Whipped carp roe with olive oil, lemon and stale bread, the most important cold meze in the Thessaloniki tsipouradiko. Typically pale pink, from white salted carp rather than smoked cod roe.
Where to eat it: 3 restaurants across 1 city.
Tarama, the salted carp roe used in the traditional Thessaloniki version, was sourced from the Macedonian lakes and rivers and from Black Sea imports. The meze survived both the Jewish and Asia Minor food cultures of the city and is now the first plate to arrive at every tsipouradiko, paired with a carafe of cold tsipouro and a basket of bread.
Tip from the editors. Use pale tarama, not the bright pink supermarket dye-job. The natural colour is beige; pink-tinted shop versions are food colouring. Adjust olive oil texture to your liking; thicker for spreading, looser for dipping.
Trading in some form since 1865 near Kapani market. Meze and tsipouro that have barely changed in a century. Booking recommended. Reservations advised.
Why locals love it: Looks like a regular kafeneio from outside, no social media, market district location
On Giannitson near the port, Rouga is known to the port workers and city regulars who have been eating the tsipouro relay lunch here for years.
Why locals love it: Port-area location, Greek-only signage, no booking platform
One of the most dependable tsipouradika in the centre, Akti Ntovil follows the house format of cold tsipouro plus rotating meze plates arriving without.
More cities are in research. Want taramosalata covered somewhere specific? Tell us where you want to eat.