Greek food products
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[edit] Greek Products
[edit] Olive oil
Greece produces more than 430,000 tons of olive oil annually, and more than 75% of that is extra virgin. Greek olive oil is exported throughout the world.
Olive oil plays a unique role in the Greek diet, being the basis of many traditional dishes and Greece is the world's third leading producer.Olive oil have been around for many thousands of years.
[edit] Honey
Honey in Greece is mainly flower-honey from the nectar of fruit and citrus trees (lemon, orange, bigarade trees), thyme honey, and pine honey from conifer trees.
[edit] Mastic
Mastic is grown on the Aegean island of Chios.
[edit] Ouzo
Ouzo (a.c. ~ 40%) is an anise-flavored alcoholic aperitif similar to the French pastis and Turkish rakı.
[edit] Tsipouro
In many areas, individuals or small-time local producers make tsipouro, which is essentially quite different than the widely known ouzo. The taste of tsipouro varies widely by producer, but many Greeks prefer their favorite local tsipouro to the more commonly-available brands of mass-produced ouzo. The traditional hospitality greeting for travellers visiting the monasteries at Mount Athos is a small glass of tsipouro and a loukoumi, a candy-like homemade treat.
[edit] Cheeses
- Feta: A semi-soft, crumbly, brined white cheese made from goat or sheep milk.
- Kasseri: a medium hard yellow cheese made from sheep or goat milk
- Kefalotyri: A hard and very salty cheese, used mainly for grating and serving with pasta.
- Graviera: A Greek version of Gruyere, it is served with meals or used for grating and serving with pasta.
- Manouri: An unsalted soft white cheese served on its own or used in savoury or sweet pies.
- Metsovone: A semi-hard smoked cheese traditionally produced in Metsovo.
- Mizithra: An unsalted soft cheese made from sheep milk. Served on its own or used in sweet or savoury pies. A slightly aged, sour version is called xynomizithra.
- Anthotyros is a hard grating cheese made by aging mizithra.
[edit] Greek wine
Greece is a heavy producer and consumer of wine.
