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3 GREEKGOURMETRAVELER

ContentsISSUE 8 WINTER-SPRING 2008

Letter from the President of HEPO 4

Letter from the CEO of HEPO 5

Letter from the Editor 7

Press Sightings 8

Green, Greek, Great: The Organic Movement Shines 13

Bright in Greece's Sunny ClimeBy Diana Farr Louis

Chain Reaction: Casual Greek Restaurant Companies 19

Bring Simple, Healthy Food to the Masses

By Joyce Gatsounis

Trends: Spreading the Olive From Meze to Marmalade, 25

the Proliferating Appeal of Greek Olive Purees

By Dimitris Antonopoulos

Smoking Allowed! Focus on Cheese: Metsovone 31

and the New Generation of Smoked Greek CheesesBy Daphne Zepos

Recipes with Metsovone 41

Honey from the Vine: Greek Dessert Wines are World Class 47

By Konstantinos Lazarakis

Andreas Mavrommatis: Paris la Grcque 57

By Susan Hermann Loomis

Recipes from the Kitchen of Andreas Mavrommatis 63

Sweet Success: From Cocoa Kourambiedes to Watermelon 71

Loukoumia, Greece's Confectioners are Rethinking Tradition.By Diane Shugart

Prospero's Kitchen: Food, Life and Travel in Corfu 77

By Diana Farr Louis

Recipes from Corfu's Regional Table 82

A Tale of Three Cities: Exciting Greek Cuisine in Shanghai, 87

Dubai and New Delhi

By Rachel Howard

Kerasma Recipes for: Sweet and Savory Olive Purees, Lamb, 95

Smoked Cheeses, Sweet Wines, and More

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LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT OF HEPO

Dear friends,

We are very pleased by the messages we've received from the many places

Kerasma has been holding events around the world. Our desire to share the Greek

way of life, its food and wine, is being embraced with ever-growing enthusiasm.

It's a snowball effect! More and more chefs are becoming acquainted with Greek

products and including them and Greek recipes among their offerings.

Moreover, Greek chefs abroad, already acquainted with the many facets of Greek

products and cuisine (as mentioned in this issue of GREEKGOURMETRAVELER)

are being held in high regard, and even winning Michelin stars!

With the many initiatives of Kerasma, things we once kept to ourselves are today

being projected around the world. At the same time, we are highlighting the true

meaning of the Greek way of life, so well received by those who meet us in person -

those who encounter the Greek art de vivre from up-close.

Greek cuisine, using Greek products, offers something apart from all other cuisines,

combining taste and health in a unique manner.

We mustn't forget that the heart and creative force behind the Mediterranean diet,

well known for its health benefits, is Greek cuisine and Greek products.

In past issues of GREEKGOURMETRAVELER we provided information about Greek

food as well as recipes. Today we are moving even further forward, giving you new

and interesting information, such as the spread/development of the olive and its

innovative new uses. As always, health benefits should not be overlooked! A

recently published study refers to the anti-carcinogenic effect of olive skin as well

as its richness in antioxidants.

There are also new developments as far as Greek smoked cheeses, in traditional

sweets, and especially interesting developments in sweet wines.

We would be happy to keep you updated on the details of our events (posted on our

site) planned at your location for 2008. It would be a pleasure to meet you in person.

We would especially like you to note our extensive presence in Paris at SIAL this

October. Please save the date and contact us to arrange a meeting and a

Kerasma meal. We're sure it will remain unforgettable.

Panagiotis I. Papastavrou

President

HEPO


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LETTER FROM THE ACTING CEO OF HEPO

Since its inception three years ago, the Kerasma campaign has been tremendously

dynamic and effective. Its trickle-down effect is evident in the news articles on

Greek cuisine and wine the world over, from London to Sydney to New York; in the

publicity and status achieved by some of the chefs who have worked on behalf of

Kerasma; on the success and increased exports of our products in the international

market.

Kerasma, which means treat in Greek, has always embodied the country's innate

sense of hospitality and convivial cheer around all things that have to do with that

most human and civilized of activities-eating and drinking good, healthful things

and sharing them with friends and family. For us Greeks, as for everyone, the table

is the heart of life.

The Kerasma campaign has benefited greatly right from its start, from the good

will and eager participation of both Greek and international food and beverage

industry professionals who shared their expertise and products with us so that we

at HEPO could in turn share those things with as broad an audience as possible,

through the great success of our conferences, through our participation in high-

profile events on almost every continent, via our many award-winning publica-

tions, our website, and more.We built Kerasma into a well-known and easily rec-

ognized campaign that we bought with characteristic hospitality to many corners

of the globe.

Now, we're poised to bring the campaign home to Greece as well, introducing the

millions of tourists who visit the country each year to the vast array of Greek

regional food products, unique wines, and great recipes. In doing so, we are

embracing hotels, restaurants and producers around the country and inspiring

them to jump on the Kerasma bandwagon with us. After all, treating visitors to

the best Greek foods and wines, the most healthful and delicious Greek dishes, and

to the convivial spirit that permeates the Greek table is just part of our famous

hospitality. We hope by so doing that we inspire our guests to yearn for a little

Kerasma when they return to their native soil and to seek out our timeless and deli-

cious foods and wines wherever they are.

Andreas Katsaniotis

Acting CEO of HEPO


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WINTER-SPRING

2008

O8GreekGourmetraveler

Greek Food, Wine & Travel Magazine

Editor-in-Chief

Diane Kochilas

Editorial Assistant & Translations

Evelyna Foukou

Art Director & Designerk2design

HEPO Liaison

Anastasia Garyfallou

Contributors

Dimitris Antonopoulos, Diana F arr Louis, Joyce

Gatsounis, Konstantinos Lazarakis, Susan

Hermann Loomis, Diane Shugart, Daphne Zepos

Contributing Chefs

Yiannis Baxevannis, Vassilis Kalydis, Andreas

Mavrommatis, Stelios Parliaros, Christoforos

Peskias, Kostas Vasalos

Photography

Jacques Denarnaud, Yiorgos Dracopoulos, Holger

Mette Fotolia.com, Richard Morgan Fotolia.com,

Clairi Moustafellou, Christian Sarramon, Vassilis

Stenos, Dimitris Vattis

Food Styling

Tina Webb

Printing

Scripta Ltd.

ISSN

1790-5990

Cover

Vassilis Stenos

PublisherHellenic Foreign Trade Board

Legal representative

Andreas Katsaniotis, CEO

Marinou Antipa 86-88

Ilioupoli, 163 46 Athens, Greece

Tel: 00 30 210 998 2100

Fax: 00 30 210 996 9100

http://www.hepo.gr

http://www.kerasma.com

Information and subscription

GreekGourmetraveler, a publication of the Hellenic

Foreign Trade Board, promotes Greek cuisine, wine,

travel, and culture. The magazine is distributed free

of charge to food-, beverage-, wine-, and travel-

industry professionals.

If you wish to subscribe, visit our website atwww.hepo.gr or www.kerasma.com

Reproduction of articles and photographs

No articles, recipes, or photographs published in

the GreekGourmetravelermay be reprinted with-

out permission from the publisher. All rights

reserved. GreekGourmetravelerHellenic Foreign

Trade Board.

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LETTER FROM THE EDITOR

These are exciting times for Greek cuisine because it's traveling far and wide, beyond

Greece, beyond Europe, and beyond traditional venues. We try to cover it all in the

GREEKGOURMETRAVELER, something you will see in this, our eighth, issue.

In the last six months alone, Greek cuisine has been cited as the hottest cuisine in

North America.We sent a few contributors in search of the trends. Former

Bloomberg reporter Joyce Gatsounis writes about the new breed of courageous

restaurant operators, who, seeing the trend toward high-end Greek restaurants

from coast to coast, figured that the time was also ripe to take their native cuisine

to the masses. In Canada, the U.S. and elsewhere, Greek chain restaurants are

growing at a robust pace, banking on the cuisine's healthy image to forge franchises

and chains across the land. Veteran GGT reporter Rachel Howard covers the cui-

sine's growth in such far-off places as Dubai, Shanghai, and New Delhi as Greek

restaurants open their doors across the globe. And, well-known food writer Susan

Hermann Loomis talks with Andreas Mavrommatis, who for years now has been

bringing Greek flavors to Paris in his many restaurants.

On the home front, exciting things are happening, too. For one, Greece, a country

extremely well-suited to organic food and wine production thanks to its relatively

small-scale farming, has seen the organic sector growing by 15 percent a year. More

and more Greek food producers, winemakers, cheese makers, and others are going

green with great success, writes another veteran GGT contributor, Diana Farr Louis.

Traditional foods are always a point of interest among our readers and in this issue

you'll get a taste of many. First, Diane Shugart covers trends in Greek confections,

as commercial producers seek ways to breathe new life into the likes of baklava,

Loukoumia, and more.We travel to northern Greece to taste the spectrum of smoked

cheeses in an article by cheese connoisseur Daphne Zepos and to Corfu for a foray

into the food and lore of this Ionian gem.

Enjoy and savor all that's on the plate in this exciting issue of the

GreekGourmetraveler.

Diane Kochilas

Editor-in-Chief

The GreekGourmetraveler

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Press

Sightings

From professional restaurant trade journals to popular

cooking magazines to spots on national U.S. televi-

sion, the amazing press coverage for all things Greek

and culinary is proof that the cuisinetimeless,healthy, deliciousis also hot and thoroughly in fash-

ion. In a quick survey of the press, here are but a few

mentions of our beloved cuisine, and all this just

since the last issue of the GreekGourmetraveler:


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Bon Apptit Magazine called Greek

cuisine Cuisine of the year, in its

January 2008 issue: Today's Greek

food is fresh and modern - just the

thing for a great dinner party.

Bon Apptit magazine visited New

York's Anthos restaurant to see

what's on the menu. Picks include

smoked salmon tarama with pita

chips, dried fig souvlaki, scallops

with cauliflower, dried cherries and

capers, sun-dried tomato and gar-

lic-crusted rack of lamb, roasted

garbanzo beans and garlic with

Swiss chard and spiced fresh

orange and honey sorbet for

dessert.It's an approach that

takes traditional Greek ingredients

and combines them in ways that

are new yet still identifiable with

this cuisine. Anthos chef

Michael Psillakis, who was award-

ed a Michelin Star, has been hav-

ing his day in the sun in a big way.

He recently appeared on CBS Chef

on a Shoestring and created an

easy, Greek gourmet meal for

under $40. The New York Times also

just ran a front page Dining Section

article on him (February 6, 2008).

OurJune Kerasma Conference on

Crete also got a fair share of press

attention, including an article in

the October 2007 issue ofFood

Arts Magazine and theJanuary 1,

2008 issue of GourmetRetailer.

Food Arts' Beverly Stephen writes

in her piece,Taking Center Stage:

Greecethis prodigious producer

of olive oil, wine, cheese, honey,

yogurt, and other specialty prod-

ucts is striving for a distinctive des-

ignation. Capitalizing on the

healthy image of the

Mediterranean Diet as well as the

quality of the Greek products,

HEPO turned the spotlight on both

traditional and modern Greek cui-

sine to promote more awareness

of the country's goods and burnish

its image As a result of ongoing

promotional efforts Greek food and

beverage exports have been rising

steadily, up 36 percent since 2004

and this year's effort is expected to

boost the numbers even more

In Letters from Greece column,

Michelle Moran of the Gourmet

Retailer writes: Beautiful breezes,

fine wine, lavish displays of food

it's hard to tell people I am working

when I am staring out at the azure

waters along the coast of Greece

taking bites of perfectly roasted

eggplant and nibbles of delicate

green pie. It's hard to complain.

My first trip to Greece was in 2006

when I headed to Athens for the

first Kerasma conference. I was

amazed by the markets, the joie de

vivre of the people, and the

lifestyle. I was thrilled last year

when the organizers asked The

Gourmet Retailer Magazine to help

identify a small group of specialty

retailers in the U.S. to attend the

2nd International Kerasma

Conference on Greek Gastronomy

and Food, Wine and Spirits

Industry sponsored by the Hellenic

Foreign Trade Board this past June.

I called on buyers with a sense of

overwhelming anticipation to

share what I had experienced pre-

viously and learn more. And, of

course, we jumped at the chance,

pulling together members of our

Retailer Advisory Board as well as

suggesting importers to attend

this four-day conference in Crete


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and Santorini. The result was an

amazing gathering of the top spe-

cialty food retailers in the U.S. in an

amazing place, sharing and learn-

ing about the Mediterranean diet

in its birthplace.Crete was cho-

sen for this event because of its

tradition of flavors and recipes. The

Mediterranean diet is a way of life

there. The goal is to preserve

humanistic values while forging

forward into new culinary adven-

tures. The flavors of Greece are tra-

ditional yet new, complex yet sim-

ple, nutritious but very flavorful.

These types of flavors, seated in

tradition, will push forward a new

cuisine that will empower us to

create dishes that truly embrace

the balance of the Mediterranean

diet. One of the goals of both the

organizers of Kerasma and The

Gourmet Retailer was thatbuyers

came back to the U.S. with a better

understanding of Greek cuisine and

culture, as well as their own per-

sonal stories to tell their staff and

customers. Buyers told us that

goal was more than met and we've

seen the results in the classes, pro-

motions and newsletters many

have produced since returning

home."I have many stories that I

tell my customers while I am

demonstrating the Greek products

I introduced after my Kerasma

experience. One of my favorites is

when I do a tasting for the Cretan

olive oil and I tell my customers

that despite what the Italian say,

most of the olive oil produced in

Italy comes from Greece (the

majority of common brands), so

why not buy the real thing?"

On Greek wines: Janice Kleinschmidt

writes in the Forbes Traveller issue

Feb 1 2008 If the Master

Sommeliers of the world were

stranded on a boatand had room

for just five wines, what would they

be? Lest you doubt the veracity of

the following recommendations,

consider the fact that among the

world's 6.6 billion-plus population,

a mere 158 held the prestigious

Master Sommelier title. Madeline

Triffon, Master Sommelier of

Michigan-based Matt Prentice

Restaurant Group emphatically

states that,Modern Greek wine is

a must! for a 'round-the-world

voyage.We could toast the begin-

ning of the voyage with a special

Hellenic quaff, honoring the Greek

sailors of old, she suggests. And to

do so, she recommends the floral,

dense and smooth 2006 Katogi

Averoff Traminer Greek wine got

more encomia in the recentSaveur

100, a list of 100 great things to eat

and drink, compiled each year by

Saveur Magazine, which writes: It's

no secret to oenophiles that

Greece, long associated with quaf-

fable but unsophisticated local spe-

cialties like retsina, is now produc-

ing world-class wines. The most

intriguing among them may be

those made from a dark purple

grape known as XINOMAVRO,

which is believed to have evolved

from indigenous Greek fruit first

vinified thousands of years ago.

Winemakers near the town of

Naoussa, in the northern Greek

region of Macedonia, are using this

grape to produce wines with an

evocative bouquet that closely

resembles that of Italy's barolos.

Though bottlings from top produc-

ers, such as Boutari, Karydas, and

Kir-Yianni, can seem harsh in their

youth, they mature with admirable

grace.

On Greek food trends: 1 January 2008


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issue of Restaurants & Institutions

(R&I) reports: The foodservice fore-

cast is brightest in 2008 for opera-

tors who stay relevant to how con-

sumers live and who understand

what drives dining occasions.

Explore up-and-coming ethnic

cuisines from Greece, Vietnam,

Korea, South America and the

Eastern MediterraneanEmbrace

easy nutrition. Find simple ways to

eat more healthful meals, and add

beneficial foods rather than avoid-

ing ingredients demonized by fad

diets.Calling out ingredients'

local origins adds undeniable

cachet; the mention elicits ques-

tions, conversations and, of the

most importance, orders. So, too,

do influences that stem further

from home, as diners increasingly

turn to ethnic cuisines for bold but

nuanced flavors.It feels like every-

one's doing the same [contempo-

rary American] menu now, says

Chef-owner Michael Dotson, who

instead entices diners with

[among other things] Greek-

accented fare at recently opened

Sens Restaurant in San

Francisco

More trends abound, among them

the classic Greek salad.As food trend

trackers Technomic Information

Services Editorial Staff reports:

Salad's image as a health food has

helped the category to grow quick-

ly.High on the list of favorites are:

seafood salads,Asian-influenced sal-

ads, Southwestern salads and

Mediterranean and Greek salads.

Among the most striking ethnic

trends, Mediterranean-influenced

(particularly Greek) salads are gain-

ing the spotlight

In Revisiting Greek Cuisine for the

First Time in Food Product Design

Magazine (01/17/2008) managing

editor Douglas J. Peckenpaugh

writes: Although several elements

of Spanish cuisine appear poised to

vie for more Americans' food dollars

(see yesterday's post), culinary

highlights from a country on the

other side of the Mediterranean,

Greece, might be ready to follow in

that wake.On one end of the new

Greek culinary revival, we have a

restaurant like Anthos, helmed by

Chef Michael Psilakis-an up-and-

comer dubbed the poster boy of

Greek revival, the Mario Batali of

'New Aegean' cuisine. At the other

end of the spectrum, we have

casual and QSR Greek chains like

Mr. Greek and Daphne's Greek Caf

slowly spreading around both

Canada and the United States. To

top it off, Bon Apptit named mod-

ern Greek the cuisine of the year

for 2007 (see above) and followed

that up with this month's cooking

club highlighting modern Greek

food. Right now, it's good to be

Greek. Or at least it will be very

soon.My mind is spinning in these

Aegean arcs primarily because I'm

currently editing an overview of the

potential for new Greek cuisine,

written by an RCA Certified

Culinary Scientist (an elite group of

scientist-culinarians) who recently

traveled around Greece and

brought home her informational

bounty for all to share (well, all who

read CULINOLOGY Magazine,

that is the article's slated for the

March issue). Stay tuned for that

one Once folks begin to wrap

their minds around Greek food-

perhaps updated for the ages and

cleverly positioned for some

American demographics-they're

bound to find much to love.


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Greek,Green,GreatThe Organic Movement ShinesBright in Greeces Sunny Clime

You don't have to be particularly observant to notice

that the organic movement has taken off in Greece.

Green supermarkets are sprouting up all over the

country, all the big chains boast an expanding organ-ic corner, and organic farmers' markets exist in 28

locations from Athens to Thessaloniki and a half

dozen smaller cities.

By Diana Farr Louis

Photography: Vassilis Stenos

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There's no doubt that interest in

healthy, environmentally friendly

food is increasing fast, in terms of

both producers and customers.

A look at the statistics confirms

astonishing growth. Greece tripled

the area under organic cultivation

between 1999 and 2003, but did

not stop there. By the end of 2006,

the most recent year for which fig-

ures are available, the number of

producers leaped from 15,412 in

2005 to 24,666, while 302,256 ha

were under conversion or already

devoted to organic crops or pas-

tures. Contrast this with the

decade 1982-1992, when only 150

organic producers were registered

and the total area under cultiva-

tion was a mere 200 ha.

Italy, Germany, and Spain lead the

rest of the EU member states in

organic produce, but Greece has

won a respectable place in the mid-

dle (next to the UK, France, and

Austria). It also possesses consider-

able potential for further growth -

around 30 percent per year - thanks

to a variety of factors. Among these

are its rocky soil; hot, dry climate;

and the relative lack of intensive

cultivations and agribusinesses

that employ artificial fertilizers and

toxic pesticides and herbicides.

Fortunately, pockets of protected

areas, large and small, abound in

the foothills of Greece's many

mountains and on the islands.

Permanent crops already thriving in

such places have been the first to be

converted. For this reason, olive oil

and olives, citrus and other fruits,

and grapes top the list, though

grains, especially durum wheat,

dairy and legumes are becoming

important. Moreover, Greece takes

the blue ribbon for having the high-

est percentage of organically raised

pigs, while half of Europe's organic

goats are Greek. This will come as

no surprise to anyone whose car has

been immobilized by a huge flock of

Pan's relatives on the way to Delphi

or Epidaurus.

Slow to adopt a green mindset,

Greece did not export organic

products seriously until after the

late 1990s. And when it began,

olives and olive oil were a natural

place to start. The country is the

third largest producer of olive oil

worldwide, after Italy and Spain,

but it produces more extra virgin

oil than either of its competitors.

To add insult to injury, much of

this was and is still shipped in bulk


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to Italy and blended without

acknowledgment.

One young man, and a foreigner at

that, was so appalled by the situa-

tion that way back in the early 80s,

he grabbed some bottles at an oil

press in the Mani and started filling

them by hand, mainly to send back

to his native Austria. He was the

first person in Greece ever to bottle

organic oil and not only went on to

found his own company but man-

aged to convert all the growers in

the region to organic methods. The

company is the largest employer in

the Pyrgos-Lefktrou area. Three

hundred farmers with 300,000

olive trees supply him with 300

tons of organic oil and 100 tons of

organic olives, which he exports

mainly to Switzerland, Austria and

Germany. More importantly

though he was on the forefront of

what would become a major trend

in Greece: Today there are more

that 115 organic Greek olive oil and

olive companies.

Some of the olive oil and olive com-

panies have carved a niche for

themselves in the specialty-and

organic food business, making

dips, spreads and traditional appe-

tizers with Florina peppers, sun-

dried tomatoes, eggplant and the

like. Innovative combinations and

pasta sauces designed by celebrity

chefs raise their appeal to gour-

mets in the U.S. and Scandinavia

as well as in older markets like

Germany, Russia, and the U.K.

But while elevated prices restrict

some organic products to high-end

food shops abroad, others simply

represent quality to discerning

mainstream consumers. Greek

organic cheeses fall into this catego-

ry and several dairies have gone

totally green in the last few years.

In most cases, convincing herders to

go organic was an uphill battle as

most were initially discouraged by

the lack of a domestic market for

their products. But now demand is

well established; at least 30 compa-

nies sell organic cheese and dairy

products in Greece, with hundreds

of families around the country sup-

plying them with organic sheep's

and goat's milk, the mainstays of

the Greek cheese industry. They pro-

duce the likes of feta from the

mountains of Arcadia, graviera from

Crete, manouri from Macedonia,

plus fresh cheeses like anthotyro

and myzithra.The first three are

PDO (Protected Designation of


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Origin) cheeses.And these are the

most sought after abroad. As the

director of one of the most success-

ful organic dairies says: Fifty per-

cent of the cheese we export is feta

and the EU ruling that feta is exclu-

sively Greek has helped enormously.

We only began exporting in 2007

but the signs are encouraging.

Germany takes the lion's share, and

the message we're receiving from

Australia and the US leads us to

hope they'll be next.

The best markets for exports of

organic Greek PDO cheeses, and

particularly feta, are the US and

UK, and this despite the weakened

dollar, says the managing director

of another organic Greek dairy. The

Far East (Japan, China, Hong Kong)

and India, Saudi Arabia and the

Emirates also seem like rosy

prospects, especially for feta, given

the new appeal of healthy light

white cheese as opposed to the

yellow cheeses traditionally

favored by Europeans and

Americans. Exports are rising

annually, as more and more con-

sumers take home memories of

feta from their holidays in Greece

and become aware of the benefits

of the Mediterranean Diet.

Another category where exports are

growing is wine. To date, wine from

organically grown grapes is not offi-

cially organic itself, but legislation is

expected to clarify this in 2008. In

the meantime, more and more vine-

yards are converting, at least in

part. The list includes some well

known names like Costas Lazaridis,

Antonopoulos, Porto Carras,

Strofilia, Babatzim, Papaioannou,

Sigala, Karipidis, and Spyropoulos,

who was arguably in the vanguard.

We started not from zero but from

minus zero, says one organic Greek

wine maker,because first we had to

convince people that Greek wine is

not what it used to be. They weren't

going to get retsina. Indeed, the

Greek wine industry, organic and

conventional, has made enormous

strides in the last two decades.

Organic meat is another area

where Greek producers are begin-

ning to make major market

inroads. The first Greek firm to ven-

ture into organic meat, Creta

Farm, based near Rethymno, has a

well-earned reputation domestical-

ly for quality pork. It has also per-

fected a method of substituting

the fat in processed and cured

meats with extra virgin olive oil,


This page and opposite: organic honey,

beans, and jams being packed in an organic

packing facility.

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which makes them much healthier.

The method has been patented in

90 countries. Several companies

specialize in organically grown

chickens, which are widely avail-

able nowadays not only in local

supermarkets but also at local

green farmers' markets. Given the

dire conditions under which con-

ventional chickens are raised, the

prospects for organic chickens,

especially among eco-aware con-

sumers, are great. Organic eggs,

too, are a growing industry.

Judging by a visit to the most recent

organic food show here a few

months ago, the range of products

both sold in Greece and produced

here for sale on the domestic and

international markets is impressive.

Some product categories, such as

honey, fresh and processed vegeta-

bles, regional pastaespecially tra-

hanatomatoes and tomato prod-

ucts, fruit, and herbs are traditional

and so naturally suited to cultiva-

tion and production here. There is

even a nascent movement among

the most fervent eco-minded grow-

ers to preserve traditional varieties,

and in the last few years a few such

preservation organizations have

sprouted in agricultural areas,

establishing seed exchanges, festi-

vals and more.

But the organic field is not without

its struggles. Harvests for organic

vegetables and fruits are lower

compared with conventional and

high standard farming; costs for

producing organic often run 25% to

50% higher, and those are passed

onto the consumer. Weather poses

its own threats.

Last summer's heat waves drasti-

cally reduced yields in some parts

of the country. To offset those diffi-

culties many farmers, and, by

extension, food companies, pro-

duce and sell foods that are quali-

ty-controlled and high standard,

but not necessarily fully organic.

This is barely a representative sam-

pling of the kinds of organic prod-

ucts that Greece exports. The task

now is to make sure the country's

tasty, healthful, ecologically-raised

foods reach a larger public, both at

home and abroad. The next wave

after niche-market organics is sus-

tainability, and this niche has to go

mainstream within a reasonable

period for the health of the planet

we live on, says one of the more

dedicated organic producers in

Greece.


Diana Farr Louis is a writer for the Athens News and the author

of numerous Greek cookbooks and travel books.

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ChainReactionCasual Greek RestaurantCompanies Bring Simple,Healthy Food to the Masses

By Joyce Gatsounis

Fifteen years ago, George Raios was in the same

position as many Greek restaurateurs in North

America. He had a successful restaurant in Toronto's

popular Greek district and was considering anotherone. This time, he decided, it wouldn't be in the

Greek neighborhood.


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"People said we'd never be able to

sell Greek food outside

Greektown," Raios says. "But I saw

other cultures' cuisines like the

Italians and the Chinese had made

it into the mass market, and I

knew Greek food would be the

next big thing."

The risk paid off. Within three weeks,

the second restaurant had matched

receipts of the original, proving that

Greek food could be successfully sold

to the mass market.

"Suddenly, Greek food was in," says

Raios. His Mr. Greek franchises

have been multiplying ever since,

and by the end of 2008 he expects

to have 32 locations in Canada and

another two in the U.S., with fur-

ther expansion expected.

Raios isn't the only one finding

Greek food an easy sell. From

London to Los Angeles, Greek

restaurants are mushrooming,

helped by the cuisine's image as

healthful, consumers who are

more open to ethnic cuisines, the

popularization of Greek culture

through the country's hosting of

the Olympic Games, and the mas-

sive popularity of the movie My Big

Fat Greek Wedding.

George Katakalidis' California busi-

ness, like Raios' in Toronto, was

also at a turning point in the early

'90s. In 1992, his second store was

opening. Watching the restaurant

do brisk business on its first day

without any advertising or market-

ing, he says it was then he realized

that Greek culture -- and food --

had finally become part of

America's cultural landscape.

Daphne's Greek Cafe has grown

from about 30 outlets in 2003 in

southern California to 80 through-

out the western U.S., making it the

largest Greek food franchise out-

side Greece.

"Twenty years ago, it was a night-

mare trying to sell Greek food,"

notes Katakalidis, who then aban-

doned his first attempt at selling

souvlaki in malls at a shop he

called Greek To-Go. "It's different

now. Movies like My Big Fat Greek

Wedding have made the food seem

less ' foreign.'And as second-gener-

ation Greeks have become more

assimilated in America, so have the

components of their culture."

While Katakalidis found selling fast-

food souvlaki to the mass market in

malls too challenging 20 years ago,

by 1997 entrepreneur Nikos

Tiginagas felt trends had become


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more favorable. Tiginagas began

Opa! Souvlaki of Greece in Calgary,

Canada and the chain has since

grown to 55 locations in the coun-

try with another three in the U.S.

The company says its strategy of

selling in malls has helped it intro-

duce Greek food to a broader spec-

trum of people. People who might

be curious to try Greek food but not

willing to commit to a 40-dollar,

three-hour night out at a tradition-

al Greek mom-and-pop restaurant

are more likely to take a risk on a $6

or $8 souvlaki plate they pick up at

a pit-stop in a mall, said marketing

director Mark Andrews.

Most purveyors of Greek cuisine

attribute some of the pickup in

popularity to the 2002 hit film My

Big Fat Greek Wedding, which pro-

pelled Greeks into the mainstream

consciousness. Florida-based chain

Taverna Opa has tapped into the

popularity of Greek-American cul-

ture celebrated in the film, and

invites people to "Be Greek For A

Day" as part of its advertising.

"People saw the Greek cuisine,

dancing, and lifestyle in My Big Fat

Greek Wedding and they want to

experience some of that for them-

selves," says Sophia Theodore,

director of operations of Taverna

Opa, which has four locations and

is expanding via franchise. Greek

restaurants have been mushroom-

ing in Florida ever since the movie,

Theodore explains. Taverna Opa

joins competing Florida chain,

Louis Pappas Market Cafe, which

has seven locations in the state,

having been developed in recent

years from one legendary Greek

restaurant by the grandson of the

original owner.

One Arizona-based franchise even

calls itself My Big Fat Greek

Restaurant, borrowing on some of

the film's currency. The chain has

doubled its outlets from 5 to 10 in

the last two years, is opening two

more stores in Arizona, launching

in New Mexico by the end of this

year, and plans to expand to Texas

and Nevada next year.

Americans' increasing interest in

the healthful Mediterranean diet

has also helped nudge the cuisine

out of the relative obscurity of the

mom-and-pop tavernas of the

past. Books like The Mediterranean

Diet have become bestsellers. The

dangers of "trans-fats" have been

widely disseminated by media and

that knowledge is now part of

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people's nutritional fluency, which

has promoted both olive oil and

Mediterranean food as ideal anti-

dotes to North Americans' fat-

clogged arteries. Greek restaurants

are now using the word

"Mediterranean" liberally in their

marketing, advertising, and menus

to broaden their appeal. Mr. Greek

added "Mediterranean Grill" to its

name a few years ago, and Raios

said doing so was an immediate

success; it allowed him to add

menu items like certain grilled fish,

some of which were not tradition-

ally Greek, and make the food

more accessible to more people.

Greek retailers are beginning to

market Greek food's nutritional

image more directly to health-mind-

ed consumers. Mr. Greek lists its

menu items' nutritional values and

reminds customers of the benefits of

"good fats" like olive oil on its menu.

Opa! Souvlaki of Greece is now

working with a nutritionist to high-

light its menu's nutritional values.

Greek chains aren't the only ones

capitalizing on the popularity of

the cuisine. Other franchises are

finding its appeal wide enough to

feature Greek items on their

menus. Burger King has offered a

"Greek Chicken Salad" in its

Canadian stores and has played up

its nutritional value. Extreme Pita,

a sandwich chain with about 200

outlets in Canada and the U.S.,

offers gyros and chicken souvlaki

on its menu. Souplantation, a 105-

unit U.S. chain targeting more

healthy diners, had a "Greek Week"

in summer featuring the cuisine

and will repeat it again next year

after a successful run. The restau-

rant's Greek salad is one of its most

popular items, said Joan Scharff,

director of brand and menu strate-

gy of the company.

The new Greek chains owe some of

their success to what marketers

call "educating the consumer"

helping people become acquainted

and familiarized with the cuisine to

make it more approachable. For

example, the new breed of Greek

mass-market chains name menu

items in English Daphne's calls its

take on tirokafteri "Fire Feta" and

include concise descriptions of the


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food to help customers make more

informed choices before ordering.

"We owe our success to demystify-

ing Greek food," says Scott

Robison, operations director of the

My Big Fat Greek Restaurant chain,

which operates in markets with

somewhat less familiarity of Greek

food than the large urban areas.

Robison says it has "removed all

the barriers" for Americans to enjoy

Greek food in part by eliminating

certain menu items like octopus

("The average American consumer

just isn't going to eat that") and

rabbit. "We feel strongly there's

room for at least one major Greek

food chain, and we're moving every

day towards being the one."

Greek food's mainstream appeal is

not only a North American phenom-

enon. In the U.K.,The Real Greek's

four locations have made it the

country's biggest chain to focus on

the cuisine. The Real Greek started

out as a high-end restaurant in 1999

and in 2003 was bought by restau-

rant group Clapham House, whose

aim is to develop small chains into

larger ones. Clapham House man-

agement built on the U.K.'s boom in

Spanish tapas bars, which had been

fueled by the rise of cheap Spanish

holidays, and "translated" it to a

Greek mezedes concept. Since

Greece is also a common holiday

destination for British they make

up the largest proportion of tourists

there the familiarity of Brits to

the cuisine has helped The Real

Greek's popularity, said Liz Williams,

managing director of the chain.

The expansion of the franchises

may provide an opportunity for

food producers to increase sales.

Many of the chains import ingredi-

ents and products from Greece,

especially cheese and wine. Raios,

who buys kefalotiri, wine, and beer

from Greece, says he'd like to

import more Greek products.

As the cuisine becomes more main-

stream the opportunities for feed-

ing the masses on Kalamata olives

and Greek extra-virgin olive oil, not

to mention Greek feta and more,

will also grow exponentially. These

are opportunities that the Greek

food industry should be looking to

with alacrity.


Joyce Gatsoulis was the retail reporter for Bloomberg's Athens agency and also wrote about

mass-marketing and travel in Greece and Eastern Europe for twelve years while living in

Athens, Greece and Prague, Czech Republic. She has recently returned to her home country,

the United States.

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Spreadingthe OliveFrom meze to marmalade,the proliferating appealof Greek olive pures

Tapenade has long left its Provenale roots behind,

been embraced as a condiment all over the Mediter-

ranean, but especially in Greece, where olives have

always been a part of the table and of life. Pured,though, the olive has changed course, moving from

a traditional snack to an upscale gourmet nosh.

By Dimitris Andonopoulos


Food styling: Tina Webb

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Now, it is poised for yet another

transformation as Greek chefs and

food manufacturers experiment

with the olive as a spread that's

not only savory but sweet. It fits

the zeitgeist of the times, as chefs

in Europe and the U.S. are increas-

ingly crossing the boundaries of

what can be sweet; olives are

appearing more and more as an

ingredient in dessert as well.

In Greece, the olive is as comfort-

able in a tangy tapenade as it is in

a nutritious marmalade. The

range of spreadable olive prod-

ucts is one of the fastest growing

segments of the olive market.

Olives, both black and green, now

appear in jams, spoon sweets and

marmalades. Tapenade consti-


Kalamata olive paste

combines beautifully

with herbs, oranges,even figs.

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tutes an international niche.

All this just a few years ago would

have been unheard of, for until

recently the olive was more or less

confined to its traditional role as a

meze and garnish. Then, seven

years ago one of the country's

most progressive and arguably dar-

ing food companies came out with

the first ever olive marmalade, a

dark, dense, unctuous spread cre-

ated by Stelios Parliaros, one of

Greece's top pastry chefs. It was

before its time, though, a novelty

that the market was not quite

ready for. Nonetheless, it eventual-

ly paved the way for Greek olives

manufacturers to begin thinking

about this ancient fruit in new,

exciting ways.

Many companies now produce

olive spreads and the range of

sweet olive spreads and condi-

ments seems to be growing all the

time. One company in northern

Greece, for example, has experi-

mented with an olive-based condi-

ment that marries the olive with

another ancient fruit, the fig, and

pairs well with distinguished Greek

cheeses. The product has been

popular in the American, German

and English markets.

Small black Kalamata olives, dried

figs, and almonds combine in yet

another innovative olive spread

that goes beyond the boundaries

of marmalade, marrying three tra-

ditional Mediterranean products

and creating something with new

taste dimensions and texture. It

will be launched by a Greek food

exports company in a few months,

also as a relish meant for cheese.

The same company also makes a

spoon sweet with the green

Halkidiki olive and almonds.

Many of the companies that are cre-

ating these unique, diverse novelty

olive spreads are small; they don't

have the capital to compete with

the giants, but they have the flexi-

bility to take risks.The motivation

behind the creation of many of

these new olive pastes was the need

to create an entirely different gamut

of products around the olive. One

company, for example, makes a

bonafied marmalade of black olives,

unprocessed sugar, and lemon juice,


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which is sold locally in Greece.

The small plate revolution has also

helped unleash a whole new world

of uses for the olive in paste form.

Tapenade, a staple of small-plate

menus, has moved in the high-end

as well as deli item direction. For

example, olive pastes mixed with

spinach and feta, or with herbs and

nuts are popular condiments in

Greece and beyond, marrying well

with grilled fish and meats as well

as pasta. As a more prosaic deli

item, these products are suitable

dips for crisp triangles of toasted

pita bread as well as for Mexican

nachos and vegetable crudite.

Pure olive pures can also be used

as a raw ingredient, the first step in

creating a meze or spread that is

nuanced and exotic.Kalamata olive

paste, for example, combines

beautifully with herbs or with

orange, to create luscious simple

meze spreads. Black olive pure

also pairs well with prunes. If it's

sweetness one hankers after then

try green olive paste with honey

and pistachios, or black olive paste

with anise or ouzo, citrus and

Tahini (sesame paste).

Olives also work well in the mode

of pesto, mashed with walnuts or

other nuts, with sun-dried toma-

toes, and more. These are delicious

with crisp fresh vegetables like fen-

nel. Green olives work especially

well with pistachio nuts and

almonds, lemon, mint, hot pepper,

green peppers, even artichokes

and coriander.

The olive's newfound spectrum of

uses flies in the face of tradition, at

least as Greeks interpret the olive's

place on the table. But these are

times when chefs and home cooks

alike are breaking the formal

boundaries of the past and forging

ahead with new ideas and innova-

tions. It's a brave new world out

there for the olive in any form.

Dimitris Andonopoulos is one of the best-known food writers and restaurant

critics in Athens. He writes forAthinorama.

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Photo:ClairiM

oustafellou

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SmokingAllowed!Metsovone and othersmoked Greek cheeses

One can't talk about the cheeses of Metsovo without

talking about the landscape from which they

emerge. The village of Metsovo is situated in the

Northeastern part of Epirus, in the rugged moun-tains of Pindos. All ways of life up in the Pindos

range are directly affected by and adapted to suit

the magnificent mountains and weather conditions

of the area. Here as in every mountain setting, the

land provides the lead; the mountains direct theways in which man might inhabit them and eek

out a living from them.


By Daphne Zepos

Photography: Clairi Moustafellou, Vassilis Stenos


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To reach Metsovo, the easiest way

is to drive north from Ioanina up

into the Pindos Mountains. The

road slowly lifts off from the bor-

ders of the green Ioanina Lake and

weaves itself in what feels like an

endless ribbon (there are over 100

turns before the mountain crest)

toward Katara, the aptly named

mountain pass that links

Northwestern Greece to Thessaly.

Katara means Doom. The road

reaches over 1700m in altitude and

is frequently a victim of violent

weather changes, like ice gales and

snow storms.

It is very common to find oneself

enveloped in a thick mountain fog

that makes the pockmarked road

practically invisible. The sound of

the bells on the grazing animals is

the only hint at the hidden land-

scape. Suddenly a shepherd, wear-

ing a hooded cape and holding a

walking staff, appears on the side

of the road like the grim reaper,

accentuating the apocalyptic oth-

erworldliness of the landscape.

However when the weather is

good, meandering up and over the

pass on a sunny summer day,

breathing in the fragrance from the

wild grasses and flowers that car-

pet these empty highlands, and

being suspended mid air between

mountain peeks and deep valleys is

equally unforgettable, like driving

through a Sound Of Music para-

dise. No matter the weather condi-

tions, the road to Metsovo is

grandiose.

Metsovo is an immaculate, archi-

tecturally preserved village perched

on a hillside, with winding, cobbled

streets, open air fountains and tra-

ditional stone houses. It has an

unmistakable air of wealth and

solidity. Strolling on the paths that

circle into Metsovo and taking

stock of the arresting view, one

cannot escape the feeling of soar-

ing like an eagle above the world.

Again the sound of bells permeates

the landscape, from the cottony

echoes of sheep bells across the val-

ley to the metallic zing of the

church chimes that pierce through

the thin air like an arrow.

The village owes its good fortune

to an incident in the 17th century,

when Greece was under Turkish

occupation. A Turkish aristocrat,

out of favor with his sultan, was

given refuge by a local peasant.

The aristocrat later came to power

and returned the favor by granting

Metsovo trading and tax-free privi-

leges, a circumstance that led to a

degree of prosperity and wealth


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unlike any other village in Epirus.

The preservation of Metsovo as an

outdoor museum of traditional

architecture is due to the generosi-

ty and wisdom of several local phi-

lanthropists, especially the Averoff-

Tosizza family. Their endowments

have protected the strong local tra-

ditions and helped develop a mar-

ket for the many handicrafts

Metsovo is renowned for today,

such as weaving, wood carvings,

silver and gold work, and of course,

cheese making.

Metsovo's several thousand inhabi-

tants are Vlachs; they speak their

own Latin-based dialect as well as

Greek. Until the Second World War

many Vlach tribes in Europe were

semi-nomadic, crossing the Balkan

Mountains with their livestock.

The Vlach shepherds from Metsovo

still practice transhumance, the

seasonal migratory movement of

animals and their keepers up and

down the mountains. In the

spring, they follow the new grass


OTHER SMOKED GREEK

CHEESES

Metsovone might be the most

famous of the Greek smoked

cheeses, but it's not the only

one. There are a handful of

cheeses made in northern

Greece that are fashioned in a

similar vain, oblong, semi-

hard, and smoked. One small

dairy in Metsovo itself makes

a cheese very similar to the

PDO Metsovone, and calls it

Kapnisto Metsovou (smoked

Metsovo).In Grevena,a for-

mer student of the Tossitsa

Foundation Dairy set up his

own cheese-making facility

and produces an earthy

smoked cheese like that of his

mentors.The Kapnisto

Verroias, from central

Macedonia,and the Kapnisto

Sohou, from a well-known

dairy outside Thessaloniki also

both make similar log-shaped

smoked cheeses. In Serres,

one dairy that specializes in

the products of the Pontian

(Black Sea) Greeks makes a

smoked cheese called

Baharotyri.

Although the smoked cheeses

of Greece all share common

traits, each producer has

developed his own particular

method. These cheeses are

made mostly from cow's milk,

although some also contain a

percentage of sheep's milk.

The flora of each region and

microclimate determine the

ultimate flavor the milk used.

That, combined with closely

held trade secrets, such as the

type of wood or woods used

to smoke the cheeses and the

duration of aging before and

after the smoking period, all

help to determine each of

these intriguing cheese's indi-

vidual profiles. DK

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growth into the high altitude pas-

tures; then, in autumn, they come

back down in the valley for the

winter months. Shepherds settle in

the pastures above -Metsovo for

the summer, making cheese and

grazing their sheep in some of the

most versatile, pristine pastures in

Greece. Epirus is renowned for the

enormous variety of its flora and

has become a reference point for

European pharmaceutical plants.

It is important to recognize the

quality of the milk in the summer

months. Cows, sheep and goats

graze on a very large variety of wild

grasses. Invigorated as they are by

open air living, they produce milk

that reflects this varied diet. This is

milk made by animals that are free

to graze in uncultivated regions,

free from fertilizers, or pesticides.

Many mountain cheeses made in

the summer months are prized

accordingly, because they can

become a far better cheese, a

cheese with richer, more complex

flavors.

It was this magnificent milk that

fueled the desire of the most

renowned benefactor of the

region, Mr. Evangelos Averoff, to

preserve and expand the variety of

cheeses made in Metsovo.

In addition to originating from

Metsovo, Mr. Averoff was a

renowned Greek politician. He

founded the Tossizza foundation,

which opened the first modern

cheese factory in Metsovo in 1958.

Mr. Tassos Averoff, current presi-

dent of the foundation and the

nephew of (the now deceased) Mr.

Averoff, puts it aptly: (His) vision

was to create a cheese dairy which

would take the shape of a school

for the practical art of cheese mak-

ing - a model for the cheese-makers

of the region, not just a factory to

provide employment for the local

population. Averoff gave several of

the young men from the village of

Metsovo the chance to go to Italy

to learn the art of cheese making.


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These were the sons of families of

herders and stockbreeders who,

from a very young age, had

watched and assisted their fathers

in the making of cheese, just as the

previous generation had learned

from theirs. The knowledge which

they obtained from the famous

northern Italian schools for the art

of cheese making, coupled with the

experience they had gained as chil-

dren, contributed to their becom-

ing consummate cheese makers.

These young cheese makers were

taught the art of making pasta fila-

ta cheeses, a process that involves

scolding the freshly made curd in

hot water and stretching it. The

most renowned members of the

pasta filata family are Mozzarella

and Provolone. In Italy, these

cheeses have always been very

receptive to smoking: fresh buffalo

mozzarella is often flash smoked

and sold, still dripping with whey,

the same day it is made.

Scarmozzaanother variation is

also slightly smoked and encased in

wax, left to mature for a few weeks

until the flavor has mellowed and


CHEESE PLATE IDEAS:

- As part of a Greek

cheese platter, with a

fat sheep's milk

Manouri, Naxos blue,

and the Metsovo pep-

pered chvre with

honeycomb and toast-ed almonds.

- As part of a European

platter: Valencay goat

from France, Cashel

blue from UK,Taleggio

from Italy, with black

cherry jam and walnut

halves.

WINE PAIRING:

- With a glass of brassyred zinfandel, or a dry

fino sherry from Pain,

or a dark ale.

RECIPE IDEAS

- In a risotto with dried

porcini mushrooms

and brussel sprouts.

- In a Panade gratine -

with chard, day old

bread, eggs, cream etc.

- Shaved over sautedwhole green onions

tossed with lemon zest

and black pepper.

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permeated the whole cheese.

It was from that experience that

METSOVONE was born. The name

comes from the marriage of two

names: Metsovo, the town where

it originates, and Provolone, the

cheese it was inspired by.

Metsovone is a smoked, pasta fila-

ta cheese. It has a long, cylindrical

shape and comes in 3 sizes, from 1.5

to 4.5 kilos. It is unique in the ros-

ter of Greek cheeses and a compar-

atively recent acquisition if you

compare it with ancient cheeses

like feta and Kefalotyri.

Metsovone is made with 90% cow's

milk and up to 10% goat's milk.The

milk comes from the herds that

graze around Metsovo, and is either

delivered or collected by truck each

morning. Once the milk has curdled

and the curds have separated from

the whey, the cheese-maker lifts

the curd mass out of the vat with a

large cheese cloth and places it into

a wooden tub, where it remains in

a warm environment for a period of

one hour. Then, he cuts the curd

mass into large slabs and sub-

merges them in a tub filled with hot

water. He softens the slabs with a

large wooden paddle until they

turn into one uniform, pliable mass.

He breaks off pieces from the mass

and hand-kneads them giving them

their oblong elastic shape. He slides

the oblong pieces into their cylin-

drical molds and immerses them in

a bath of cold water until the warm

cheeses harden and keep their

shape. The newly formed

Metsovone cheeses are then taken

out of the molds and submerged in

a brine bath for one to three days

according to size. When the


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cheeses are ready for ripening, they

are wiped clean, tied with sturdy

string and hung from the ceiling in

the cheese maturing room. There,

as it ages, each cheese develops

surface molds that accentuate the

flavors and give it character. After it

has fully matured, the cheese is

brushed clean and placed in the

smoke room where it is briefly

smoked over burning vine branch-

es, aromatic leaves and hay. Finally

it is waxed and labeled and ready

for sale.

Always recognizable in a cheese

shop, Metsovone hangs from the

ceiling alongside the cured hams

and the gourd shaped provolone.

In flavor, a three to five month old

Metsovone resembles a mature

provolone, with bold, slightly pep-

pery flavors and hints of dried

mushrooms. The heart of the

cheese paste is straw yellow, and

gets slightly darker as it reaches

the smoked edge. The texture is

semi-hard to hard, and lightly stri-

ated with small holes. The cheese

is smoked over burning vine

branches, aromatic leaves and hay,

which gives it a natural, camp-fire

aroma. While the salty and smoky

flavors are assertive, they never

conceal the lovely milky, savory

notes that come from using such a

spectacular milk in the first place.


Photothispa


Daphne Zepos is a well-known authority on cheese. She lives in New York City.

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VassilisStenos

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Kerasma recipes

1. Preheat oven to 350F (180C) and

brown breadcrumbs in an ungreased

pan for about 8 minutes. Remove

from oven and cool. Toss with grated

Kefalotyri, garlic, parsley, pastourma,

metsovone, and salt and pepper to

taste. Drizzle in the oil and toss with

a fork.

2. Trim and stuff artichokes: Cut off

artichoke stems and discard. For each

artichoke: Cut off top 1/2 inch (1 1/2

cm) with a serrated knife, then cut

about 1 inch off all remaining leaf tips

with kitchen scissors. Rub cut leaves

with a lemon half. Separate leaves

slightly with your thumbs, then pull

out purple and yellow leaves from cen-

ter. Using a teaspoon scoop out choke.

3. Preheat oven to 375F (190C). Spoon

about 2 tablespoons stuffing into cavi-

ty of each artichoke and, starting with

bottom leaves and spreading leaves

open as much as possible without

breaking, spoon a rounded teaspoon

stuffing between each leaf.

4. Pour water, broth, half the olive oil,

garlic, salt and pepper into a baking

dish large enough to hold the arti-

chokes snugly in one layer. Place the

artichokes in the liquid and drizzle

each with a little of remaining olive

oil. Cover tightly with aluminum foil.

Place in oven and bake for one hour, or

until tender. Remove, cool slightly and

serve in deep dishes with the pan

juices around them.

Artichokes Stuffed with Metsovone and Pastourma

Recipe by Diane Kochilas

For 8 servings4 cups fresh breadcrumbs (from 1/2 pound/250 gr. bread)

1 1/2 cups grated Kefalotyri cheese

3 garlic cloves, finely chopped

1/2 cup finely chopped flat-leaf parsley

2 1/2 ounces (70 gr.) pastourma, trimmed and minced

1 cup finely chopped Metsovone cheese (1/4 pound)

Salt and pepper

1/4 cup extra-virgin Greek olive oil

For the artichokes

8 medium-large globe artichokes

1 lemon, halved

1 cup water

1 cup chicken broth

1 cup extra-virgin Greek olive oil

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

Salt and pepper

Kerasma recipes

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Kerasma recipes

Panade of Leeks and Mixed Greens withMetsovone Cheese

Adapted From "The Slow Mediterranean Kitchen: Recipes for the Passionate

Cook" by Paula Wolfert .

For 8 servings

1 one-pound (450 gr.) loaf of stale chewy bread with crust

3 large leeks (white and light green parts only)

1 red onion, peeled and chopped

8 to 10 garlic cloves, sliced, or 5 green garlic shoots

1/4 cup extra-virgin Greek olive oil

Salt to taste

1 1/2 pounds mixed leafy greens, deribbed and shredded

to make about 10 cups

Juice of 1/2 lemonFreshly ground black pepper to taste

Grated nutmeg to taste

3 cups whole milk, heated to simmering

1/2 pound (250 gr.) Metsovone cheese, grated

1. Preheat oven to 250F/120C. Cut

bread into 1-inch cubes and measure

about 1 1/2 quarts. Spread in single

layers on oiled baking sheets and bake

45 minutes, or until golden. Let cool

and set aside until ready to use.

2.Split leeks lengthwise, rinse in cold

running water to remove grit, and

chop. Measure leeks, onion and garlic

to be sure you have about 1 quart.

3. In a 7- to 8-quart pot, heat olive oil

over medium heat. Slowly stew onion

mixture 10 minutes. Add 1 teaspoon

salt and cook 5 minutes.

4.Add greens to pot, cover and cook

over low heat 45 minutes. Uncover

and boil away excess liquid. Allow to

cool. Add lemon juice, about 1/4 tea-

spoon pepper and about 1/4 teaspoon

grated nutmeg. Taste and correct sea-

sonings. (Up to this point the recipe

can be prepared 1 day in advance.

Cool, cover and refrigerate. Bring to

room temperature before continuing.)

5.About 2 1/2 hours before serving, oil

a deep 3-quart casserole, preferably

earthenware. Place one-third of the

bread in the dish, top with half of

greens and repeat, ending with a third

layer of bread cubes. Pat lightly to

make an even topping. Gradually pour

hot milk down the insides and over

the top of the panade so everything is

moist. If necessary, add 1/2 cup water.

Cover with grated cheese and a sheet

of foil.

6. Bake in a preheated 250F/120c

oven for 1 1/2 hours. Raise oven tem-

perature to 400F/200c, uncover and

bake 20 more minutes. Remove from

oven and let rest about 10 minutes

before serving.

Note: The greens can be a mix of any

of the following: sorrel, chard, parsley,

arugula, spinach or watercress. The

finished dish is much like a dense

bread stuffing, and would be wonder-

ful with roasts.

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Kerasma recipes

1. Crumble the sausage meat and

saut without oil in a large skillet over

medium-high heat until brown. Break

it up with a fork if necessary. Remove

with a slotted spoon and drain over

paper towels on a plate.

2.Add the mushrooms to skillet and

saut until golden brown, about 8

minutes. Add the garlic and toss with

a wooden spoon. Add salt and pepper

to taste and remove from heat. Set

aside.

3. In the same skillet, heat 1 table-

spoon olive oil and cook the leeks and

thyme for about 5 minutes, or until

soft. Season until very soft, about 6

minutes. Season leek mixture to taste

with salt and pepper. Remove from

heat and set aside.

4. In a medium-sized metal bowl,

whisk 3 eggs and half the rosemary in

small bowl. Season with salt and pep-

per. Stir in half of leek mixture. Heat 1

tablespoon olive oil in a large nonstick

skillet or omelet pan over medium

heat. Add egg mixture to skillet and

spread evenly with rubber spatula.

Cook until bottom of mixture is golden

and the eggs are set on top. Using the

spatula, lift sides of omelet to let

uncooked egg flow under, about 3

minutes. Remove skillet from heat.

Arrange half of sausage, mushrooms,

peppers and cheese in the middle 1/3

of the omelet. Fold one side of omelet

over filling and roll out onto a serving

plate, preferably heated. Make a sec-

ond omelet exactly the same way with

the remaining ingredients. Garnish

with fresh rosemary or thyme and

serve warm.

Greek Omelet with Kalamata Sausages,Mushrooms and Metsovone Cheese


For 4 servings1/2 pound (250 gr.) orange-flavored sausages from Kalamata,

casings removed

1/4 pound (125 gr.) brown button mushrooms, quartered

1 small garlic clove, minced

2 Tablespoons extra-virgin Greek olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

1 large leek, thinly sliced

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme, crumbled

6 large, preferably organic, eggs

2 teaspoons crushed dried rosemary

1 Florina red pepper, roasted and chopped

1/4 pound (125 gr.) Metsovone cheese, coarsely grated

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Kerasma recipes

Sauted Green Onions with Grated Metsovoneand Lemon Zest


For 4 servings1 Tablespoon extra-virgin Greek olive oil

12-16 green onions, trimmed but whole

Sea salt to taste

Grated zest of 1 lemon

Freshly ground black pepper to taste

6 Tablespoons grated Metsovone cheese

1. In a large, heavy, preferably cast-

iron skillet, heat the olive oil and add

the whole green onions. Saut until

soft and lightly caramelized, about 8-

10 minutes. Shake the pan back and

forth as the onions saut, to cook

them evenly on all sides.

2.A minute before removing from

heat, sprinkle with a little sea salt,

the grated lemon zest, and black pep-

per. Remove to a platter and sprinkle

with the grated Metsovone.

Vassilis

Stenos

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Honey fromthe VineGreece's world-classdessert wines

Greek sweet wines could easily warrant the most

expensive price tags in the world. The Greek wine

renaissance of the last three decades has helped

push the country's dessert wines to new heights,out of a backwater and into the limelight. Wines

that have been made for centuries have new polish,

and more and more vintners are finally experiment-

ing with sweet wines. In the last five years alone, a

few dozen new sweet wines have emerged from theGreek vineyard.

By Konstantinos Lazarakis



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SWEET APPELLATIONS: MUSCATS

AND MAVRODAPHNES

Yet, for most of the 20th century,

sweet Greek wines were invariably

made either from the Muscat or

Mavrodaphne varieties, and these

wines, with their long history and

easy palatability were always the

pinnacles of Greek sweet wine pro-

duction. Greek wine legislation

evinces as much. In Greece at this

point the only sweet wines granted

the coveted Controlled Appellation

of Origin classification are those

made with one of these two tradi-

tional grapes. The Muscats include

those of Samos, Lemnos, and

Rhodes in the Aegean, the Muscat

of Cephalonia (from the Ionian),

and the Muscats of Patras and of

Rion of Patras, both from the

northwestern tip of Peloponnesos.

(All appellations, with the excep-

tion of Muscat of Lemnos, use the

sub-variety of Muscat Blanc

Petits Grains, or small-berried

white Muscat, which is the top

quality member of the Muscat

family. Actually, many modern viti-

culturalists suggest that this

Muscat be called Muscat of

Samos, since its origins have now

been traced back to the island. In

Lemnos, vineyards are cultivated

with Muscat of Alexandria, a

Muscat that produces excellent,

very floral, young sweet wines that

lack, however, the aging ability of

Muscat Blanc.) The appellation

Mavrodaphnes are the

Mavrodaphne of Patras and of

Cephalonia.

Almost every Greek appellation

Muscat is either a Vin Doux,

meaning a wine fortified very early

in the fermentation process, or Vin

Doux Naturel, a fortified wine in

which the spirit is added at a later

stage. Most are bottled young and

consumed fresh, but some Greek

Muscats are aged in oak, where

they lose a bit of the vibrant pri-

mary fruit but gain in complexity,

extract, and texture. However, the

most expensive Muscats are not

the fortified ones but those pro-

duced from sun-dried grapes, cask-

aged for a number of years, and

bottled as Vin Naturellement

Doux, wines in which the concen-

tration is so high that fermenta-

tion stops naturally at around 15

percent. Most of these wines are

consumed on release since they are

too charming to resist, but older

bottles, with their complex aro-

mas, fine grained texture and

enveloping, constantly evolving

finish, prove that the sun-dried

muscats have great aging potential

that can easily span two and even

three decades.

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MAVRODAPHNE

Although there are only two

appellation of origin

Mavrodaphne wines, they are just

as important commercially as the

Muscats. Mavrodaphnes never

have aggressive tannins and are

always characterized by a certain

elegance, with aromas and flavors

displaying ripe red fruit, sweet

spices, and multifaceted notes of

intense, aromatic herbs--it isn't by

accident that Mavrodaphne,

which means black laurel, is so

named. The most famous

Mavrodaphne is that of Patras.

The Mavrodaphne of Cephalonia,

also an appellation of origin wine,

was almost extinct in the 1990s,

but now is enjoying a resurgence

as more and more producers are

experimenting with it and releas-

ing some exciting wines made

with it. Almost all Mavrodaphne

wines are fortified and need at

least few years of aging in oak,

usually large,old barrels, to devel-

op the breathtaking spectrum of

aromas and flavors that charac-

terize the wine. For a while,

Nowadays, top pro-

ducers are crafting

some superb examples

of Mavrodaphne.

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pedestrian Mavrodaphnes flooded

the market and gave the wine an

undeserved image issue. But

nowadays top producers are craft-

ing some superb examples of

Mavrodaphne. Recent trends

include a move towards a richer,

more fruit-focused style, closer to

a dense RubyPort, or the use of

new oak and smaller barrels,

which results in wines with more

marked toasty and vanilla aro-

mas. Nevertheless, the power-

house of Mavrodaphne is the rare,

old bottlings. Some companies

sell mature, vintage-dated labels

or multi-vintage blends that are

extremely impressive. Some pro-

ducers and collectors have 100-

year-old bottlings, and these

belong unquestionably to the

pantheon of great sweet wines.

Greece's sweet wine

production is moving

really fast and thescene is literally

booming.

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OTHER SWEET WINES

Beyond the two traditional sweet

wine appellations of origin in

Greece are many other sweet

wines, many classified as appella-

tions of origin of Higher Quality,

and these are often just as intrigu-

ing as the better known Muscats

and Mavrodaphnes.

The sweet wines of Santorini, for

example, are at the same high lev-

els of quality as Greece's more tra-

ditional sweet wines. Santorini--

arid, hot,windy, and volcanic--pro-

duces small quantities of grapes

often from century-old vines. These

grapes are sun dried straight after

harvest for anywhere between

seven days and two weeks. The

must is then fermented and aged

in old, large oak barrels for at least

two years. The final product is

Vinsanto, a term used in Santorini

well before Tuscan producers start-

ed producing this style. Vinsanto is

very intense, concentrated and

very sweet, sometimes reaching

levels of 300 grams of sugar per

liter. The balance of the wine is

saved by the ultra-high acidity of

Assyrtiko, which provides fresh-

ness and nerve. Vinsantos are deli-

cious when young but, because of

their intensity and extract, time

can barely touch them. After years

they are still very fresh.

In Santorini there is also another

dessert wine called Mezzo, but not

everyone who makes it agrees on

what exactly it is. Some producers

interpret Mezzo as the lighter,

younger, less sweet version of

Vinsanto, while others claim it is a

Vinsanto-like wine made from the

sun-dried red grape Mandilaria,

which is native to some Aegean

islands. Consumers benefit most

from this friendly dispute: Mezzos

made from Mandilaria and Mezzos

made from Assyrtico are equally

delicious.

SWEET CRETE

Crete, other Aegean island, also

has a long, but sometimes lost,

history of sweet wines. And yet,

according to some aficionados of

sweet wines, Crete has given the

world more than a few sweet

gems. A wine lover traveling

around Crete in the early 20th cen-

tury would have encountered myri-

ad dessert wines, among them

Marouvas from Hania, a fortified

wine aged in a solera system , very

similar to semi-sweet Sherry; and

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sweet Malvasia wines made from

sun-dried local Liatiko grapes. This

last wine may in fact have been the

precursor to Madeira.

Crete's sweet wine traditions were

dormant for almost three decades

as producers concentrated on drier

wines. But they are beginning to

enjoy a much-justified revival as

both new and well-established

wineries explore the sweet genre

and release wines that are both

classic and contemporary. In the

next decade, at least a few sweet

wine greats will surface from Crete.

Crete is not the only place with a

long dormant history of sweet

wine making revived. Many parts

of Greece used to produce sweet

wines and modern winemakers all

over the country are eyeing these

lost traditions with new interest,

seeing in them great potential. A

prime example is Nemea in the

Peloponnesos, one of Greece's

most vibrant wine-producing

regions, and home to the native,

charismatic red Agiorgitiko grape.

The appellation's hot lower

grounds that have been planted

with Agiorgitiko produce very ripe

grapes and, consequently, wines

with a certain degree of sweet-

ness. Vintners are selecting and

drying these grapes carefully,

either in the sun or shade. Some

have experimented with long oak

aging and have produced astonish-

ing wines as a result, much in the

same vein with the Recioto style

produced in the Veneto.

On the other end of the viticultural

map, Macedonia, especially the

small town of Siatista, which was

once renowned for its sweet and

semi-sweet sun-dried Xynomavro

wines, is also enjoying a revival.

Xynomavro has captured the

attention and imagination of Greek

winemakers for well over the last

three decades, for here is a noble,

Nebbiolo-like grape with low color,

intense aromas, high acidity, angu-

lar tannins but splendid complexi-

ty. But it was almost always a

grape associated with the dry reds

of Naoussa, Goumenissa and,

more recently, Rapsani. There was

not a single, commercially avail-

able bottling of sweet Xynomavro

from Siatista. Instead, the wine

was a well-kept local secret, with

but a few artisans producing limit-

ed barrels mainly for their own

consumption. The wines acquired a

kind of cult status as a result.

Oenophiles would travel all the

way to Siatista hoping to purchase

few litres of this rare wine. The

wine will finally be available com-

mercially in a year or two, after

long aging in oak, which will soften

the tannins and increase the aro-

matic complexity.

Greece's sweet wine production is

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moving really fast and the scene is

literally booming. Almost every

major premium winemaker recent-

ly has released or is planning to

release at least one sweet or semi-

sweet wine. Many winemakers are

also experimenting with sweet

wines made from international

grape varieties, such as

Gewurztraminer, Viognier, Merlot,

Chardonnay and Riesling, or with

sweet wines made with indigenous

grapes that have not been tradi-

tionally associated with sweet

wines. Among these are:

Malagousia, Malvasia and

Savatiano, mainly harvested late,

anywhere from a week to a month

after the regular harvest, to

achieve concentration. Although

sweet wine production in Greece is

experiencing an exciting renais-

sance, the perception of these

wines among both consumers and

professionals can be limited. The

biggest error is confining sweet

wines to the dessert wine catego-

ry. That's not to say, of course, that

sipping sweet wine with desserts

isn't tantalizing, it's just not the

A wide range of Greek

sweet wines can easily

complement savorydishes.

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only way to enjoy them. A wide

range of Greek sweet wines can

easily complement savory dishes:

strong cheeses with Muscats,

pts with rich white wines, cold

meats with elegant reds, and even

a mature Mezzo with a rich toma-

to and bean soup are some exam-

ples of untraditional but delicious

pairings. Sweet wine is also the

perfect all-day drink, something to

eradicate the bitterness of coffee

for example, or to enjoy with a sim-

ple snack of nuts in the middle of a

languid afternoon.

As accompaniments to dessert, of

course, the options are limitless.

Lighter white wines, such as young

Lemnos Muscats, superbly match

less sweet fruits such as pineapple

or pear, while richer wines, such as

the sun-dried Muscats of Samos

pair well with richer fruits, like figs.

High acid Vinsantos go well with

deep fried fruits, like bananas, and

sweet red wines are a natural part-

ner with richer desserts, like

honey-drenched walnut pies and

cakes. More mature, elegant but

less opulent reds, such as aged

Mavrodaphne, is the Holy Grail in

the quest for finding a great part-

ner for bitter, dark chocolate.

Sweet wines offer a fantastic array

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of possibilities and are limited only

by a wine lover's imagination.

Greece's sweet wines live up to

every dining situation with an

equally fascinating spectrum of

wines, both new and long-forgot-

ten treasures.

SWEET WINE HISTORY IN GREECE

Greece has a long history of sweet

wine production. The first wines

ever made here were sweet, out of

necessity rather than choice.

Ancient winemakers harvested

their grapes, which were likely wild

vines crawling up trees, pressed

then and waited for the alcoholic

fermentation to start, initiated by

the yeasts naturally found at that

stage in the must. If these native

yeasts were not vigorous enough

or if the grapes so ripe that the

musts were very sweet, then fe

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