100Mykonian louza

Method

Traditional taverna meze plate. A premier meze suited to dry Cycladic white wine, aged tsipouro or dry ouzo.

You will need

• Very sharp carving knife or mechanical meat slicer
• Wooden serving board

1. Ensure the cured louza is well chilled before beginning, as cold meat is significantly easier to slice paper-thin. Ready when: cured loin is firm to pressure
2. Peel back and remove only as much of the outer casing as needed for the portion you intend to cut. 2 min Ready when: dark spiced loin surface is exposed
3. Using a very sharp carving knife or a deli slicer, shave the louza across the grain into translucent, whisper-thin slices. 6 min Ready when: slices are paper-thin and deep garnet in colour
4. Arrange the delicate ribbons across a wooden board or plain ceramic platter so the edges curl gently. 2 min Ready when: meat rests flat without bunching
5. Scatter a light pinch of dried summer savory and an optional drop of olive oil over the slices, letting them come to room temperature for ten minutes before serving alongside olives and crusty sourdough. Ready when: fat softens and becomes glossy at room temperature

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Make ahead and storing

Can be sliced up to 1 hour ahead; cover loosely with parchment paper so it does not dry out.

Keep whole unsliced piece wrapped in parchment paper in the fridge vegetable drawer for up to 2 months.

Substitutions

• dried wild oregano or thyme for dried summer savory (throubi). Oregano provides a similar aromatic background if island savory is unobtainable.

Common mistakes

• Slicing the meat too thickly. Air-cured lean loin is dense; thick slices will feel tough and chewy instead of melting on the palate.
• Serving straight from the refrigerator. Chilled charcuterie masks the nuanced notes of wine, cinnamon and herbs that emerge at room temperature.

Regional variants

• Tinian louza is typically spiced with fennel seed alongside the summer savory.
• Syros louza often incorporates whole crushed allspice berries into the dry cure.

About the dish

Louza is the premier air-cured charcuterie of the Cyclades, famous above all on Mykonos, Tinos and Syros. Its name and core technique trace back to Venetian dominion over the Aegean archipelago. Made from the boneless pork loin, the meat is dry-salted, steeped briefly in dry red wine, spiced generously with local summer savory (throubi), allspice and cinnamon, and stuffed into natural beef casing. It is then hung to cure naturally in the brisk Aegean winter winds. Sliced paper-thin, it presents a deep garnet colour, soft bite and an unmistakable herbal aroma.

Found in Cyclades. Cooked for everyday, christmas, sunday lunch.

Cousins elsewhere

• Lonza (Italian). Both the name and the curing technique derive directly from Venetian rule in the Cyclades.
• Lountza (Cypriot). An island relative also originating from the Venetian word for pork loin.

Nutrition per serving (estimate)

105 kcal · protein 16 g · fat 4.3 g (saturated 1.6 g) · carbohydrate 0.3 g (sugars 0 g) · fibre 0 g · sodium 700 mg

An estimate (summed from ingredient estimates) that varies with the exact ingredients. It is not dietary advice.

Written fresh by Epikouria editors from general culinary tradition. Recipe by the Epikouria editors. Cycladic home and kafeneio meze presentation, relying strictly on paper-thin slicing of whole cured loins..