SKORDALIA | From My Mykonos Experience with Love
There are certain dishes that quietly shift your understanding of a cuisine you thought you already knew. For me, skordalia was always one of those constants growing up, reliably made with potatoes, fiercely garlicky, and always appearing alongside something fried. It was comfort, familiarity, and tradition all at once.
But then, in 2025, I found myself on the island of Mykonos, visiting the Rizes Farmstead, a place where everything is grown, cooked, and served with an honesty that’s hard to put into words. It was there that I tasted a different kind of skordalia. Not the smooth potato version I grew up with, but something deeper, more textured: a bread and walnut skordalia that completely stopped me in my tracks.
It was rustic. Slightly coarse. Intensely nutty. And it carried that unmistakable Greek philosophy that nothing in the kitchen should ever go to waste. Stale bread wasn’t discarded, it was transformed. Given new life. Elevated into something worthy of the centre of the table.
That’s what I love most about this version. It feels old in the best way, resourceful, grounded, and deeply connected to the rhythms of the home.
Like tzatziki, skordalia is deeply personal. There’s no single “correct” version. Some like it sharper with vinegar, others mellow it out. Some go heavy on the garlic (I usually do), while others keep it subtle. The key is to taste as you go and trust your instincts, this is a dish that invites you to make it your own.
SKORDALIA | Bread, Walnut & Garlic Dip
Mary PolitisIngredients
- 300 g stale bread avoid very hard crusts
- 150 g walnuts
- 3 large garlic cloves you can add less
- Salt
- 80 ml extra virgin olive oil or more
- 30 ml red wine vinegar or more, to taste
- Extra virgin olive oil to drizzle
Instructions
- Roughly tear the stale bread into chunks and place it in a bowl. Cover with cold water and allow it to soak briefly until softened.
- Meanwhile, in a mortar and pestle, add the garlic and a generous pinch of salt. Pound until you have a smooth paste. Add the walnuts and grind them in—aiming for a coarse, chunky texture rather than a fine paste.
- Using your hands, squeeze as much water as possible out of the soaked bread. Crumble it directly into the mortar with the walnut and garlic mixture. Mix everything together, using the pestle to gently combine while maintaining texture.
- Add the olive oil and red wine vinegar, mixing well until everything comes together into a thick, rustic dip.
- Taste and adjust—this is the most important step. Add more salt if needed, a little extra vinegar for brightness, or more olive oil for richness.
- Transfer to a serving plate, drizzle generously with extra virgin olive oil, and serve.