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Papua New GuineaFlavors · Tessália
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.
Traditional drink from Tessália
Also known as: Τσίπουρο, Tsipouro Thessalias, Τσίπουρο Θεσσαλίας, Tsipouro Tyrnavou, Τσίπουρο Τυρνάβου
Illustrative images. The pictures in this guide are illustrations based on the real place, not photographs, and may differ from it.
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Tsipouro — Tessália, Greece
Tsipouro is distilled from fermented grape pomace, like other pomace brandies. In the still, the distiller separates the “head” and the “tail” and keeps the “heart.” It can be made without anise, drier and with a grape aroma, or with anise, which makes it cloudy when water or ice is added. Both types are produced in Thessaly.
The Tsipouro of Thessaly geographical indication covers the entire Region of Thessaly, and Tyrnavos, a vineyard town near Larissa, has its own indication, recognized in 1989 according to the Greek National Tourism Organisation. A tradition attributes the start of distillation to monks of Mount Athos in the 14th century; this is not confirmed by documentation.
In Volos and the villages of Mount Pelion, tsipouro is the drink of tsipouradika, houses where each small bottle ordered arrives with a plate of snacks, almost always fish, seafood or vegetables. The Greek Gastronomy Guide links the fame of Volos and Pelion to this tsipouro culture.
The drink is served chilled, neat or with water and ice, in small glasses, and sipped slowly during conversation and snacks.
Tessália
The Tsipouro of Thessaly geographical indication covers the whole region; Tyrnavos has its own indication, and Volos and Pelion are known for their tsipouro houses with snacks.
Fermented grape pomace distilled in a still. With or without anise; some versions include other aromatic seeds, such as fennel.
Chilled, in small glasses, neat or with water and ice, always with snacks. In tsipouradika, each small bottle comes with a plate of meze.
An afternoon and long-table drink, enjoyed year-round. Distillation takes place in autumn (September to November), after the grape harvest.
Your questions
A pomace brandy (grape marc), with or without anise, served chilled in small glasses with snacks. Thessaly and Tyrnavos have geographical indications for the drink.
A tsipouro house, common in Volos and on Pelion, where each small bottle ordered arrives accompanied by a plate of snacks, usually fish, seafood or vegetables.
It may or may not. Tsipouro without anise is drier and has a grape aroma; the one with anise becomes cloudy when water or ice is added. Both are produced in Thessaly.
Tsipouro is distilled from grape pomace. Ouzo is made from alcohol flavored with anise and other spices, and anise is mandatory in 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.
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.
