Famous Greek Products
Olive oil • Olive oil is a fat obtained from the olive. The oil is produced by
pressing whole olives and is commonly used in cooking. Actually, it is a main ingredient of the Mediterranean diet. It is also used in cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, and soaps. Olive oil is often associated with Mediterranean countries. It is believed that the wild olive tree came from Asia Minor or ancient Greece. Today Greece produces 12,1% of the world production of olive oil and it has by far the largest per person consumption of olive oil worldwide, over 26 litres per person per year. Also famous are the Greek olives, like the “Kalamon” olives. • In Greece, olive oil is mainly produced in the Peloponnese, Crete, Western Greece, Central Greece, North Greece and Aegean Islands.
Feta • Feta cheese is one of the most popular foods in Greece.
Feta is a type of cheese made from sheep’s or goat’ milk. It is often served in thin slices and you can put oregano and olive oil on top. You can eat it with all Greek foods or you can make very delicious pies with feta. It is also one of the ingredients of the famous “Greek Salad”.
• The areas of production of feta are mainly Macedonia,
Thrace, Epirus, Thessaly, Central Greece and the Peloponnese.
Ouzo • Ouzo is an anise-flavoured aperitif that is widely consumed in Greece
and Cyprus. Ouzo has its roots in tsipouro, which is said to have been the pet project of a group of 14th century monks living in a monastery on Mount Athos. One version of it was flavoured in anise. This version eventually came to be called ouzo.
• Ouzo is traditionally mixed with water and served with ice cubes in a
small glass. It is also served with a small plate of appetizers called mezes. In 2006 Greece won the right to label ouzo as an exclusively Greek product.
• The most famous ouzo is produced in Plomari, Mytilene.
Honey • Honey is a sweet food made by bees using nectar from flowers. • The unique Greek honey with protected name of origin is the honey
of “Elati-Mainalon” Vanilla. It has a low concentration of glucose so it never crystallizes. It is light-coloured and it tastes like caramel or vanilla. • The honey from Greece is considered to be one of the best in the world. Greece has more bee hives per acre than any other country in Europe. One of the most well-known types of honey in Greece comes from thyme. • Honey in Greece is mainly produced in the prefectures of Halkidiki, Attica, Arcadia, Fthiotida, Evia, Heraklio and Chania.