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Papua New GuineaFlavors · Greece
Transparent spirit flavored with anise that turns white when water or ice is added. Served in small glasses with snacks, it accompanies table conversations throughout Greece and has a geographical indication shared with Cyprus.
Traditional drink from Greece
Also known as: Ούζο
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Ouzo — Greece
Ouzo is based on a neutral spirit that receives the aroma of anise seeds and, depending on the producer, fennel, mastic from Chios, coriander, cardamom, clove or other herbs and seeds. Part of that spirit is flavored by distillation in stills, many of them copper; rules require that the flavored distillate represent at least 20% of the final alcohol content. The drink is clear; with water or ice it acquires a white, opaque color, an effect of the anise.
Ouzo is sipped slowly from small glasses, neat, with a little cold water or with ice, always accompanied by food: olives, cheeses, grilled octopus, sardines, small fried fish and other mezedes. In ouzeris, tavernas dedicated to the drink and its snacks, and at seaside tables, it is part of long meals and conversation.
The European geographical indication Ouzo stipulates that the drink can only be produced in Greece and Cyprus, with the production steps and bottling carried out entirely in one of those countries. The technical file cites the Greek definition consolidated in 1986 and the Cypriot regulation of 2001. Besides the general indication, there are specific indications for the ouzo of Mytilene and for that of Plomari, both on the island of Lesbos, and for those of Kalamata, Thrace and Macedonia. Because common ouzo is made and consumed across the country, it represents Greece as a whole.
The origin of the name is debated. The drink descends from pomace and anise distillates made in the region for centuries, and took its current form in the 19th century.
Greece
The European geographical indication Ouzo covers the whole of Greece, shared with Cyprus; it is not limited to a single island or region.
Spirit flavored with anise seeds and, depending on the producer, fennel, mastic, coriander, cardamom or other seeds and herbs.
In small glasses, neat, with cold water or ice, sipped slowly, always with snacks.
All year, especially in summer, as an aperitif and with meals of mezedes.
Your questions
The European geographical indication permits production in Greece and in Cyprus.
Anise compounds stop dissolving when water or ice enter the glass, and the ouzo becomes opaque and whitish.
It is a taverna dedicated to ouzo and the snacks that accompany it.
Flavors of Greece
White wine flavored with Aleppo pine resin, added to the must during fermentation. The Attica Region calls it an Attica specialty, where it is made mainly with the Savatiano grape, and the name is a traditional designation reserved for wines from Greece.
Layered baked tart of thinly sliced zucchini and potato, with mizithra cheese and mint, sometimes topped with pastry. It is named for Chania, in western Crete, and is a summer dish (June to August), when zucchini are in season.
Rooster or veal slowly cooked in a tomato and wine sauce seasoned with cinnamon, bay leaf, nutmeg and other spices, served with thick pasta and grated cheese. It’s Corfu’s Sunday and festive dish, of Venetian heritage.
Thin slices of beef dredged in flour, browned and cooked in a light sauce of white wine or wine vinegar, with plenty of garlic, parsley and pepper. It is a Corfu dish of Venetian heritage, served with potatoes, rice or pasta.
Dry barley rusk, moistened and topped with grated tomato, fresh mizithra or feta cheese, olive oil and oregano, sometimes with olives and capers. It’s the best-known snack and light meal of Cretan cuisine.
Grape marc brandy distilled in Crete after the harvest, without anise. It has a geographical indication as Tsikoudia of Crete, is served chilled in small glasses, and accompanies Cretan hospitality from the start to the end of a meal.
Fried patties made from chopped tomato, scallion, herbs and flour, served as a snack. They are a specialty of Santorini, made with the island’s small tomato, grown without irrigation in volcanic soil.
Sweet natural white wine from Santorini, made with Assyrtiko, Aidani and Athiri grapes dried in the sun and aged for a long time in barrel. It ranges in color from amber to dark brown and is part of the Protected Designation of Origin Santorini.
Sweet white wine from southern the Peloponnese, made from grapes sun-dried and barrel-aged. It revives the wine that merchants shipped from Monemvasia to Europe in the Middle Ages, when the port was known by its Frankish name, Malvasia.
Mykonos onion pie, filled with onion, the island’s fresh cheese tyrovolia, eggs and dill, between two layers of pastry. It is noted as one of the island’s oldest and most traditional recipes.
Sweet fortified red wine from the Patras region, made mainly from the Mavrodafni grape and aged in barrels until it develops notes of raisins, coffee and dried fruit. It has a protected designation of origin and is the dessert wine most associated with the city.
Toasted sesame and honey bar with almonds, orange peel and spices, cut into diamond shapes. It is Rhodes’ sweet offered at weddings and baptisms and has a Protected Geographical Indication from the European Union.
Pomace brandy (grape marc), with or without anise, served chilled in small bottles with snacks. It has geographical indications for Thessaly and for Tyrnavos, and in Volos it gives its name to the houses where each round arrives with a meze.
Pie made with very thin pastry, open and layered, filled with semolina custard and topped with sugar and cinnamon. It is also made savory, with cheese, ground meat or spinach. In Thessaloniki it is eaten in the morning with coffee and sold in pieces cut to order.
