Santorini Yellow Split Pea Puree (Fava Santorinis)
A silky, golden puree of small island-grown split peas, slow-simmered until they melt into creaminess and finished with good olive oil, sweet caramelized onion, and briny capers. One of the simplest and most comforting dishes in Greek cooking.
Servings
Ingredients
Nutrition
Per serving
Steps
Sort and rinse
Spread the split peas on a plate and pick out any small stones or discolored peas, then tip them into a sieve and rinse under cold water until it runs mostly clear. Split peas don't need soaking, so you can move straight to cooking.
- 400 g split peas
✅ Done when: the rinsing water runs mostly clear instead of cloudy
Simmer the peas
Put the peas, water, halved onion, bay leaves and 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a large heavy pot. Bring to a boil, skim off the white foam that rises, then lower the heat and simmer uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the peas have completely collapsed into a soft mush. Do not add salt yet — it toughens the skins and slows the cooking.
- 400 g split peas (from step 1)
- 1.5 litres water
- 1 halved onion
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 tbsp olive oil
✅ Done when: the peas have fallen apart into a soft, thick, porridge-like mass with no bite left
Caramelize the onion
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Puree the peas
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Season and rest
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Serve
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Sort and rinse
Spread the split peas on a plate and pick out any small stones or discolored peas, then tip them into a sieve and rinse under cold water until it runs mostly clear. Split peas don't need soaking, so you can move straight to cooking.
- 400 g split peas
✅ Done when: the rinsing water runs mostly clear instead of cloudy
Simmer the peas
Put the peas, water, halved onion, bay leaves and 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a large heavy pot. Bring to a boil, skim off the white foam that rises, then lower the heat and simmer uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the peas have completely collapsed into a soft mush. Do not add salt yet — it toughens the skins and slows the cooking.
- 400 g split peas (from step 1)
- 1.5 litres water
- 1 halved onion
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 tbsp olive oil
✅ Done when: the peas have fallen apart into a soft, thick, porridge-like mass with no bite left
Caramelize the onion
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Puree the peas
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Season and rest
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Serve
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The Story Behind the Dish
Santorini's dry, windswept volcanic soil is poor for most crops, but it suits a small local legume well, the yellow split pea the islanders call fava. Farmers have grown it for generations in rotation with other hardy island crops, and it became a dependable staple for families who needed filling, inexpensive food through lean seasons and long sea voyages.
Over time the simple pot of boiled, mashed peas finished with olive oil became a point of local pride, eventually earning protected status that ties the name fava specifically to peas grown in Santorini's volcanic earth. It remains a dish cooked at home and served in tavernas across the island much as it always was.
⭐ Why It's Famous
It showcases how Santorini's harsh volcanic soil produces unusually sweet, tender legumes, and it is one of the island's signature dishes alongside its tomatoes and white eggplants.
💡 Fun Fact
True Santorini fava is a protected product, so only split peas actually grown on the island can legally be sold under that name.
Santorini, a volcanic island in Greece's Cyclades, in the southern Aegean Sea.
36.39°N, 25.46°E
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