The traditional Rhodes sweet melekouni, which has accompanied some of the island’s most important celebrations for centuries, has entered a new chapter as Greek researchers prepare to study its nutritional and functional properties.
The research team aims to examine melekouni as a complete traditional food and investigate whether it could offer potential benefits to people exposed to intense physical exertion.
Speaking to the Athens-Macedonian News Agency, dietitian and nutritionist Eleftheria Kyprioti said the research team has submitted a research protocol for approval as part of a doctoral thesis.
The proposed study would examine melekouni as a whole rather than focusing solely on its individual ingredients. Researchers will investigate whether its combined nutritional properties could contribute to physical recovery and improvements in specific biological markers among athletes or people with increased energy demands.
Kyprioti said her interest in melekouni began during her undergraduate thesis and developed as advances in nutritional science opened new avenues for studying traditional foods and the interactions between their natural components.
“For us in Rhodes, Melekouni is not simply a healthy snack or another traditional sweet. It is our homeland, our memories and a living part of our cultural heritage,” Kyprioti said.
A sweet deeply connected to Rhodes tradition
Melekouni has long featured in weddings, baptisms, family celebrations and local festivals across Rhodes.
Its name derives from the words for “honey” and “kounni” or “kounnion,” associated with sesame, its principal ingredient. Traditional preparation has remained largely unchanged, with generations continuing to use the same techniques.
In villages across Rhodes, preparing melekouni can become a communal event. Women traditionally gather around large cooking pots, carefully heating local honey before adding roasted sesame, almonds, cinnamon, cloves and citrus zest.
They continuously stir the mixture until it reaches the required consistency before spreading it across large surfaces, pressing it with specialised tools and cutting it into its familiar elongated pieces.
The communal preparation process also preserves knowledge, stories and family traditions from one generation to the next, making it an important part of Rhodes’ intangible cultural heritage.
Researchers examine its nutritional properties
The scientific interest in melekouni focuses partly on what researchers describe as the “food matrix” — the way different components within a food interact rather than functioning independently.
According to Kyprioti, this approach draws on the concept of Food Synergy, which argues that the combined effects of a food’s natural components can differ from the effects of examining each component separately.
Melekouni contains several ingredients that have attracted scientific interest.
Sesame provides lignans, calcium, magnesium and plant protein. Honey contains phenolic compounds and other bioactive substances that researchers have studied for their antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Almonds contribute monounsaturated fats, fibre and vitamin E, while the spices provide additional antioxidant compounds.
However, the researchers do not intend to assume that these properties automatically translate into health benefits from melekouni itself. Instead, the proposed research aims to determine whether the complete traditional food produces measurable effects.
Kyprioti also referred to a 2017 clinical study by Barbosa and colleagues that examined daily sesame consumption among professional football players over 28 days. According to the study, sesame consumption was associated with reduced oxidative stress and markers of muscle damage, as well as faster recovery following strenuous exercise.
The proposed Greek research will take the next step by studying melekouni as a complete food rather than extrapolating from studies of individual ingredients.
Potential implications for Rhodes
If the research confirms measurable nutritional or functional benefits, it could provide a new scientific dimension to one of Rhodes’ best-known traditional products.
Melekouni already holds Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) status and ranks among the island’s most recognisable local products. Scientific research could potentially strengthen its profile in international markets while linking Rhodes’ traditional food production with contemporary nutritional science.
At the same time, melekouni remains deeply embedded in the island’s cultural life.
Annual events celebrate its history and preparation, with one of the largest taking place in Koskinou, one of the communities most closely associated with the tradition. This year’s Melekouni Festival takes place on Aug. 8, bringing visitors together to learn about the product and watch its traditional preparation.
A similar celebration takes place each year in Soroni during the festival of Agios Silas in late July, where residents and visitors can watch the sweet being prepared using traditional methods.
For Rhodes, the significance of melekouni extends beyond its recipe or commercial value. The sweet survives through the people who continue to prepare it, share it and associate it with the island’s most important moments.
Now, for the first time, that centuries-old tradition is moving into the field of modern scientific research, potentially giving an iconic Rhodes product a new international identity — not only as part of the island’s culinary heritage, but also as a subject of scientific interest.
