Olive-Oil

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 of Halkidki are rich in phenological and organic characteristics (substances which are necessary for the operation of the human organization) and they are processed having as their only principle the satisfaction of the consumers. The high nutritional value and the unique taste of the olive and oil of Halkidiki have rendered them as integral part of the Mediterranean nutrition.

Production areas: Mount Meliton, Pallini Peninsula, Holomontas Yporeia, Poligiros, Ormylia, Olynhtos and Moudania.

Ouzo – Tsipouro

Ouzo is made in a traditional way and exclusively in Greece; it belongs to the general category of the anis that is 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 they use a special distillation machine (amvikas), can not be submitted to an aging process and it is drunk straight or with some water É- the so called emulsion which is created in this case and it is related to the conciseness of ouzo antholi, its alcoholic title, to the quantity of water and to its temperature.

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 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 are the habitants of Halkidiki who produce their tsipouro either for sale but mostly for domestic use.

Cheese Products

The climate and edaphic conditions, the flora of Halkidiki and the powerful tradition in cattle breeding result in the production of high quality products. The goatish traditional cheese of Halkidiki, is produced from pure goatish milk and has an increased content of protein. In Holomontas mountain most of the cattle-breeding units are located because the mountain has such special elements in its climate and ground that contribute to the favorable synthesis of the goatish milk to the cheese production. With respect to tradition, the cattle breeders of Halkidiki produce significant quantities of goatish cheese. The high quality and the various organic characteristics make it necessary for the proper and hygiene nutrition.

Honey

Halkidiki is the mother of beekeeping. Over 6,500 beekeepers (32% of the countrys total) and 1.910 tons of honey production of best quality annual 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 honey prolongs life. Today the beekeepers of Halkidiki keep to the tradition and exploit the rich fauna of Kassandra, Sithonia and North Halkidiki, in the most pure way by producing great quantities of honey. The great quantities of trace elements found in the honey, make it of a high nutritional value.

Marmalades Sweets

A great variety of fruits of excellent quality are 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 women of Halkidiki make with an exceptional skill. Their high quality, their special taste and the respect of the producers to the tradition have established them in the Greek and foreign market. The traditional marmalades and the deserts of Halkidiki, make breakfast a unique tasteful delight for everyone.

Pastries

In the traditional but also up to date bakeries of Halkidiki, unique bread products and pastries are being produced. 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 and the traditional recipes which pass onto by generation to generation convert it into delicious pastries. The high nutritional value of the raw materials and the respect to tradition make the pastries of Halkidiki famous to all its visitors.