Islands of Ikaria, Greece and Samsø, DenmarkSummer Study Tour

Since you spend two weeks in Copenhagen with DIS and two weeks in Athens with CYA, you will travel on two short Study Tours instead of one week-long Study Tour. You will spend two of your weekends sailing out to the islands of Ikaria in Greece and Samsø in Denmark to explore local food traditions.

Study Tour Objectives

  • Strive to understand the terroir and how it works in tandem with other forces in shaping the local food culture
  • Gain insight into the factors that affect the production and consumption of food
  • Improve skills in tasting and assessing produce

Samsø, Denmark

Samsø is known for producing high-quality sustainable vegetables such as potatoes and carrots. These are staples in traditional Nordic cuisine. Additionally, Samsø has a unique island climate with rare indigenous plants that chefs have recently started to explore. While on Study Tour, we explore how the terroir of Samsø, as well as history of the island, inform local practices around food production and consumption. We will meet with manufacturers of produce, sample their goods and learn about how they are used.

Possible Activities 

  • Visit a farm or go on a vegetable safari
  • Forage with a local expert
  • Meet a local chef

Ikaria, Greece

The picturesque island of Ikaria is nestled in the middle of the Aegean Sea. The lush island has a long lasting tradition of producing wines as well as raising goats. Ikaria is considered one of the world’s blue zones, meaning that the population regularly lives to an advanced age. In this case partially due to the local diet.

Possible Activities

  • Visit a honey producer
  • Forage and cook with a local expert
  • Visit a women’s cooperative