Saffron

Saffron is the most precious and expensive spice in the world. The Saffron filaments, or threads, are actually the dried stigmas of the saffron flower, "Crocus Sativus Linneaus". Each flower contains only three stigmas. These threads must be picked from each flower by hand, and more than 75,000 of these flowers are needed to produce just one pound of Saffron filaments.
"Crocus Sativus Linneaus" contains crocin, the source of its strong coloring property, bitter-crocin, which offers the distinctive aroma and taste and essential oils, which are responsible for its therapeutic properties.
Saffron is well known since the beginning of its production for its healing attributes and its use in gastronomy. Today, the greatest saffron producing countries are Greece, Spain, Turkey, Iran, India, and Morocco. The largest saffron importers are Germany, Italy, U.S.A., Switzerland, U.K., and France.

It was not defined well when saffron cultivation began, but it is believed that this might have happened during Prehistoric Greek times. The excavations in Knossos, Crete, and Akrotiri in the island of Santorini brought to light some frescoes where saffron is depicted.
The most famous of these frescoes is the 'saffron gatherer', where it was depicted that there was a monkey amongst the yellow saffron flowers. Etymologically, the word crocus has its origin from the Greek word "croci" which means the weft, thread used for weaving on a loom. Mythologically, according to Ovidius, the plant took its name from the youth Crocus, who after witnessing in despair the death of fair Smilax was transformed into this flower.

Known since antiquity, saffron it was one of the most desired and expensive spices of ancient Greeks, Egyptians and Romans for its aroma, color and aphrodisiac properties. It was quite popular among the Phoenician traders, who carried it wherever they traveled. The ancient Assyrians used saffron for medical purposes.

Hippocrates and other Greek doctors of his time, like Dioskourides and Galinos mention crocus as a drug or a therapeutic herb. It is referred throughout ancient history and in the course of many medical writings of the classical Greek and Roman times all the way to the Middle Ages. Another saffron use in ancient Greece was that of perfumery.

The history of red saffron in modern Greece starts in the 17th century when red saffron was cultivated in the area of Kozani in Macedonia. For more than 300 years, Greek red saffron is systematically cultivated under the warmth of the Greek sun, in the rich soil of a unique area including many small towns of Kozani in West Macedonia.

As a therapeutical plant, saffron it is considered an excellent stomach ailment and an antispasmodic, helps digestion and increases appetite. It is also relieves renal colic, reduces stomachaches and relieves tension. It is also a fact that even since antiquity, crocus was attributed to have aphrodisiac properties. Many writers along with Greek mythology sources associate crocus with fertility. Crocus in general is an excellent stimulant.

As a spice it is used for colouring and flavor improving while giving a distinct aroma and a beautiful golden color. There is a great list of foods where saffron is added including cheese products such as cottage cheese and parmesan, soups, chicken and meat, various spirits, pasta and rice. To use saffron, either infuse a few threads in a cup of hot water and add the colored liquid towards the end of cooking, or crumble the threads and add directly to the pot.
Alternatively, dry roast, crumble and then steep the crumbled threads. Unlike other spices, a good pinch will suffice to add flavor and color most dishes. Cook with red Greek saffron and indulge in its excellent flavor.

The Kozani Saffron is globally accepted as one of the highest quality. According to the European Union Law (378/1999), the Kozani Saffron has been accepted and established as a Greek product, and so Greece is the only country that has the right to produce it. The quality production and packing methods of the Kozani Saffron has a major contribution to the international promotion of the Greek products.

Dairy Products

Greece, since the days of Homer produces quality dairy products. The first ever reference to cheese making comes in the Odyssey. Perhaps surprisingly, the first recorded cheese maker ever is not any idyllic shepherd but none other than the one – eyed giant Cyclops. As Homer explains it, Cyclops was quite the avid milk fan. After he drank swaths of it, he would leave what was left in his cold, dark cave only to become cheese shortly thereafter.

Aristotle – when resting from the complicated moral issues he dealt with in his main lime of work-made cheese in his free time; and wrote a couple of recipes to remind himself. Thankfully, both his work and his cheese recipes are saved to this day.
Cheese making flourished during the Byzantine times as well. Among the very few records from that day, there are mentions of the “vlahiko” and “mytzithra” cheese. The Glory and the Flavor of Byzantium indeed.

The Greek dairy products have great nutritional value and they are rich in elements that are essential for the development of the human organism. However, the most dynamic Greek dairy products are: the famous feta and the also famous Greek yogurt.

Feta
Feta is arguably the best - known Greek food abroad. The European Union granted Greek Feta a PDO (Protected Designation of Origin) status and issued a decree prohibiting European countries other than Greece from using the name Feta. In Europe, similar cheeses now must be called “brined white cheese.” Within Greece, Feta can be made only in specific regions: Macedonia, Thrace, Thessaly, Central Mainland Greece, the Peloponnese, and Lesvos.
Feta is a simple cheese to make. It has a mild, milky flavor that remains fresh and accessible, one that can easily be enjoyed on a daily basis.
Greek Feta production abides by very specific rules that control the manufacture and the allowed percentage of goat’s milk in the cheese. Feta is made predominantly with sheep’s milk, although a small percentage of goat’s milk (up to 30%) can be added. Cow’s milk is never used in the production of true Feta.
Feta is mostly made in small dairies that buy the milk directly from surrounding farmers, but whether the dairy is large or small, the production process is similar.
The milk is either collected by or delivered to the cheese dairies on a daily basis. Sheep’s milk, compared to cow’s milk, is low in yield but high in protein and fat solids.
Greeks (together with the cheese-obsessed French) have the highest per capita cheese consumption in Europe. They are very particular about their Feta. Some like it soft and moist and rather mild, others prefer it as hard and crumbly as you can make it. Others want the distinct flavor of the goat-hide. Still others like their Feta to be lemony-sour.
Although the differences are subtle, cheese shops and markets throughout Greece carry at least a dozen types from different parts of the country. The most striking display is barrel-aged Feta, glistening with whey in the barrel, and cut in neat triangular wedges.
Feta is the quintessential Greek table cheese, but it is also excellent in all sorts of other dishes. As a main ingredient, it finds its way into savory pies, made with Feta and eggs, or combinations of cheeses, or mixtures of greens and cheese. It is also a staple on the meze table, and can be grilled or baked in paper and even sautéed, sometimes with a crust of nuts or sesame seeds or a simple egg and flour wash. In the summer, it is hard to avoid thinking of ripe, juicy tomatoes, crunchy cucumbers, and sharp, fleshy Greek olives. Add a few morsels of Feta and you’ve created the framework for a classic Greek salad. A diversity of ingredients makes it all the more opulent.Typical additions to this Greek classic are capers, dried Greek oregano, sliced peppers, fresh summer herbs such as mint, chopped scallions, thinly cut onions and a generous splash of extra virgin olive oil.
In Crete, the same basic ingredients comprise a local bread salad, made with the island’s whole wheat and barley rusks, which are moistened and used as a base for coarsely chopped the tomatoes, olives and onions. Local cooks drizzle some extra virgin olive oil and crumble some Feta on top of the whole salad; the rusk soaks up all the juices and softens. It’s a meal in itself.
Feta is almost always served with a whole family of foods in Greece known as lathera (vegetable stews gently simmered in olive oil until soft). In some parts of the country the cheese is mixed into the stewpot until it melts and melds with the vegetables, forming a creamy, luscious sauce.

Other Greek Cheeses

Anthotyro. (an-THOE-tee-roe) The word literally means "blossom" cheese, after the way the curds "blossom"-- as they are stirred, the curds rise to the tops of the vats and open in a shape resembling blooms. The cheese is similar to ricotta, but lightly salted. It is eaten fresh with jam or honey, and often baked into sweet pastries, especially around Easter time.

Graviera. Gra-vee-AIR-a) One of the best table cheeses in Greece produced in several areas. Graviera is generally a nutty, pale yellow cheese with a hard rind made either from sheep's milk or from cow's milk, depending on the region. Graviera, sweet, mellow, and nutty, is one of the most delicious Greek cheeses. The sheep's milk gravieras come from Crete, Mytilene, Dodoni, Arta and Kalpaki. (Crete is actually the most famous graviera-producing region, and here one of the unusual ways to serve the cheese is with honey and walnuts.) Cow's milk graviera, which is yellower and a little creamier, is made mostly in Tinos, Syros, Naxos, Corfu, Larissa, and Serres.

Kasseri. (Ka-SE-ree). Kasseri is the most popular table cheese after feta. It is a mild, yellow, spun-curd cheese made from either ewe's or cow's milk.

Kefalograviera (ke-fa-lo-gra-vee-AIR-a). Another pale-yellow cheese with a hard rind and an abundance of small air holes. As its name indicates, in both flavor and texture it falls somewhere between graviera and Kefalotyri. It can range from sweet and mild to quite piquant. Kefalograviera is the cheese of choice for grilling and frying, but it can also be eaten as a table cheese.

Kefalotyri (ke-fa-lo-TEE-ree).  A very hard, light-yellow sheep's or goat's milk cheese with a sharp tangy flavor. The cheese is made mainly in Crete, as well as in Naxos, Cephalonia, Thessaly, and Epirus. It is a popular grating cheese.

Ladotyri (la-tho-TEE-ree). Another unusual product, the name of which means "oil cheese."  The cheese, which is shaped like miniature barrels, is steeped in olive oil and aged for several months. Lesvos is the most famous place in Greece for ladotyri and most of what is in the U.S. is produced there. The cheeses is sharp, nutty and with a distinct, almost crunchy, texture. It’s excellent as a table cheese.

Manouri (ma-NOO-ree) This is a creamy, buttery mild white cheese that is sold in log-shaped loaves. It is excellent as a dessert cheese, topped with honey, or with poached fruits, and complements the sweet wines of Greece exceptionally well.

Metsovone (me-tsoe-VOE-ne). This is a rich, hard, smoked yellow cheese made in Metsovo, Epirus. It resembles smoked Provolone. Metsovone is made in large sausage like loaves, usually from raw cow's milk. It is delicious as a table cheese, but also is delicious fried (saganaki), as the local tavernas serve it--with a sprinkling of paprika--and melted into cheese sauce. 

Myzithra (mee-ZEE-thra). The word dates to the 16th century, when it referred to a kneaded cheese. Myzithra is a feta byproduct. Traditionally the whey from feta is combined with some whole milk, and curdled for several days. The curds are collected, drained, lightly salted and pressed. Myzithra is sold either as a soft table cheese, or aged into rock-hard balls and used as a grating cheese.