Mt. Pelion's traditional cuisine is based on simple dishes made from ingredients that, when combined, can work miracles and produce amazing combinations of flavours. The ingredients come from small vegetable and herb gardens, from the potatoes grown in the local fields and the rich vegetation on the mountain side with its wealth of mushrooms, chestnuts, walnuts, wild greens, berries and fruit. Those ingredients, when combined with the small quantities of meat reared locally can produce unforgettable starters and main dishes.
The dietary customs and mores of a place are a key aspect of its local culture. Those habits have emerged as a result of the knowledge held by different groups within the local community, coupled with what the ecosystem offers. When it comes to cuisine, Mt. Pelion has an exceptionally large range of dishes to offer because during the period of Turkish occupation it was a place of refuge, welcoming people from many parts of Greece (Vlachs, Arvanites, Slavs, Epirots, lowland Thessalians, and people from Evia and the islands of the Aegean to mention a few), who soon mingled in with the locals, and because there is rich local flora and fauna.
In the modern age of globalisation, an attempt is being made to re-discover that wealth of flavours, not in a sterile endeavour to preserve traditions, but as a means of liberating creativity.
For that very reason, we suggest that you sample the local products and integrate them into your diet.
