Pistachio from Megara is a high quality product from the homonym town of West Attica, one of the traditional pistachio growing areas.
It has a nutshell, is traditionally collected to ensure its quality and it has been recognized since 1994 as a Protected Designation of Origin (PDO).
A particularly delicious bread because of the wheat flour and the potato flour it contains, round and yellowish.
The people of Arcadia were known in ancient times as “valanifagi” (acorn eaters) because due to the mountainous terrain, the production of cereals was not enough to cover their needs in bread, so they ground acorns and with the flour they made bread. Similarly, in the last occupation they made bread with potatoes.
The potatoes are washed well, cut in slices and put in the oven. They are toasted and once they are cool they are ground. This flour is mixed with wheat flour, a little water, yeast and salt. These ingredients are kneaded well, shaped into round loaves and baked for about 45-60 minutes in 180-200 degrees Celsius. Patatopsomo from Arcadia can be eaten with other materials or plain.
Dakos from Kasos is a yellowish rusk made with wheat or barley flour.
This kind of rusk is a very popular kind of bread in the Southern Aegean particularly in Kasos. As in these islands there was never enough wood or coal, they made these rusks very few times a year but in quantities that would meet the consumers’ needs.
In the past this kind of rusk was made for sailors or shepherds because they were often away for long periods of time but nowadays it is consumed by everyone.
Almonds from Larisa are particularly tasty and quite big. They come from almond trees cultivated in the traditional way in the provinces of Larisa, Tyrnavos and Aghia. The tree comes from Asia. It’s got white flesh and brown bark. Almonds are eaten raw or roasted and they are used in pastry making.
The commercial name of “Konservolia Peliou Volou”. This variety has got 13 types according to size (from 91 to 380 fruit per kilo). The growing of olives in Pelio dates back to the period of the Ottoman Occupation. The mountain of the Centaurs is full of olive trees and the olive groves of Pelio are famous as they make a beautiful sight along the mountain range from the ridge all the way down to the sea. The olive grove of Pelio is of great production, aesthetic and ecological interest. The olive trees are grafted on the spot on wild olive trees that are more than three hundred years old. So, after the grafting of the wild olive trees in the most densely cultivated part of Pelio and in some of the most remote olive gardens the first sheds of the people who cultivated the olive trees were built. The “kades” for the olives (large wooden containers where the olives were prepared and stored) can still be found today. It is where the olives were preserved by the producers themselves.
The “Konservolia Pteleou” has 13 types depending on the size and is produced in the Southeastern regions of the region of Almyros where there are century old olive groves. “Konservolia Pteleou” and “Konservolia Peliou” are classified as table olives.
“Avgotaracho” in Greek, Bottarga in Italian, Poutargue in French, Botarga in Spanish, Batarekh in Arabic, Karasumi in Japanese is a delicacy from naturally dried and formatted tuna or mallet roe. In Greece, bottarga is made with grey mullet roe which is fished in Greek lakes. The whole ovaries are removed, washed, salted with natural salt, dried under the sun and packaged in melted wax.
Preserving fish that comes from the rich in natural salt Mediterranean waters is a process still in practice, particularly in some Mediterranean countries. Although the process of preserving bottarga from tuna or mullet is thought to be a Byzantine achievement, in reality it goes back to Ancient Greeks and Egyptians, even to the coast of Asia.
“Bottarga has been a delicacy from the time of Pharaohs”
Sigklino or Siglino is a pork dish served mainly in Crete (but also in other parts of Greece too). This meat is kept inside ‘’glina’’, which is the fat derived from the cooking of pork and allows meat to maintain for a considerable amount of time.
The preparation of the sigklino varies depending on the region. In some areas of Crete they smoke the pieces of meat, in other regions the meat is marinated for a few days in vinegar, while elsewhere they add various spices or e.g. orange zest etc.
Staka is a traditional Cretan dairy product derived from the so-called “tsipa”, i.e. the cream of freshly drawn milk, which is separated from the milk, then is lightly salted and after having accumulated a sufficient quantity, is heated for days on a low heat with the addition of flour. During this period, staka, i.e. the proteins is separated from fat, from which the stakovoutyro (aka staka butter) is derived.
Staka has a strong taste, while its colour varies from white to yellowish. It is used mainly in recipes but it is also consumed on its own.
Stafida Ilias belongs to the wider variety of Corinthian Raisins. It is produced exclusively in the region of Ilia in Peloponnese. It is produced from grapes that have been dried naturally (in the sun or shade).
The elements that make Ilias’ currant differ from others are its dark color, its round shape, the uniform size of the fruit and its high content in sugar and tartaric acid. At the same time, Stafida Ilias is known for its nutritional and biological value.
Since 2011, Stafida Ilias is certified as a product of Protected Geographical Indication (PGI).
Possa is a wine-cheese from the Aegean island of Kos. It is made from sheep’s and goat’s milk (the highest proportion belongs to goat’s milk), heated and then placed in special jars with wine mud (a mixture of vine harvest or ‘’possa’’ and red wine) for a period of about four weeks, in order to mature.
When it is matured, it gets externally the brown-red color of the wine while it remains white inside.
It has a mild, salty taste and a special aroma. It is used in salads, as meze, saganaki etc.
Mizithra is a traditional cheese made from sheep, goat or cow’s milk or a mixture of them. In order to curdle the mizithra, it is poured into a special cloth and then it is hanged to drain. During this process, mizithra becomes pear-shaped in form.
Mizithra is divided mainly into two types, the fresh unsalted, the slightly salted and aged with salty taste and hard texture. Fresh mizithra is used in cooking and pastry, while the dried is ideal for grated cheese on pasta.
Melekouni is a healthy traditional sweet of Rhodes with high nutritional value. It is known for its rich and soft texture and is made mainly from honey, sesame, almonds, orange and cinnamon. There are several local varieties that include pistachio, almond, spices etc. Melekouni stands out from the other similar products due to the exclusive use of honey, instead of that of sweeteners. In earlier times, it has been a traditional local sweet offered mainly at weddings, baptisms, etc. while it is widespread in recent decades.
In December 2017 it was certified by the European Commission as a Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) product.
Ladotyri of Zakynthos (known in Zakynthos as “ntopio”-which means local) is a kind of hard and spicy cheese without skin and with asymmetric holes. It is made from sheep’s and goat’s milk. The production process begins during the spring months: initially, the cheese is placed in clay pots and matured in local olive oil. As time passes, the cheese gets a solid and hard mass, while the maturation process lasts about a year.
When Ladotyri is ready, its main characteristics are the mature and spicy – with notes of oil flavour.
Krokos Kozanis, also known as Greek saffron, is a spice that stands out for its excellent quality, vivid color and distinct flavor. Κrokos has been known since antiquity, has multiple uses while today is produced exclusively in the villages of Kozani region. The special climatic conditions and the region’s soil, in combination with the expertise of local producers, offer a product of excellent quality, certified as Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) product.
Kaskavali is an aromatic cheese made from goat’s or sheep’s milk, produced for centuries in Lemnos, as well as in Samothraki (with some differences in preparation and flavor). It takes about 9 months to mature in order to obtain its main characteristics, such as the rich flavor, the semi-hard or hard surface and its intense aroma. Kaskavali is an ideal table cheese, saganaki (fried cheese) and is used as an ingredient in traditional pies.
Kalamata Olive is a variety of table olive. This specific term is used for table olives cultivated within the regional unit of Messinia, where cool summers and mild winters prevail. It grows in both lowlands and mountainous areas and also in diverse soil types. There are 13 types of Kalamata Olive based on size. Olive’s color is usually black and it is unique for its fruity flavor, crispy flesh and easy separation of the kernel.
The Kalamata Olive is certified as a PDO (Protected Designation of Origin) product.
The Graviera (gruyere) of Tripoli is a yellow cheese made mainly from sheep’s milk, while sometimes there is a small addition of goat‘s milk.
Graviera’s main characteristics are its solid mass and texture, the aroma that reveals its origin from sheep’s milk, and the variety of its flavors ranging from sweetish to spicy.
Firiki Piliou PDO is a variety of apple, which has been cultivated for centuries in the region of Pelion, Thessaly, and comes from trees grown within a defined geographical production area.
Firiki Piliou is a small sized apple, has yellowish-green color, with some reddish patches on the sides which are mostly exposed to the sun. Firiki Piliou, high in pectin sugar which is vital ingredient for the heart’s proper function, has a strong aroma. It is mainly served as a dessert.
In 2011, Firiki Piliou was certified as a PDO (Protected Designation of Origin) product.
Cretan rusk (paximadi) is a product connected with the lifestyle and culture of Crete. The preparation is similar to that of bread with the difference that the rusk is cut into slices and baked till it dries. It has a sharp and irregular texture, hard crumb and is kept fresh for a long time. Cretan paximadi can be found in different versions, depending on the ingredients used. Its weight varies between 100gr and 200gr. Depending on the ingredients it changes its color (deep golden yellow for those made from hard wheat, light brown for those made of barley, and darker brown for rusks made from soft whole grain).
The varieties that are certified as Protected Geographical Indication PGI products are the rustic rusk, the barley rusks, the “eptazimos” and wheat and rye rusk.
Chios mastiha oil (Mastic Oil), an essential oil produced exclusively in Mastichochoria (“the mastic villages”) of Chios, is a product known since Greek Antiquity. It is extracted from natural mastic after distillation (the yield varies depending on the quality of mastic yield between 1% -3%) and has a white or yellowish color, as well as an intense aroma. Since 1994 Mastiha Oil has been certified as a product of Protected Designation of Origin PDO