Ikaria: Food and Life in the Blue Zone, by Meni Valle is a rather lovely book to have on the shelf as we enter what may well be a dark and rather sobering winter. Western Morning News
A collection of recipes and stories from the Greek island famed for the longevity of its inhabitants
Ikaria is a collection of traditional recipes from the Greek Island of Ikaria, famed for the longevity of its inhabitants.

In the northern Aegean Sea lies Ikaria, where blue waters lap against a mountainous coastline and rocky trails lead to quaint villages, and where the locals seem to hold a secret. The island is known worldwide for its incredibly high life expectancies and low rates of chronic disease, much of which can be attributed to diet. Born to Greek parents, author Meni Valle has always been fascinated by her family's traditions of cooking and eating.

In Ikaria, Meni collects traditional recipes from across the island that encapsulate the best of Mediterranean food: vegetables, beans, whole grains, small amounts of meat and fish, a couple of glasses of wine, and plenty of olive oil. But she also tells the stories that make up Ikaria, where life is all about taking time: time to cook, to eat, to nap, to spend with family and friends, to enjoy and to appreciate.

With intimate glimpses of the island's festivals, markets, kitchens and people, Ikaria is a cookbook that will transport and transform you.





Meni Valle is an Australian-Greek food writer and cookbook author. Her rich Greek heritage, coupled with her love for travel and food, has seen her become one of Australia's most respected authorities on Mediterranean cuisine. When she is not writing cookbooks, Meni shares her knowledge and passion for Greek food through cooking classes and culinary tours to Greece, where she loves connecting with locals and discovering new recipes. She also regularly presents at festivals and conferences and contributes to publications such as Vogue, Marie Claire, The Weekend Australian, The Telegraph UK, ABC National Radio and SBS Greek.

Meni is the author of five cookbooks: My Greek Kitchen (2011), My Mediterranean Kitchen (2012), Everyday Mediterranean (2015), Mediterranean Lifestyle Cooking (2019), Ikaria (2020) - which won the Eugenie Brazier prize - and The Mediterranean Cook (2024).