GREEK PRODUCTS

GREEK PRODUCTS

OLIVE OIL

As the basis of every recipe found in traditional cuisine, olive oil plays a dominant role in Greek nutritional habits.

Greek olive oil is well known worldwide for its purity, exceptional taste and high nutritional value. You will find it everywhere – in glass or plastic containers with the words "virgin" and "extra virgin" printed on them.

CHESE

You will find unique cheeses of exceptional quality in the market, and you should make the effort to try these cheeses, such as feta, kaseri, graviera, kefalotiri, mynzithra. These cheeses vary according to their origin, taste and name. Some of these cheeses are found throughout the country, while others are locally produced for local consumption. The most famous is of course Greek feta cheese. This is a white semi-soft, heavily salted cheese which is the basic ingredient for the Greek or Horiatiki salad, but it is also used in many other recipes.

OUZO PLOMARI

Ouzo is an evolved descendant of distilled marcs and other blended saccharin raw materials. It is classified in the general category of anis, which are the alcohol drinks with the aroma of aniseed. Such an aroma is given by aniseed, asteroid anis, fennel. The basic difference between Ouzo and other drinks with the aniseed aroma is the traditional distillation process. The production of Ouzo takes place traditionally and exclusively in Greece. Ouzo is considered the national drink of Greece. The history of Ouzo goes back centuries. Some even claim that it's roots are found in ancient times. Others claim that Ouzo was created at a more recent period. In any case, its particular name, seems to have originated in the middle of the 19th century from the alteration of the word “Uso”,    means “for use”. It is possible that this name originated from the Italian expression “Uso di Massalia”, which means “for use in Marseille”, since, following the establishment of the silk roads, Marseille became one of the first export destinations. We know with certainty that the production of Ouzo in Lesvos became more intensive from the 19th century on words. The exceptional quality of aniseed from the village Lisvori, the unique gum (masticha) of neighboring Chios, several  flavouring herbs from the Lesvian land and a precise knowledge of the art of distillation give Ouzo its unique quality. For these reasons and for many more, Lesvos has rightfully claimed the title of the place of origin of Ouzo. More specifically, Plomari has become famous for the production of the most unique and loved Ouzo varieties.

WINE

Greece is not only the birthplace of god of wine  Dionysus, but also the birthplace of wine making. This wine came from the islands of Chios and Thassos and was famous throughout the Ancient world. Historical and social reasons, as well as various natural disasters, were the main reasons why the art of wine making was neglected from the middle of the 19th century up to the beginning of the 60's. Greek wines are produced from various varieties of grapes, many of which are unknown to Western wine lovers. The four basic distinctive categories are: the "controlled appellations of origin" (CAO), the "appellations of origin of superior quality" (AOSQ), "table wine" and "local wine".  The "controlled appellations of origin" category includes only sweet wines such as Mavrodaphne from island of Kefalonia and Patras, Moschato from Patras, Limnos, Kefalonia, Rhodes and Gliko from Samos. The category of the "appellations of origin of superior quality" includes many of the best wines of Greece. To date, there are 20 regions that have A.O.C. rights In Northern Greece there are Zitsa, Goumenisa, Amyntaeo and Naoussa wines. In Chalkidiki the Plagies Melitona wine and in Thessaly the Agchialos and Rapsani wines. Near Athens is the Kantzas wine, while the Peloponnese has Patras, Mantinia and Nemea wines. The Ionian islands have Robola Kefalonias wine, while on the islands of Paros, Limnos, Rhodes and Santorini we have Paros, Limnos, Rhodes and Santorini wines. Finally, on Crete the brand-names include Archanes, Peza, Siteia and Daphnes wines.

www.winesofnorthgreece.gr
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www.wines.gr

MASTIC

A product that is unique in the world, as it is grown exclusively on the Aegean island of Chios. It is produced from the resin of the mastic trees (Pistacia lentiscus) and can be consumed untreated without chemical or industrial processing. The father of medicine, Hippocrates, had noted the many therapeutic properties of mastic, especially for stomach disorders. These properties have been adopted by modern medicine.