quality local products

Olive oil & Olives: The olive tree is indigenous. From ancient times until today it contributes to the local economy. In ancient times, the oil had many uses, from lighting to lubrication. Halkidiki, thanks to its climate and to the morphology of its land, produces oil and olives, which are distinctive for their special taste and quality. The olive trees of Halkidiki are cultivated without chemical interventions. The olives are rich in organic characteristics (substances which are necessary for the operation of the human organization) and they are processed by one major principle: the satisfaction of the consumers. The high nutritional value and the unique taste of the olives and the oil have rendered them as integral part of the Mediterranean nutrition. Production areas: Mount Meliton, Pallini Peninsula, Holomontas Iporia, Polygyros, Ormylia, Olynhtos and Moudania.

Ouzo & Tsipouro: Ouzo is made in a traditional way found only in Greece; it belongs to the general category of the alcoholic drinks with a scent of anisos (anitholi). It is a product of marcs distillation and other saccharoid raw materials, which have been scented with seeds of anisos and maybe fennel, mastic of Hios, and other aromatic seeds, plants or fruits. Ouzo, for the distillation of which a special distillation machine (amvikas) is used, can not be submitted to an aging process.

Tsipouro on the other hand, is the clear product of the marcs distillation, which means that it is not submitted to any scenting process. The variety and the fermentation procedures of the grapes, the distillation way, the analogy of ingredients are all the determinative factors during the production procedure. Tsipouro is colorless, and has a very high degree of alcohol, that is why it is often drunk with water and always with some snacks, which traditionally have the following order: light salads, sour (pickles), various dry-salted (sea rover, anchovies, e.t.c) fish, crawfishes, shrimps, rarebit, e.t.c. Many habitants of Halkidiki produce their tsipouro for sale but mostly for domestic use.

Honey: Halkidiki is the motherland of beekeeping. Over 6.500 beekeepers (32% of the country’s total) and 1.910 tons of production of high quality honey, annually, is sufficient to characterize Halkidiki as the center of beekeeping in Greece. Aristotle 2.300 years ago praised the honey and its benefits to man by saying that it prolongs life. Today the area’s beekeepers respect the tradition and exploit the rich fauna of Kassandra, Sithonia and North Halkidiki, in the most pure way by producing great quantities of quality honey of a high nutritional value. Production areas: Nikiti, Kassandra and Arnea.

Cheese products: The climate and soil conditions, the flora of Halkidiki and the powerful tradition in cattle breeding, result in the production of high quality products. The traditional cheese of Halkidiki, is produced from pure goatish milk and has an increased content of protein. Most of the cattle-breeding units are located in Holomontas Mountain due to the special elements in its climate and ground that contribute to the favourable synthesis of the goatish milk to the cheese production. With respect to tradition, the cattle breeders of Halkidiki produce significant quantities of goatish cheese. Production areas: Central and South Halkidiki.

Marmalades, Sweets: A great variety of fruits of excellent quality is being cultivated all around Halkidiki, without the use of fertilizers. These tasteful fruits are the raw material for the production of the well-known marmalades and of the special deserts the exceptionally skilled women of Halkidiki make. High quality, special taste and the respect to tradition have established these products in the Greek and foreign market. The traditional marmalades and the deserts of Halkidiki, transform the simple breakfast into a unique and tasteful experience!

Pastries: Both, the traditional and modern bakeries of Halkidiki, create unique bread products and pastries. The hard wheat, which is being cultivated in great areas in Halkidiki and is rich in proteins, amino acids, vitamins and rich acids, is used as the raw material. The traditional recipes which pass from one generation to the next, convert it into delicious pastries. The high nutritional value of the raw materials and the respect to tradition make the local pastries popular to all its visitors. All over the region one can see the traditional windmills, which were developed for milling grain for food production. There are remains of windmills and watermills in: Kassandria, Ormylia, Sykia (standing from 1840), Metaghitsi, Galatista.