Greek Desserts
Katimeria Kalymnou Recipe (Kalymnos Honey-Soaked Cheese Pancakes)
Κατιμέρια Καλύμνου kah-tee-MEH-ryah kah-LEEM-noo · Katimeria Kalymnou
In short
Katimeria are a Kalymnos specialty, thin rounds of dough folded around a soft cheese filling, fried until golden and crisp, then soaked in honey syrup. They appear at weddings and festive gatherings across the Dodecanese island, combining a savoury cheese centre with a fully sweet finish.
Katimeria are Kalymnos's answer to the wider Greek tradition of festive fried pastries, but with a distinctive twist: a genuinely savoury soft cheese filling, folded inside thin rounds of dough and fried, then fully soaked in honey syrup once cooked, so the finished pastry carries both the saltiness of the cheese and the full sweetness of the syrup at once.
This savoury-then-sweet combination is unusual even within Greek baking, where sweet and savoury pastries are generally kept in separate categories, and it is exactly what makes katimeria worth seeking out rather than treating as a variation on a more familiar cheese pie or honey pastry.
It is made for weddings and name-day celebrations on the island, and the technique, thin dough, careful folding, then a proper honey soak while still warm, rewards the same patience any syrup-finished Greek pastry does.
Key preparation steps
- Roll dough into thin rounds.
- Fill with a soft cheese and egg mixture, then fold closed.
- Fry until deeply golden and crisp.
- Soak in warm honey syrup while still hot.
The dough and filling
A simple, thin dough of flour, oil, a little wine or water, rolled out as thin as you can manage into rounds about 15 cm across. Fill with a soft, fresh cheese, similar to a mild mizithra or a ricotta and feta mix, bound with a beaten egg, seasoned lightly.
Fold each round over the filling into a half-moon, pressing the edges firmly to seal, since a poorly sealed pastry will leak its filling into the hot oil.
Frying
Fry in a generous depth of hot oil until deeply golden and genuinely crisp on both sides, a few minutes per side, then drain briefly on kitchen paper before moving straight to the syrup while still hot.
The honey soak
Warm honey, thinned slightly with a little water and lemon juice, into a light syrup, and dip or spoon it generously over the hot, freshly fried pastries, letting them absorb it fully rather than just glazing the surface. This full soak, while both the pastry and the syrup are warm, is what gives katimeria its distinctive sweet-savoury character, quite different from a pastry simply drizzled with a little honey at serving.
Tips from my kitchen
Seal the edges firmly
A poorly sealed pastry leaks its cheese filling into the hot oil. Press and check each one before frying.
Soak while both are hot
This is what lets the syrup absorb into the pastry properly rather than just glazing the surface, and it is what defines katimeria's character.
Roll the dough properly thin
A thick dough takes longer to fry through and can leave the filling only partly warmed by the time the outside is done.
Katimeria Kalymnou Recipe (Kalymnos Honey-Soaked Cheese Pancakes)
Κατιμέρια Καλύμνου · by Kalliopi Andreou · updated 2026-07-31
- Prep
- 50m
- Cook
- 25m
- Total
- 1h 15m
- Serves
- 8
Ingredients
For the dough
For the filling
For frying and syrup
Method
- Mix the flour and salt, then work in the olive oil and water or wine until a smooth dough forms. Knead briefly, cover, and rest for 20 minutes.
- Mix the cheese with the egg and a good grinding of black pepper.
- Roll the dough out thin and cut into rounds about 15 cm across.
- Place a spoonful of the cheese filling on one half of each round, fold over into a half-moon, and press the edges firmly to seal.
- Heat a generous depth of vegetable oil in a wide pan to about 175C.
- Fry the pastries in batches for 2 to 3 minutes per side, until deeply golden and crisp. Drain briefly on kitchen paper.
- Warm the honey, water and lemon juice together in a small pan until well combined.
- While the pastries are still hot, dip or spoon the warm honey syrup over them generously, letting it soak in.
- Serve warm.
Nutrition, per 2 pastries
- Calories
- 312
- Protein
- 9 g
- Carbs
- 38 g
- Fat
- 14 g
- Sat fat
- 4 g
- Fibre
- 1 g
These figures are calculated estimates based on the ingredients listed, not laboratory analysis. Actual values vary with brands, cuts and portion size.
Frequently asked questions about Katimeria Kalymnou
What makes katimeria unusual among Greek pastries?
Most Greek pastries are either fully savoury or fully sweet. Katimeria combines a genuinely savoury cheese filling with a full honey syrup soak, giving both characters in the same pastry.
When are katimeria traditionally served?
At weddings and name-day celebrations on Kalymnos, as a festive rather than everyday sweet.
Can you make katimeria ahead?
They are best eaten the same day, warm and freshly soaked, since the fried pastry softens considerably once the syrup has fully absorbed and it sits for a while.
