Sweet deserts and dishes made of blood from the Greek island of Tinos

Aim: The study documents the tradition of preparing dishes and deli foods which have blood as their main ingredient on a Greek island and addresses the cultural determinants of this practice. Methods: Data were collected during a field study on the island of Tinos, Cyclades, Aegean Sea, via interviews with elder villages and observations. Results: Swine’s blood was used in the past for the preparation of three foodstuffs, a deli-type food, the “blood sausage”, a sweet desert, the “mortadella” and a warm dish, the “fried blood” in conjunction with the ceremonial pig slaughtering (choirosphagia). The mortadella in particular, is still prepared today by elder housewives on Tinos. A historic Venetian influence and the fact that a large portion of the island inhabitants adhere to Catholicism, may explain the use of blood as human food till the present time. Conclusion: Consumption of blood was common on Tinos in the past and was associated with the traditional pig slaughtering. Nowadays, however, blood-containing foods and dishes are scarce in Tinos and blood is viewed by the younger generations with prejudice and dislike.