Fishery

Greece is a country with a large tradition in quality fishery. With a 4,000-kilometre coastline around the mainland, plus a further 11,000 kilometres around the Greek islands, Greece offers excellent conditions for fishery operations: the waters around Greece are home to about 250 marine creatures.

In testimonies found in manuscripts dating from the fifth century, it has been proved that the Greeks were enjoying fishery and included them in their quality dishes. In Homer’s texts fishery is mentioned as quality food, while Plutarch cites pieces of advice for the fishermen in his own texts.

Today, the vast variety of Greek fishery and their premium quality reinforces their global recognition. Fishery fans around the globe include Greek Fishery within their choices and honor them with their preference. Although modern technology has changed fishing industry worldwide, the majority of Greek coastal fishermen still fish with the traditional methods, using their five to six metre boats, which constitute 90% of the total fleet.

The Greek sea fishery landsaround 130,000-160,000 tonnes of fish and seafood every year. About 90% of this total are caught in the Aegean Sea. The most important species are sardine, anchovy, seabream, seabass and Mediterranean mussels. The catch taken from the Ionian Sea to the west of Greece mainly consists of European anchovies, pilchards and picarels, whereas in the Mediterranean and Black Sea regions several thousand tonnes of swordfish, long-finned tuna (albacore) and frigate tuna are caught. The Greek inland freshwater fisheries catchabout 20,000-30,000 t. per year. In volume terms, anchovy and Mediterranean mussels, are the main species, followed by sardine. The remainder of the catch consists of a broad spectrum of marine fishes.

In the meantime, aquaculture supplies more than one third of Greek fish production. With an annual growth rate of about 10% aquaculture is one of Greece’s fastest-growing industrial sectors. The industry’s success is partly based on the natural conditions which the country has to offer: a mild climate, clean water, about 3.000 islands, and the long coastline. The most important farmed species are seabream, seabass and – although in smaller quantities – rainbow trout, European eel and carp. In the meantime, Greece produces 60% of the seabass and seabream farmed in the European Union and nearly half of worldwide production. Three quarters of production is exported to EU member states. The most important European markets for seabass and seabream are Spain, France, Greece it self, Turkey and Portugal. Demand is also growing in Central and Northern Europe. The most important country for Greek fish in general is Italy, but demand is also growing in Germany, France, Great Britain and Spain.

Average per capita consumption of fish in Greece is around 27 kg, putting Greece on about the same high level as Italy, Denmark and Canada.

Greece mainly exports live, fresh and chilled fish and seafood, less so processed products. Mussels (Mytilus spp, Perna spp) are at the top of the list of marine export productIn second place is seabream (Dentex dentex, Pagellus spp), fresh or chilled and in third place is seabass (Dicentrarchus labrax), fresh or chilled.
The fish canning sector export more than 1,600 t of produce, mainly mussels and molluscs every yearmost of them to France, Albania, Germany and Italy. In the frozen fish export sector it was sardine (Sardina pilchardus) which dominatesmainly going to Italy, Serbia, Montenegro, Romania and Bosnia-Herzegovina. In the category ‘dried, salted, in brine or smoked seafood’ Greece mainly exports anchovies. With regard to the main export products, seabass and seabream, Greece’s export capacity is still not exhausted.

Greek Yogurt

Yogurt is about as ancient as milk. Its beauty lies in its simplicity; yogurt was the first and most immediate way to preserve milk by extending its life (hence nutritional value) for several weeks. The key is fermentation, which is triggered and controlled by the addition of two bacteria, lactobacillus bulgaricus and streptococcus thermophilus. The ancient tradition of preserving milk began around 5,000 years ago in Central Asia and the Middle East, where the climate is warm and the land lean, making it ideal for grazing ruminants. Harold McGee, author of On Food and Cooking, describes it most lyrically: “When our ancestors took up dairying, they adopted the cow, the ewe, and the goat as surrogate mothers. These creatures accomplish the miracle of turning meadow and straw into buckets of human nourishment. And their milk turned out to be an elemental fluid rich in possibility, just a step or two away from luxurious cream, fragrant golden butter, and a multitude of flavorful foods concocted from friendly microbes.” In adults, yogurt has health benefits that far outweigh those of milk. In the early 20th century the Russian Nobelist Metchnikov proved through science what was common belief for centuries in Greece and the Middle East: that eating yogurt will make you strong and make you live longer. Lactic acid bacteria have been proven to eliminate toxic microbes in the digestive system. There are many varieties of Greek yogurt, each with its own texture and flavor. From left to right: strained Greek yogurt; sheep's milk yogurt made in clay; cow's milk yogurt. SHEPHERDS AND THEIR YOGURT Greek yogurt, renowned the world over for its quality, density, and unabashed, delicious sour taste is a product of the country's pastoral traditions. Up until fairly recently, yogurt production was ruled entirely by farming and seasonal conditions. Greece has always been a land of sheep and goats. Cows were animals of labor, used to till the land and draw heavy loads, and rarely reared for milk. Sheep and goats provided most of the milk Greeks consumed. Yogurt was always made with sheep's milk and was seasonal, produced from late fall to early June. There were two reasons for the seasonal production. Sheep produce milk from the moment they lamb until the summer, when the heat and the shortness of plants to graze on naturally will condition them to dry up. The heat of a Greek summer was never ideal for dairy production. Yogurt needs to be kept cool once it is set, and until the 1950's refrigeration was rare outside cities. The storage cellars, cool enough from fall to spring, lose their chill in the summer. Yogurt was made immediately after the milking, when the temperature of the milk is the same as the animal's and ideal for the addition of the lactic acid bacteria that turn it into yogurt. The shepherd would simply add a little yogurt from the last batch as starter to the fresh milk. He would keep the containers covered and warm, probably in the room where he made his cheese. When people began boiling the milk that was used to make yogurt, they knew they had to wait until it cooled back down to “sheep” temperature before adding the starter. Yogurt, the quintessential shepherd's product, was a specialty of the itinerant shepherds' tribes that roamed much of Greece. In the mountains of Epirus in Northern Greece, the Vlachs, for example, were a pastoral people with a strong tradition of cheese making. They made yogurt in wooden tubs. The wood was permeable enough to store traces of the lactic acid bacteria, which were moistened and revived with the milk of the following season. Today the Vlachs are no longer nomadic, but some continue to make a heavenly yogurt in wooden receptacles, called tsanaka. Although not strained, the yogurt is thick and very flavorful because the milk is boiled long enough to condense it. Another common way to preserve the starter was to dip a cheese cloth in the yogurt, then dry it and carefully preserve it until the next season. In most other parts of Greece the yogurt was set in terracotta bowls glazed on the inside, still a popular way to set yogurt today, and with good reason: The ceramic bowls are porous, thus enabling the whey (water content) to leak out slowly, beading up on the sides of the bowl. By losing water, the yogurt gets thicker, and the natural sweating evaporates and cools the yogurt. In the cellar, the yogurt continues to ferment. As it ages it thickens and sours, which helps extend its preservation. Temperature and timing are the secrets to making great yogurt. The milk has to be inoculated at a precise degree of heat, and then has to sit, unmoved, in a precisely heated room (an incubator) for a specific amount of time. Finally it has to be quickly chilled. The yogurt maker has to be exacting in his technique. Fudge it, and the yogurt will be too runny or too sour. Greek strained yogurt is extremely versatile. Toss it with olive oil (l), mix it with luscious Greek honey, top it on fruit, or savor it in a classic tzatziki. GREAT WITH EVERY MEAL Sheep's milk is far richer in protein and fat than either cows’ or goats’ milk. The yogurt it produces is dense, creamy, flavorful. I asked Sotiris Kitrilakis, a renowned Feta expert and advocate of Greek artisan foods, how we Greeks traditionally eat yogurt, and he gave me a perplexed look. “But with bread, of course!” he answered, and at that moment I remembered my father. Growing up, my family wasn't fully attuned to the pleasures of good food. We did not scour the Greek countryside in search of the best little taverna, the cleanest lamb chops, the most fragrant retsina. We visited old churches and ancient ruins. But there was a small number of food staples—country bread, oranges, pistachios, and yogurt— that ruled our weekend destinations. In my family's mind they did not belong in the category of luxuries, but in the category of essentials, hence it was perfectly acceptable to plan our weekend outings around the visit to the baker (he baked in a wood-fired oven), the orange seller (he sold the juiciest oranges out of his pick-up), and the best yogurt maker in Attica. Every Sunday night my Dad ate bread and yogurt for supper, his eyes beaming as he reveled in the flavors that took him back to his boyhood. This, he never failed to say, was the best of all meals. In Greece, yogurt is an addition to every meal: scooped over rice pilaf, dolloped in tomato sauce; served with stewed and fried vegetables, meatballs, and grilled meats. It is used as a sauce, baked over chicken and certain beef dishes until it sets and thickens like béchamel. It is used as a condiment, stirred with shredded cucumbers and garlic to make the well-known dip tzatziki, or spooned onto savory squash and cornmeal pies, a tradition in Greece's northern mountain regions. In some areas it is even served as a cool summer soup. Swirled with honey or spoon sweets, yogurt is divine. Strained sheep's milk yogurt was rare, and used in lieu of cream in desserts such as roasted caramelized quince, or as a pudding with honey and walnuts. A more regular treat, still a favorite with children today, is “yogurt skin,” scraped off the top of the yogurt and sprinkled with sugar. STRAINING FOR TASTE In Europe, the health benefits of yogurt were acknowledged early last century, and yogurt production in the West catapulted into a huge industry. The large yogurt dairies in Western Europe are defined by two factors: They make yogurt with cows’ milk, and they add fruit and fruit preserves. Cows’ milk yogurt is thin in texture and can be very acidic. Adding sweetened and preserved fruit makes the yogurt richer in texture and erases the sour flavor. Yogurt has become synonymous with a healthy, sweet snack. In Greece, the dairy industry has also adopted the use of cow's milk which is plentiful and produced year round. But instead of sweetening the sour and thin yogurt, we use a time-old technique: We strain it. The result is astounding: a dense, creamy mass which has lost most of its sourness with the whey. Strained yogurt became more and more popular after the Second World War. Large modern dairies devoted entire rooms to yogurt draining; Cheese cloths bulging with yogurt would hang from the ceiling, dripping the green-yellow whey into plastic drums. Today the titans of the dairy industry no longer use cheesecloth. They strain the yogurt centrifugally, a more efficient, automated practice. We Greeks have taken to strained cows’ milk yogurt. Greek-style strained yogurt has recently exploded in the U.S. and European markets. American chefs and cooks don't restrict it to Greek or Mediterranean cuisines. It appears everywhere, a beautiful re-incarnation of a stellar ancient food.

Corfu through the centurys

Multicultural Corfu

Corfu has been inhabited from prehistoric times, due to its fertile land and natural wealth. In the course of time, people from innumerable places have inhabited the island, either as visitors, conquerors or immigrants and many of  those different people loved the island and converted themselves to Corfiots. Villages called Lakones (Sparta is the capital of Lakonia), Skripero (the Arab word for fortress is skrep), Kastelani (castello is Italian for fortress), Kyprianades (Kypros is Cyprus in Greek) but also typical Corfiot family names like Sarakinos (Saracen), Athineos (Athenian), Kritikos (Cretan), Bogdos and Bogdanos (names of Serb origin) and many, many others are only some of the traces that betray some of the homelands people left behind to come to Corfu. This constant influx of “foreigners” has accelerated the last 40-50 years with the rise of tourism. Hundreds of thousands of people of different backgrounds visit Corfu every year, and invariably some of them are so enchanted by the island that they decide to stay. As a result, Corfiots are generally easy-going and open to different ideas and attitudes.

Corfu Mythology and History

The first evidence of humans on Corfu are stone tools and artifacts that were found in a cave at the Gardiki Grava near Agios Mattheos and date back to Paleolithic times (30,000 to 10,000 BC). At that time the level of the seas was much lower and Corfu was not an island, but was connected to the Greek mainland. Separation from the mainland occurred during the Neolithic period (10,000-8,000BC) when, with the melting of the ice, the level of the sea rose. Remains of this period were found in a settlement near Sidari. Settlements from the Bronze Age (2,000 BC) have been found near Afionas and Ermones.

Corfu is mentioned in Homer’s Odyssey as Scheria, the island of the Faiakes (Phaeacians), were Odysseus is washed ashore, taken care of by Nausicaa, the daughter of King Alkinoos and wise queen Ariti, and taken to Ithaca on one of their ships. It is interesting to note here that Phaiakian ships were unlike all other ships and had high tech (or magical!) features. To quote Homer:

“ For the Phaiakians have no pilots; their vessels have no rudders as those of other nations have, but the ships themselves understand what it is that we are thinking about and want; they know all the cities and countries in the whole world, and can traverse the sea just as well even when it is covered with mist and cloud, so that there is no danger of being wrecked or coming to any harm.”

Legend has it that Odysseus was told not to look back to Scheria as he was sailing away, or his ship would be petrified. Of course, he couldn't resist the temptation and as a result there are several rocks around the island that claim to be Odysseus' petrified ship!

In the 8th century BC, Corfu was colonized by the Corinthians who founded the city of Corcyra or Kerkyra (as is the modern Greek name for Corfu) in the peninsula of Kanoni. The whole peninsula is scattered with ruins that show that Corcyra developed to become a considerable naval force. It was the conflict of Corcyrans and Corinthians in 435 BC that led to the famous Thirty-year war between Athens and Sparta when the Athenians allied with the Corcyrans and the Spartans came to help the Corinthians.

In 229 BC, Kerkyra was conquered by the Romans and for a long time passed out of notice. The Romans neglected the town of Corfu and prefferred to build their villas in Kassiopi, at the northeastern tip of the island, from where they could control the Corfu straits.

From the 4th until the 11th century AD, Corfu came under Byzantine rule. Some churches from that period still survive, the oldest remaining church on Corfu is the church of Iason and Sosipatros in the suburb of Anemomilos.

Between the 11th and 14th century, Corfu was conquered and ruled by several European knights heading for Jerusalem in the course of the crusades (Genoese, Anjou, the despots of Epirus and others).

1386 AD marks the beginning of the Venetian rule which lasted until 1797 AD. This was probably the most important period for the island, not only because of the economic progress and the building that went on but also because it was during this period that the rest of Greece fell under the domination of the Ottoman Turks. During the period of Venetian rule the island became a haven and place of refuge for many scholars and artists escaping the Turkish occupied mainland and thus helped make the island one of the most culturally developed regions in the east. The island became a fortress and the base of the admiral of the Venetian fleet. In this period Corfu flourished and acquired a large part of its current town layout, fortifications, customs and culture.

Probably the greatest contribution the Venetians made to Corfu was the cultivation of the olive tree. Around the middle of the 16th century, the Venetians offered a "subsidy" to anyone replacing their vineyards with olive trees. This was a great incentive for Corfiots and resulted in the island being covered in olive trees. Nowadays, estimates on the number of olive trees on Corfu range anywhere from 3 to 6 million!

When Napoleon overthrew the Venetians and the French occupied the island in 1797 the Corfiots welcomed them with enthusiasm believing that because of the French revolution the lower classes would be treated better. But this was not the case. The French imposed heavy taxes on the people though they did introduce a system of primary education and a printing house. But two years later a combined Russian and Turkish fleet captured the island after four months of fighting and Corfu became the capital of the Septinsular Republic which included all the Ionian islands. Then in 1807, when Russia and France signed the treaty of Tilsit, Corfu and the other islands became provinces of Napoleon. This time around the French took more of an interest in the intellectual and economic development of the island, constructing new buildings including the famous arcades of the Liston and introducing new crops like potatoes and tomatoes.

When Napoleon fell in 1814 Corfu was placed under the protection of the British. In 1824 the first Greek university, the Ionian Academy, was set up. Despite the tension between the British and the Corfiots, the years of British rule was responsible for the building of the roads and the creation of the island's water supply. Part of the British heritage is also cricket, which is still played on the Esplanade, and ginger beer (tsitsibira in Corfiot)!

The Ionian islands did not become a part of Greece until 1864 even though the Corfiot Ioannis Capodistrias was elected the first President of Greece in 1827 and assassinated in 1831. Corfu was declared neutral territory but was invaded by the French in World War I. Serbian forces found sanctuary in Corfu, a reason why Serbs and Greeks calls each other a "Orthodox Brothers". Corfu was bombed by the Italians in 1923 and again during World War II and was bombed and occupied by the Germans until the war's end.

The sixties marked the rise of tourism in Corfu. It became one of the most cosmopolitan resorts of the Mediterranean and touristic development continued uncontrolled until the present day. The result was that money flowed to the island's inhabitants but, on the downside, many of the once picturesque villages and beaches bear the marks of unplanned and ugly building and nonexistent planning.

Wine

Greece, the renowned birthplace of Dionysus, the god of wine, has arguably the longest wine history in the world, as well as the richest heritage. In Ancient Greece there were numerous feasts honoring Dionysus, like Linea and Dionysian. Greek wine is being produced for more than 4000 years. The most ancient winepress for the production of wine, Linos, has been discovered in an area of Crete called Vathipetro. Wine culture - the consumption of wine as a social event and the appreciation of it at a very sophisticated level was something developed for the first time by the ancient Greeks. There is clear evidence that in ancient Athens it was known that the forms of cups were affecting the taste of wine. 

Nowadays, Greece has a major role in the international wine culture and industry.In a wine world that is increasingly dominated by chardonnay, sauvignon blanc, cabernet sauvignon and merlot, indigenous grape varieties can provide a much needed point of difference.

Greek wine producers, through better understanding of vine physiology, matching site and grape variety and attention to detail, have realised the potential of local viticultural treasurers. 

                              Glossary of the main Corfiot grape varietals

Kakotrigis (kako-TREE-gees)
Quite a few grape varieties in the Ionians have black, red, and white variants, and one of particular note is the kakotriyis of Corfu. As with white kakotriyis wines, one should seek the Ano Lefkimi red wines of Koulouris winery for youth and fragrance, and the Grovino red of Vasilakis in central Corfu for age and oak and even some finesse. Kakotriyis is joined with petrokoritho in Theotoki Roppa rosé. All of these wines promise the tourist hedonistic enjoyment with Corfu’s meat-and-macaroni pastitsada. An engaging, dry, lightly flavored white wine. This wine is widely produced.

Petrokorintho (petro-KO-rhee-ntho)
A dry red (brousko) wine, a product of Sinarades village.

Fraoula (FRA-oula)
A strong heavy red wine. A table grape which, even though it does not belong to the usual wine-producing varieties, is in fact used to make wine in many households.

Moshato (mo-SHA-to)
Cultivated with particular success in the region of Strinilas on Pantocrator. It yields a particularly fragrant white wine.

Martzavi (mar-tza-VEE)
A dry mellow wine made from dark red grapes with heavy taste, known as black Corfiot wine. Other varieties which complete the wine map of Corfu are the "rozaki", the "pheidia", the "kokkinomousitsa:, the "xipleko", the "Arkadino", the "Koryianitis", the "Afioni", the "Agoumastos", the "alepoura" and the "Pinpiniola" - grapes which are usually mixed during production with those mentioned above.

Glossary of the main Greek grape varietals

Agiorgitiko (a-gee-or-GHEE-tee-ko)

The king of red grapes in the Peloponnese, Agiorgitiko is cultivated in Nemea. It produces wines that are deep red in color with pronounced cassis and blackberry flavor and a rich, mature, velvety, luscious texture. The supple young Agiorgitiko wines are fruit-forward and are enjoyable early. However, there is enough big structure to support longterm cellaring (5-10 years).

Assyrtiko (a-SEAR-tee-ko)

Assyrtiko is the dominant grape of Santorini, but it has successfully migrated to Halkidiki, Epanomi, Drama, and Mount Pangeo in Northern Greece as well as to the Peloponnese. It maintains a high acidity even in fully ripeness. With crispy acidity and excellent minerality, its wines are rich and refreshing. The aromas suggest citrus, lemon blossom, orange zest and grapefruit.

Athiri (a-THEE-ree)

This is another white grape, common to the islands of the southern Aegean and Halkidiki, in eastern Macedonia. Its wines have lovely floral aromas and a good mouthwatering attack that wakes up the palate.

Debina (de-BEE-na)

A white variety from Epirus whose wines place emphasis on the fruit. They are noted for their refreshing acidity and for the aroma’s finesse, which is reminiscent of green apple and pear. Debina offers a high potential for the production of effervescent wines.

Kotsifali (ko-tsee-FA-lee)

A red Cretan grape, Kotsifali produces wines that are wonderfully juicy, with bright red plums and a good grip on the palate. It is usually blended with another island red grape, Mantilaria.

Liatiko (Lee-A-tee-ko)

An exclusively Cretan grape, Liatiko is considered one of the oldest Greek varieties. It matures in July, hence its name, which is a transliteration of “Juliatiko.” Liatiko is a variety with high alcohol potential that best demonstrates its qualities when sufficiently ripe.

Limnio (Lee-mnee-O)
Limnio, is an ancient a red grape varietal native to the island of Limnos. It was mentioned by Aristotle and other ancient writers.
Today it is cultivated not only in Limnos, but also in Halkidiki, and northern Greece, where it produces lovely, silky red with the exotic perfume of wet violets and cherries.

Malagouzia (Ma-la-ghoo-zee-A)
This fine white Greek variety is very possibly related to the famous Medieval wine “Malvasia.” It was saved from oblivion thanks to the acumen of several Greek producers who believed in its potential.
Critical praise and consumer excitement have proven them right.
Malagouzia wines have strong fragrance, complexity. And verve, as well as a long, slightly peppery finish.

Today, there are more than 500 companies active in the wine industry in Greece, both in the private and the co-operative sector, the majority of which have wine production as their sole activity. The quality of the Greek wine is owed to the Greek climate conditions and the know-how of the Greek wine companies.

Herbs

Since antiquity, Greeks were using aromatic plants for their healing attributes and for their nutritional value.

The legend says that Mount Olympus, where the Greek gods lived, was covered with a canopy of flowers and herbs that were of service to the gods, as well as to living mortals. The stories about these gods and goddesses clearly shows the respect the Ancient Greeks held for the beauty of the plants and their attributes.

Hippocrates, the Greek physician and “father of medicine”, advocated the use of herbs, fresh air, exercise, and good diet. He recorded the use of about 400 herbs to heal illness. Hippocates stated that illness was an imbalance of the basic elements within the body, and the proper use of herbs could restore this balance.

 

 Another influential Greek physician, Galen, expanded the philosophy of Hippocrates. His work “De Simplicibus” became the standard medical text in Rome. Another famous work, “De Materia Medica” written in the first century A.D. by the Greek physician Dioscorides, provided a major source of herbal knowledge for the next 1,500 years.

 

It was the Roman armies that were responsible for spreading herbal lore throughout Europe, as they brought many of their medicinal plants with them on their conquests. Pliny the Elder (A.D. 23-79) was the Roman naturalist who collected an encyclopedia of herbal knowledge called “Naturalis Historia”.

 

The manuscripts of Hippocrates and Dioscorides were preserved in medieval monasteries, where they were translated and copied by diligent monks.

Through the centuries a handful of traditional herbalists created local centers of herbal treatment throughout Europe. By the 19^th century the chemical composition of herbs was being analyzed to discover their effects on the physical body. Many herbs subsequently became the basis of modern medicines.

Nowadays, there is a growing awareness that certain areas are reach in healing resource, which is leading to a change of attitude as pharmaceutical companies search for new cures for modern diseases such as cancer. Herbs are still part of the healing tradition of Europe and North America. Despite the use of sophisticated drugs to cure disease, many people still make use of traditional plant remedies.

 

Plants take up substances from the earth and convert them into vitamins, minerals, carbohydrates, proteins and fats that the human body can use for healing and nourishment. Almost 200 different chemical elements are contained in each of the aromatic plants. Combinations of herbs can benefit by the synergistic way in which the plants work.  

 

During the past few years there is a continuous increasing global interest for the Greek aromatic plants and their multiple uses. Nowadays, the Greek and international industry are using the aromatic plants for the production of cosmetics, medicines and foods. Greeks, throughout the country enjoy the therapeutic benefits of a variety of herbs: Chamomile, lime, sage, mountain tea, mint, spearmint, thyme, fennel, aniseed, St John’s wort, lavender and oregano existed- and still exist in the modern home.

With a return to traditional values, more and more people are reverting to natural products in their daily lives and rediscovering therapies that spring from the depths of time. It is notable that in Greece, the trend toward the use of aromatic and medicinal plants is steadily increasing as a popular therapeutic choice.

Honey

Far earlier than olive oil, long before wine, Greeks fell in love with honey. In ancient Greece, the bee, as well as its products, found itself in high place in the estimate of the people and the men in power. Proof of this constitutes the large quantity of mythological references and representations in ancient Greek vessels of mainly 6th century B.C. These facts prove the significant place of bee products in the daily life, as food but also as therapeutic means. Greek honey is globally famous for its exceptional quality, its unique aroma and its rich taste. Its great diversity in terms of flavour and aroma sets it apart from its competitors, fuelling its international recognition. This advantage to a great extent derives from the rich Greek flora, which comprises numerous wild plants land herbs.

In Greece, 12,000 tons of honey are produced annually. (flower honey). The vast majority of forest honey production is the pine honey, fir honey and oak honey. These types of honey do not crystallise and have high nutritious value due to their high content in trace elements (potassium, sodium, magnesium, iron etc).
In flower honeys, unmixed categories are classified such as the famous thyme honey, the full aroma orange honey, heather honey, chestnut honey, the rich in antibacterial attributes cotton honey and several types of flower honey which are mainly collected by aromatic plants of the Greek countryside, like wild oregano, wild lavender, salvia, and many more.

Today, there are about 25,000 beekeepers in Greece and about 1.3 million hives. Despite the density of hives - one sees them all over the countryside – production is relatively limited. Figures vary depending on the source, but production is fairly stable from year to year. Beekeepers move their hives from place to place, slope to slope, field to field, in order to reap the rewards of the season and provide fodder for their hives. The season begins in March and ends around November in the southernmost parts of Greece. In May, when orange trees bloom, bees are taken to feed off their inebriating flowers. July is the season for thyme honey; September for pine; and May and September for heather, which blossoms twice. As a general rule, the honey is harvested right after the feeding period to ensure the best flavor.

Certainly honey was the first – and for quite a while the only – sweetener Greeks had in their diet. Even now, it remains the most prestigious one. With its importance from ancient times, honey, along with the olive and the grape, marked the beginning of Greek gastronomy and a cuisine that retains its unique and original aspects today.
Cheesecakes sweetened with honey are still found all over the Greek islands, especially at Easter. The chefs of Byzantium simmered Greek honey to pour over their famous layered sweets, baklava, galakobourico, kadayifi, and the fried doughnnut – like puffs called loukmades, all sweets still savored in today’s Greek kitchen.

In cooking, honey adds flavor in a way that other sugars cannot. Greek cooks well recognize this, which is why honey still plays a major role in Greek cuisine. Honey is utilized not just in desserts, but often as an element in classic stews such as stifado and the intriguing kapama from Corfu. In Crete it is sometimes used as a marinade and tenderizer for lamb and added to various meat stews at the end, simmering until it caramelizes. Contemporary chefs mix it with raisin vinegar and orange juice and use it as a sauce for everything from seafood to salads.

There are dozens of books having Greek honey as their main theme, exalting this wonderful product of the Greek nature. Characteristically enough, there have never been any negative critiques on Greek honey – only positive comments, because Greek honey, whether it comes from Crete, the Peloponnesos, Thassos, Epiros, any of a thousand islands or Mount Hymettos in Attica, it invites every one who tastes it into the love affair that Greeks have forever relished.

Olive and Olive Oil

Greeks were the first to cultivate the olive tree for its precious products, the olives and the olive oil. The Olive Tree, harmoniously tied with the Greek landscape and it’s inhabitants’ temperament, chiselled by the Mediterranean sun and the Aegean winds has served the Greek Spirit and Soul as an endless source of inspiration. A symbol of social and religious values, progress, peace, affluence, wisdom and fame.

During the Minoan Era, olive oil served as the foundation of the Cretan economy. Evidence of this relationship can still be traced in the surviving artifacts in the palaces of the once mighty empire of Knossos.
The goddess of wisdom, Athena, dedicated the olive tree to the city bearing her name, as a proof of her bond with the city.
An olive branch was the golden medal awarded at the Ancient Olympic Games, since it was shaped in the form of a wreath and bestowed to the winners. Legend has it that the wreaths came from a tree planted by Hercules himself.
Olive oil was called “liquid gold” by Homer, and the “Great healer” by Hippocrates.
Today, in the shadow of great traditions and legends, Greece still relies on the olive tree. There are 120,000,000 olive trees in Greece or, to put things in perspective, 12 olive trees for every Greek citizen. Greece is the world’s third largest producer of edible olives and olive oil, with a 16% share of the international olive oil market. 450,000 families depend on olive oil production as a primary or secondary source of income.
The olive tree serves both as a universal symbol of peace as well as a symbol of Greece. More importantly, it fed, bred and gave shed to countless generations of Greeks and earned its place as an integral part of Greek culture.

Olives

Nowadays, Greece produces about 120.000 tons of table olives per year. The table olive oil is one of the country’s most important agricultural exports.
The harvest begins in October for table olives and continues for about two months, depending on the type of olive and the place it is cultivated. Green olives-essentially less ripe than their darker counterparts-are harvested first; next come all the plump black olives that are among the country’s best-known snacks: tight-skinned Kalamata olives with their pointy, nipple-like tip; juicy Amfissas in an array of browns, blacks and purples. Last to be plucked from the tree is the wrinkled black variety, which matures on the branch, can be harvested as late as March, and is cured in coarse salt not brine.
In salads, olives are delicious matched with all sorts of vegetables, such as fresh ripe tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, onions and more. They are wonderful with vegetables preserved in brine or olive oil, such as roasted red peppers, pickled cauliflower, etc. Greeks use olives in some sauces, namely tomato-based sauces that are served over pasta.
There are several breads and pies which call for olives. In some parts of the country, stews often include olives. One such dish comes from the Ionian island of Zakynthos, where potatoes are stewed with onions, tomatoes and black olives. On the mainland, olives are roasted and served as a meze, and in Crete, one of the most delicious preparations is for something called oftes elies-roasted olives. This process intensifies the flavor and aroma of the olive and makes for one of the best appetizers in all of Greek cooking.
In the last few years, the olive has caught the imagination of contemporary chefs, so that in today’s Greek kitchen olives are everywhere: in the skillet and in the pan, in breads, pies, braised dishes, sauces, stuffings, dips and more.

Olive oil

Olive oil in Greece dates back 4000 years, but also has a significant present and promising future. It is globally acknowledged for its purity and exceptional taste and it is globally proposed as one of the features quality Greek products. It is the basis of all the Greek traditional recipes, thus proving its unique position within the Greek diet.

Even today Greek olives are treated with the same care and tenderness they were treated with 2500 years ago. As in the past, olive keeping is still predominantly a family business. And because it’s a family business, each tree receives the same kind of personalized care and love that comes when people form an intimate bond with their object of work.

Production is scattered all over the country, even though the Peloponnese and Crete account for over 65% of total production. The average annual olive oil production is 350,000 tons.

Intensive cultivation, in combination with the climate and well-adjusted-to-the-Greek-soil varieties, contribute to the production of worldwide top quality olive oil.

80% of the Greek olive oil is extra virgin, which is the top-ranked classification category in the world. This constitutes Greece as the world’s largest producer of extra virgin olive oil. Greek extra virgin olive oil’s superior quality is appreciated by the international trade, which is the reason why 150-200 thousand tons of our best olive oil are exported to Italy and Spain and sold at a premium price, in comparison to olive oils of other origins.

At an international level, Greece enjoys the largest per capita consumption of olive oil, with the average Greek consuming more than 15 kilos annually. Spanish come in second place, with 11 kilos per capita consumption per year.

Biological olive oils and olive oils of controlled origin are becoming a trend in the internal market, demonstrating a growth of more than 30% annually.

Research shows that olive oil is the healthiest choice among other vegetable oils and thus it’s an integral part of a balanced diet. Olive oil contributes to the reduction of LDL cholesterol without affecting quantities of the HDL cholesterol. It protects from various diseases, and it reduces blood pressure. It reduces the chance of breast cancer by 45%, while it’s believed it may play role in reducing intestinal cancer as well. It protects against cell aging and strengthens memory. Also, it contributes to the health of the central nervous system and brain cells.


Quality classes
There are three classes of oil: Virgin, refined and seed-oil.

Virgin olive oil
It is deduced from pulping the fruit either through mechanical means or other natural treatments in conditions that do not alter the oil’s composition. These treatments are limited to washing, transfusion, centrifugation and filtering.
In turn, virgin oils are classified according to their acidity. a) Extra Virgin Olive Oil is the top rated class, Free fat acids, expressed as olive acid, cannot exceed 0,8 g per 100 g. It is ideal for salads and sauces. b) In Virgin Olive Oil the free far acids, expressed as olive acid, cannot exceed 0,2 g per 100 g. It is ideal for cooked food and broiled meat.

Refined-Virgin Olive Oil
This class is a mix of refines and virgin olive oil. Free fat acids, expressed as olive acid cannot exceed 0,1 g per 100 g.

Olive seed oil
This class is a mix of refined seed-oil and virgin oils. Free fat acids, expressed as olive acid cannot exceed 0,1 g per 100 g.