Macaroons with sitaka are the absolute trademark of Cassio's gastronomy: pasta—usually penne—served with "sitaka," a local creamy cheese made from thick sheep's or goat's milk, and caramelized onions.
The sitaka
Sitaka is not produced in the same way anywhere else, and its taste is considered by locals to be unmistakably Kassian. It is the product of a cuisine that has been based for centuries on livestock farming: Kassos, isolated at the southernmost tip of the Dodecanese and with little arable land, relied on whatever could be produced locally — milk, cheese, honey, a little wheat, wild herbs and fish. It is no coincidence that the Ottomans called the island «Çoban Adası», meaning «Shepherds» Island”.
At the feast table
Along with cassava pilaf, macaroons with chickpeas are among the dishes that dominate the table of every festival — where food and wine are offered free of charge to all attendees, residents and visitors alike.