By Thei Zervaki

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For this project, I selected the recipe for Santorini Tomato Fritters from the Greek cookbook «Του ανέμου και της αρμύρας» which literally means “Of the Wind and of the Salt.” However, I would translate the title Made with Wind and Salt. Its subtitle reads Products and Cooking Techniques of Cyclades Islands, which reflects the book’s focus on local ingredients and traditional culinary techniques.

The Book

Published in 2015, «Του ανέμου και της αρμύρας» was co-authored by three established Greek food and wine writers, Nana Darioti, Thalia Tsichlakis, and Andreas N. Androulidakis, and was supported by several organizations, including the Chamber of Commerce of the Cyclades and the European Regional Development Fund. Each chapter is dedicated to a different island, combining geographical and culinary background with one to three recipes. It is illustrated with photographs of both landscapes and finished dishes and contains fifty recipes.

Part recipe collection and part culinary geography and history, this book explores the food heritage of the Cyclades, one of Greece’s best-known island groups. While the islands are famous for their whitewashed houses overlooking the blue Aegean Sea, they are defined by a distinctive agricultural environment. The Cyclades experience long hours of sunshine, receive little annual rainfall, and are exposed to the strong seasonal meltemi winds. 

One of the islands that makes up the Cyclades is Santorini. Specifically, Santorini is known for its volcanic and rocky soil. Rather than producing abundant crops, the island yields ingredients with concentrated flavors, including Santorini’s famous small tomatoes, capers, white eggplants, and fava. Local recipes are therefore closely tied to the geography and climate that shaped them.

On Translation

From a translation perspective, cookbooks, like any other type of specialized text or book, have their own conventions. A recipe typically combines headnotes with precise ingredient lists, measurements and instructions. Translations require accuracy both in language and in culinary technique. 

Many recipes in this book present an additional challenge because they rely on ingredients that are regional and often unavailable outside Greece. Therefore, I chose Santorini tomato fritters because they are among the easiest and most accessible recipes for an international audience. Although the authentic recipe uses Santorini’s small, flavored tomatoes, they can be substituted with cherry tomatoes in many countries. The result will not be identical, but the substitution allows readers to prepare a version that remains faithful to the spirit and color of the original recipe (and of the island). Small tomatoes’ availability also varies depending on the target country and its local produce.

Tomato Fritters 

Head Note:

These meatless fritters are commonly used in Cyclades islands. They are made with seasonal ingredients and herbs, and often use leftovers from the previous day, mainly legumes. In Santorini specifically, the small sun-dried tomatoes are flavored with mint or oregano and occasionally are added to salted cod. 

Ingredients

• 500 grams Santorini tomatoes (suggested portion in cups: 3 ½ cups)
• 1 zucchini
• 1-2 onions, thinly chopped
• ½ US cup mint, thinly chopped
• 400 grams all-purpose flour (suggested portion in cups: 3 1/3 cups)
• Salt and pepper
• Olive oil or seed oil for frying

Instructions

Cut the tomatoes into small cubes and let them drain in a colander for 15 minutes. Grate the zucchini and squeeze out the excess liquid. Place the tomatoes and zucchini in a large bowl with the finely chopped onions, mint, flour, salt, and pepper, and mix well. If the mixture is too dry, add a little water. Let the mixture sit in the refrigerator for a few hours to allow the ingredients to bind together. Spoon the batter into a frying pan in hot oil and fry over medium heat until golden brown. Do not fry them over high heat, so they don’t burn on the outside and remain raw on the inside. Do not add too many fritters into the hot oil at once, as this will lower the oil’s temperature and they’ll end up looking like they’ve been boiled. Flip them over to fry on the other side. Transfer them to a platter lined with paper towels to drain off the excess oil.

Serve them hot. 

Ingredient Substitution

The key ingredient is the Protected Designation of Origincherry tomato variety from the Greek island of Santorini.  These small tomatoes are deep red, ribbed fruits and have historically been grown without irrigation, relying on the island’s humidity and volcanic soil. This results in firm flesh and a sweet, strongly acidic flavor with high lycopene levels. As these Santorini tomatoes are not available in the US, I suggest cherry tomatoes as the closest substitute. 

Converting Measurements

Europeans typically use the metric system in recipes. You will find grams (gr) and kilograms (kg or kilos) for dry ingredients, and milliliters (ml) and liters (l) for liquids. Smaller ingredient quantities are indicated in tablespoons or teaspoons. 

Cups in European cuisine, however, are not the same as in the US. 

• 1 US cup = 240 ml
• 1 EU cup = 250 ml

When measuring dry goods, the conversion is more complicated and depends on the actual ingredients. Flour weights differently than tomatoes, so the metric system is more accurate. 

In this recipe, you will notice that no quantity is given for salt and pepper. I left it as it appears in its original text.

For the frying oil, no quantity is indicated. I assume that home cooks can decide how much oil they want to use.

Recipe Structure

The first, and perhaps most interesting, element of this recipe (and all the recipes in this book) is that there is no mention of kitchenware size. The recipe does not specify what size frying pan or serving platter should be. Elsewhere in the book,  recipes that indicate the use of baking pans, yet no pan sizes are mentioned there either.

This absence is an invitation for readers and home cooks to decide for themselves what kitchenware they will use. The typical American practice of specifying the exact size of every bowl, baking pan, and even spatula or whisk can feel overly instructional when most home cooks are experienced and operate intuitively.  Ultimately, nothing significant will occur if they choose a large pot instead of a medium size? 

The same applies to the recipe’s language. The instructions are written as one continuous paragraph, without numbered steps or spacing. The author uses the first-person plural (“we”) in Greek rather than the imperative (“do,” bake,”” cook”), which is more common in American recipes. Therefore, recipes feel friendlier, more inclusive, and more collaborative, inviting the reader to cook alongside the author rather than simply following orders from an expert.

I translated the recipe following the American structure, as it is the standard. For the ingredients, I kept the metric measurements and suggested their US equivalents. As this example illustrates, recipes are both texts of instructions and cultural documents. Translating them requires balancing linguistic accuracy with culinary expectations, while taking into consideration the historical and geographical context in which they were created. In doing so, translation helps regional food traditions reach new readers and home cooks globally without losing the identity that makes them unique. 

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Thei Zervaki is a trained linguist, translator, and interpreter working with three languages. She has a genuine love for words, dictionaries, and food writing. In her free time, you can find her reading vintage cookbooks, strolling through markets around the world, or enjoying a glass of chilled rosé.

Find her work here: https://thehungrybookshelf.substack.com/, https://theizervaki.contently.com/, https://wedesserts.com/