Island Fryer · Tomato Fritters
Tomatokeftedes Santorinis
📷 Closely related photo — Photo: Sam Holt / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0
They're made from a small, intensely sweet tomato variety that only grows well in Santorini's volcanic ash soil without irrigation — the fritters simply don't taste the same made anywhere else.
Chopped Santorini tomatoes are mixed with onion, mint and flour into a loose batter, then deep-fried into crisp, juicy fritters. Sold hot at Santorini's market food stands and village tavernas, usually with a dollop of yogurt on the side.
Why it's made this way: Santorini's volcanic soil produces small, low-water tomatoes with concentrated flavor that grow without irrigation, and turning them into a fritter became a way to showcase an ingredient the island genuinely can't grow anywhere else the same way.
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Part of World of Street Food — 690 dishes from 118 countries.
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