Sounds cheesy but Greece is land of milk and honey

Videos
Photos

By Wu Liping (China Daily)
Updated: 2008-11-20 08:11

For a cheese enthusiast like me, my four-day trip to Greece was indeed a feast.

The trip began on the first afternoon with a meal at a small tavern in the famous Plaka area of central Athens.

Scanning through the menu, I was glad to find that cheese and other dairy products accounted for at least half the list, including sliced Feta cheese with fruit and vegetables, cheese pie, cheese salad, as well as yogurt with nuts, and fresh and preserved fruits.

At the waiter's recommendation I chose yogurt with peach and honey, plus vine leaves stuffed with rice.

The yogurt was cream white in color, and was presented in a ripple-like pattern on the plate. It was actually a kind of soft fermented cheese tasting similar to Chinese yogurt but thicker, yet still spreadable. Decorated with peach slices and honey, the dish was as bright as a work of art.

My official trip started on day two and I experienced a wider variety of dairy products, together with local food like olives, wines and seafood.

Invited by the Hellenic Foreign Trade Board (HEPO), I took part in the Third International "Kerasma" Conference on Greek Gastronomy and Food, Wine and Spirits Industry Partenatiat in Athens.

The two-day conference, which gathered more than 100 of Greece's most progressive food and wine companies, introduced the essence of Greek gastronomy in the form of workshops, demonstrations and on-the-spot tastings.

"Food makes us friends," said Panagiotis Papastavrou, chairman of HEPO. "Healthy food, including olive oil, cheese, wine and seafood, makes Greeks the longest-living people in Europe."

Still, cheese and dairy products constituted an important part of the conference, with some popular brands being exhibited, including Dodoni and Mevgal.

"There are 62 different kinds of cheese in Greece," said Diane Kochilas, a local food journalist. "Every region, indeed, sometimes even a village, will have its unique cheese.

"Greek cheese, made from goat's milk or cow's milk, is a little bit salty compared with those from other European countries."

Feta is the national cheese of Greece and is the most popular and ancient variety.

"Feta cheese is made from goat's milk," said Kochilas. "Good Feta cheese is produced in early summer or late spring, when the grass is green and the goats are productive. Compared with other varieties, Feta cheese is creamy in color and flavorful in taste."

Aside from Feta cheese, Kochilas said there were many other kinds of cheese, including Graviera, Kasseri, Manouri, smoked cheeses, plus those soaked in wine or olive oil.

Happily, Chinese people can already buy some Greek cheese and dairy products in local shops.

"Our cheese has already been exported to China and sells well in supermarkets like Carrefour," said Roula Pappas, export manager of Dodoni Agricultural Dairy Industry of Epirus.

Unlike dairy products, which I have enjoyed eating since childhood, olives, plus olive oil and olive sauce, have become my new favorites since my trip.

Greek is the third largest olive oil producer in the world and its 13 million olive trees support more than 500,000 Greek families.

Each evening after attending the conference I went out and strolled along Plaka's streets. The numerous taverns were packed with people of all ages, often sitting outside around small tables and chatting until the wee hours.

For me, Greek life is like its food: traditional and natural, yet fresh.