Taste of Life Hellas 2018-19

From an event at
Porto Heli gulf
來 自 波 多 河 麗 海 灣
的 活 動
As Stasinopoulos explains, Greece used to be famous for
its extra virgin olive oil, the olives, honey, and so on, but now
a whole variety of more upscale products have been added
to its gastronomic repertoire: early harvest olive oil; vanilla
honey from Mainalon PDO, the only similar honey to the
Australian manuka honey; wild strawberries from Corfu;
and the amazing Aegean Sea fish and seafood, which due to
the properties of the sea and the climate have a unique taste.
“These products are commonly widespread among connoisseurs,
and along with many others, they exist here in
this blessed country,” Stasinopoulos says.
“Among the landmark products we represent exclusively
for Greece and Cyprus it’s worth mentioning No1 Rosemary
Water from London, which has its origins in a small village
in Italy and, hundreds of years later, has become the hottest
super-herb infused water in Europe. Victoria Beckham,
Stella McCartney and Anna Wintour are just a few lovers
of rosemary water. Rosemary has a secret … and we invite
you all to discover it.”
In the last few years, there has been a new gastronomical
entry to Greece: the world-renowned caviar. Since ancient
times and the era of Archistratus, the first chef of Antiquity,
Greeks have shown a great interest in sturgeon eggs
coming from the Black Sea.
Now, 2,500 years later, caviar
is coming back, not as an imported
product but via domestic
production.
Throughout Greek caviar’s
20-year modern history,
Ioannis Varvakis has been a
major source of inspiration, as a pioneer of the vacuum
food preservation process. Based on this method, the
international distribution of caviar started. Therefore, it is
normal to consider Varvakis the father of caviar.
Thesauri, which is the company that has started farming
and producing the very first Greek caviar, chose the coast of
Amvrakikos on which to build its ultra-modern facilities, ensuring
an endless source of clean water of the highest quality.
“Caviar is not just a product of pleasure, but a tribute to
history and gastronomy,” Stasinopoulos says.
“Caviar is not just a product of
pleasure, but a tribute to history
and gastronomy.”
However, what makes Greece important and well known
for its products is the diamond of gastronomy: the truffle.
“The ancient Romans used to request truffles from Greece
and especially from Mytilini, as they were considered to be
products of the highest quality. Since the second millennium
BC, mushrooms were known for their therapeutic properties.
According to Plutarch, truffles were made out of clay that
had been baked by lightning,” Stasinopoulos says.
“In the modern era, the focus was transferred to Italy,
firstly because of the discovery of the white truffle of Alba
and the black truffle in Piedmont, and secondly because of
the very good marketing of the product,” he adds. “But in
recent years, there is a very interesting movement in Greece
relative to this underground treasure.”
“Apart from its wild form,
which is found in almost all
parts of Greece, there is also
arable land. With the onset of
the economic crisis, more and
more compatriots chose to deal
with this subject, either as producers
or as hunters. Especially
in Macedonia, people can find the rarest variety of truffles,
which is the white one. In Crete, the black summer truffle
is associated with local gastronomy and exists in excess,”
Stasinopoulos explains.
Greek truffles are highly competitive because of their
price and excellent quality, and are therefore exported to
Europe and America.
These are two of the greatest examples that show that
Greece is not only about olive oil and feta cheese, but is a gastronomic
journey worthy of the highest world standards..