike Gerrard.

    Heaven on Earth

    Heaven on Earth is a collection of 19 travel pieces about Greece by Mike Gerrard.

  • Taverna by the Sea is an account by Jennifer Barclay of her summer spent working in a taverna on Karpathos and a welcome new book of Greek travel writing.

    Taverna by the Sea

    Taverna by the Sea is an account by Jennifer Barclay of her summer spent working in a taverna on Karpathos and a welcome new book of Greek travel writing.

  • Greece Travel Secrets reviews the book Culture Trails by Lonely Planet, which has a section on Artistic Athens and 51 other perfect weekends for culture lovers.

    Culture Trails

    Greece Travel Secrets reviews the book Culture Trails by Lonely Planet, which has a section on Artistic Athens and 51 other perfect weekends for culture lovers.

  • The Lonely Planet guide to the Greek Islands is a thorough and helpful guide to all the Greek island groups, with Athens included.

    Lonely Planet Greek Islands

    The Lonely Planet guide to the Greek Islands is a thorough and helpful guide to all the Greek island groups, with Athens included.

  • The latest edition of the Lonely Planet travel guide to Greece is a comprehensive 750-page guidebook to the whole country.

    Lonely Planet Greece

    The latest edition of the Lonely Planet travel guide to Greece is a comprehensive 750-page guidebook to the whole country.

  • There are many great Greek poets, with two authors winning the Nobel Prize for Literature and names include Sappho, Cavafy, George Seferis and Odysseus Elytis.

    Great Greek Poets: Cavafy, Sappho, George Seferis, Odysseus Elytis

    There are many great Greek poets, with two authors winning the Nobel Prize for Literature and names include Sappho, Cavafy, George Seferis and Odysseus Elytis.

  • The very thorough A-Z Guide to Santorini by Tony Oswin is now in its 15th edition, a sure sign that the guidebook is both popular and kept up-to-date.

    A-Z Guide to Santorini

    The very thorough A-Z Guide to Santorini by Tony Oswin is now in its 15th edition, a sure sign that the guidebook is both popular and kept up-to-date.

  • Greece Travel Secrets reviews the photography book Monemvasia with extracts from works by Yiannis Ritsos and Nikos Kazantzakis.

    Monemvasia Book Review

    Greece Travel Secrets reviews the photography book Monemvasia with extracts from works by Yiannis Ritsos and Nikos Kazantzakis.

  • Lonely Planet Crete is an excellent and thorough guide of almost 300 pages to the largest of the Greek islands.

    Lonely Planet Crete

    Lonely Planet Crete is an excellent and thorough guide of almost 300 pages to the largest of the Greek islands.

  • The Summer of My Greek Taverna by Tom Stone is a memoir of his time on the Greek island of Patmos in the Dodecanese, running a restaurant.

    The Summer of My Greek Taverna

    The Summer of My Greek Taverna by Tom Stone is a memoir of his time on the Greek island of Patmos in the Dodecanese, running a restaurant.

  • If planning a trip to Greece, what are the best books about Greece to read before you go, or to take with you, to give you a sense of place?

    Books About Greece

    If planning a trip to Greece, what are the best books about Greece to read before you go, or to take with you, to give you a sense of place?

  • Eurydice Street, A Place in Athens by Sofka Zinovieff is an honest account of what it’s like to move to Athens and live as a foreigner, learning Greek customs.

    Eurydice Street

    Eurydice Street, A Place in Athens by Sofka Zinovieff is an honest account of what it’s like to move to Athens and live as a foreigner, learning Greek customs.

  • Mermaid Singing by Charmian Clift is a fine example of 1950s travel writing about the Greek island of Kalymnos in the Dodecanese.

    Mermaid Singing: Kalymnos Travel Writing

    Mermaid Singing by Charmian Clift is a fine example of 1950s travel writing about the Greek island of Kalymnos in the Dodecanese.

  • Peel Me a Lotus by Charmian Clift is a Hydra travel writing classic, describing her family’s life on this tiny Greek island near Athens in the 1950s.

    Hydra Travel Writing Classic

    Peel Me a Lotus by Charmian Clift is a Hydra travel writing classic, describing her family’s life on this tiny Greek island near Athens in the 1950s.

  • A Thing of Beauty by Peter Fiennes describes ‘Travels in Mythical and Modern Greece’ and places the Greek Gods in the context of modern-day Greece.

    A Thing of Beauty

    A Thing of Beauty by Peter Fiennes describes ‘Travels in Mythical and Modern Greece’ and places the Greek Gods in the context of modern-day Greece.

  • Margarita’s Olive Press is a modern gem of a book of Greek travel writing, in which the author falls in love with and renovates a property on Zakynthos.

    Margarita’s Olive Press

    Margarita’s Olive Press is a modern gem of a book of Greek travel writing, in which the author falls in love with and renovates a property on Zakynthos.

  • Greece Book Reviews on the Greece Travel Secrets website with reviews of the best guidebooks to Greece, the Greek Islands, Athens, Crete and elsewhere.

    Greece Book Reviews

    Greece Book Reviews on the Greece Travel Secrets website with reviews of the best guidebooks to Greece, the Greek Islands, Athens, Crete and elsewhere.

  • Fire on the Island is a romantic thriller novel by Timothy Jay Smith set on a fictionalised version of the town of Molyvos on the island of Lesbos.

    Fire on the Island

    Fire on the Island is a romantic thriller novel by Timothy Jay Smith set on a fictionalised version of the town of Molyvos on the island of Lesbos.

  • Wild Abandon by Jennifer Barclay and published by Bradt Guides is A Journey to Deserted Places of the Dodecanese islands in Greece, including Rhodes and Kos.

    Wild Abandon

    Wild Abandon by Jennifer Barclay and published by Bradt Guides is A Journey to Deserted Places of the Dodecanese islands in Greece, including Rhodes and Kos.

Enjoy this page? Please pay it forward. Here's how...

Would you prefer to share this page with others by linking to it?

  1. Click on the HTML link code below.
  2. Copy and paste it, adding a note of your own, into your blog, a Web page, forums, a blog comment, your Facebook account, or anywhere that someone would find this page valuable.

Latest Posts

  1. Thessaloniki Metro: A New Era on Track

    Thirty years after the first plans were announced, a new subway system is changing not just how residents get around town but how they experience their city, too.

    Read More

  2. 3 Museums Showcasing Athens’ Industrial Heritage

    Step beyond the well-trodden paths of Athens’ iconic landmarks and explore a different side of the Greek capital by visiting three lesser-known industrial museums.

    Read More

  3. A Day Trip to Mount Parnassos

    Busy schedules don’t always allow for extended getaways, but Mount Parnassos and its enchanting landscapes are perfect for a refreshing day trip.

    Read More

  4. Greece’s November 20 Strike to Disrupt Ferry Services and Public Transport

    A 24-hour nationwide strike is set to disrupt transportation in Athens and travel across Greece on Wednesday, November 20, as public transport and ferry employees join a general strike organized by Gr…

    Read More

  5. Museum of Modern Greek Culture

    A New Cultural Jewel in Plaka

    Read More

  6. Zakynthos: Greek Draft Law Plans Ticket Requirement for Navagio Beach

    Visitors to Navagio Beach (Shipwreck Beach) on the island of Zakynthos will be required to purchase tickets for entrance once it reopens to the public, according to a new draft law proposed by the Gre…

    Read More

  7. Thessaloniki Bites: 6 Fresh Culinary Gems to Savor Around the Film Festival

    With the 65th Thessaloniki International Film Festival in full swing, we take a look at the city’s newest cafes, bars, and restaurants, along with some exciting culinary developments in the city.

    Read More

  8. Musicians Ex Machina Breathe New Life into Greece’s Mountain Villages

    A band of motorcycle-riding musicians is sending a powerful, melodic message from Greece's remote mountain villages that are at risk of being left deserted.

    Read More

  9. Athens Metro Lines 2 and 3 Extend Weekend Service Hours Until 2 AM

    Beginning November 1, Lines 2 and 3 of the Athens Metro will extend their Friday and Saturday night service until 2 o’clock in the morning.

    Read More

  10. History of Thessaloniki

    Alexander-the-Great-statue-Thessaloniki.jpg
    Greece Travel Secrets outlines the history of Thessaloniki, Greece’s second city, from its origins through Roman times and the Ottoman period through to today.

    Read More