Η I was rope is one of the smallest islands of the Small Cyclades with an area of ​​only 9 square kilometers. It is located southwest of Naxos and a short distance from Koufonisia and Heraklion. Low hills, sandy beaches with deep blue waters and a Chora that develops along a road. Its inhabitants do not exceed 150 people and, unlike the Koufonisia who are mainly engaged in fishing, here their main occupation is agriculture and animal husbandry.

One is surprised to learn the crops of the island that have always been self-sufficient in food. Fields with wheat and barley, 3.000 olives give their oil to the locals, 2.000 sheep and goats provide meat and cheese, small orchards with fruits and vegetables.

But the most typical crop of the island is the fava bean, the rare legume (pisum sativum), which gives the sweetest, finest and most delicious fava beans in Greece. In the past, each house cultivated its fields to have the family fava of the year.

Cultivating fava beans is difficult, as the plant is sensitive and the whole process must be done by hand. It is gathered in the morning with the dew, before carving, because if the sun sees it, it breaks and falls. Also, if after threshing it does not blow to do it traditional lichen (the separation of the chaff from the fruit) and the fava bean remains, ignites and is destroyed.

Because of these difficulties its cultivation had been almost abandoned in recent decades. Only in the last decade have some young growers started to resurrect the crop and introduce the fava bean (or fava as the locals call it) to the public.

Ο Thodoris Nomikos and Manolis Kovaios are both most important fava growers, who have 70% of the local production and the rest are owned by a dozen smaller ones. They told us about the difficulty of production, but also about their effort to introduce their product to the Greek market, by standardizing it.

Manolis Kovaios, Benjamin of the five brothers Kovaios, we met him at family tavern of the mother of Mrs. Pothisis, where we tried his local fava beans that were dripping with honey! We had previously met his fava beans at industry fairs, put in a very elegant package.  Manolis is the one who first believed in the fava bean, standardized it and traveled to exhibitions.  He invested in technology and bought a modern threshing machine that made it easier for him productively and produces about 30% of the island's production.

Theodoris Nomikos, a lad outside heart, (one of the 7 Law brothers) we met him in the beautiful cafe of Joy. With studies in electrical engineering and the corresponding knowledge, he took the risk of investing in the electronic separation of the wrist from the straw. Thus the production was facilitated. Its products are sold in the family supermarket and in Naxos, and it produces 40% of the total production of the island.

The annual production of Schinousa fava beans ranges from 60 to 15 tons – depending on the weather – and with a 20% chance of collecting the next year's seed, we arrive at an average annual production of 40 tons, with which Schinousa starts the race for highlighting her Fava.

Fifty thousand tasty 400 gram sachets they travel all over Greece and do the Schinousa known as a producer of perhaps the best fava beans in the country.

It is natural for Schinoussa to honor the product that highlighted her in this way every year in June the festival of the Schinonussio fava takes place which includes walks in the fava fields, cooking fava beans in large cauldrons, a photo exhibition, feast and dancing.

This year, the ninth fava bean festival celebrated after a 2-year hiatus due to the pandemic, people were hungry for feasting, fava beans and dancing, and so it is estimated that over 700 people passed through the festival.

By mail but also by boats, private boats and inflatables, for the sake of the fava of Schinousa, of Nikos Oikonomidis of the great Schinonusiotis musician and feaster and her Spanou Sunday, came from the surrounding islands (Amorgos, Heraklia, Koufonisia, Naxos and Paros) people and people.

The feast started at 10 in the evening with the distribution of food and ended in the morning at 7.00, with the church bell calling people for the Sunday service. The world remembered them again balls, the ballet dancers, the syrtos and the Ikariotic dances. The volunteers and the members of the two clubs of Schinoussa, a total of about 25 people, managed with great success the unexpected influx of people (150 island residents, 700 participants in the celebration).

One of the most beautiful moments of the dance was when o George Kovaios, the father of the five Kovaians (Antonis, Christou, Dimitris, Angelos and Manolis), close to 90, danced with the Wisher's granddaughter an exciting ball.

See also the related video of Spyros Priovolos.

The fava bean festival may have lasted one day, but it's good to know that the festive atmosphere, as a result of the open-hearted hospitality of the inhabitants of Schinoussa lasts all year round, where parties with instruments and dances are organized at all times.

As throughout the year, one can try local delicacies with local ingredients. The island of joy!

At Hara's cafe, one of the most beautiful in Greece, apart from the exuberant Greek breakfast, in the summer we enjoy the watermelons from Petros' garden.

In the oldest tavern of the Country, in the tavern of Mrs. Pothisis, for a few years now Filitsa Karamanli presents her creations, traditional and teased that have hundreds of fanatical followers.

And at the hotel Sunsets of Evdokia to have in your breakfast, among other things, rice milk made from fresh goat's milk, and pumpkin pie with local mizithra with a terrace view of Mersini and Naxos in the background! (in the photo Nicoleta Simou, Evdokia Nomikou and Panagiota Yiannopoulou)

In Pea, ο Dimitris Kovaioss (on the right in the photo, next to his brother Christos) grills the best meats on the island, since he utilizes his herd of fifty sheep and goats, making sure that they and their kids are fed with the best.

On the beach of Livadi, in Livadi tavernThe Evdokia Nomikou along with her daughters Popi and Peace they offer smiles and homemade tastes.

In the port of Schinousa (Mersini) is the restaurant of Nikolas of Schinousa, the most popular tavern on the island since the 70s, which is now slowly but surely being taken over by the third generation with Nikolas' granddaughters Vangelitsa, Georgia and Nicoleta.

Since 2010, the 8 siblings of his large family Giorgos Nomikos and Irini Simou (Plitos, Nikos, Thodoris, Eleni, Marouso, Pothiti, Chrysovalantos and Christos) acquired a tavern with the same title "The 8 Brothers" which is housed above Mrs. Irini's grocery store. In the tavern, the protagonist is younger brother Christos who trained as a chef and now makes the most of the family's fava beans and the family's goats.

The Deli restaurant is located in Chora tis Schinousa and certainly has the most beautiful view of the island. THE Dimitris Papadakis from Crete, many years ago he fell in love with Schinoussa and a local girl, Evdokia Despotidis, resulting in the creation of an excellent restaurant and a wonderful family.

What if the port of Mersini in August, reminds of Turkolimano (Microlimano for the younger ones) from the impressive pleasure boats. The soul of Schinousa remains the village of Chora with the magic road of 200 meters, unchanged since 1975 when I visited it and was enchanted, where 3-4 grocery stores, a bakery, 3 cafes and 5-6 taverns are clustered around it, but mainly the life of the locals who are mostly young and revelers. 

But for the beauties of this road, which I consider that it is one of the most beautiful of the Cyclades, I will come back by recording him, door to door, and shop by shop. I remember the time at the end of the 80s, when electricity had just arrived on the island and I had walked through this alley, every couple of houses and a yard, or even on the side terraces, companies to make bengers, and accompanied by the violin and the lute to sing and have fun. Somewhere there in a company I met him Yannis Skarlatos that I stung him with a boat and brought him to sing for me at my wedding in Lefkes in 1990!

All this and much more, such as the history of the families who came and settled in Schinoussa at the beginning of the 19th century, from Amorgos (Coves, Legalists, Despotids, Simos, Economides, Scarlets, Crispids) and dominated the island, we will see them in future articles, as a special unit is being prepared for the island, as it is also being prepared to become a Gastronomic Community. Until then, let's make do in the memory of the taste of Schinonusio cheese, the sweetness of fava beans, the salt from the foam of the sea and the dehydrated cucumber.

Or even in the memory of an evening, from the estates and Fabochorafa of the Kovaios family, towards the sea and the charming solitude of the island of Keros in depth.

Finally, I thank him Nikos Nomiko president of the Schinoussiots Association and deputy mayor, and Nikos Mendrino, beekeeper and key member of the organizing committee of the fava festival for their guidance and their hospitable mood.

The fava festival of Schinousa, the ball of the 90-year-old Kovai and the discovery of a magical island – Greek Gastronomy Guide