Pelion: 7 Must-Eat Foods
Greek cuisine is regionally diverse and there are so many flavorful foods from Pelion unlikely to find anywhere else that are not to be missed. Here is a list of some of our favorite appetizers, main dishes and desserts that you absolutely must try while on the Mountain of the Centaurs:
1. Tsitsiravla are the young sprouts of wild pistachio trees collected in April and pickled with vinegar and a touch of garlic. One of the best meze dishes for tsipouro that you will certainly want to take back home. Thankfully, deli stores in Volos sell home prepared tsitsiravla. Warning! They never taste as good as they do in Pelion!
2. A deep orange cheese spread known as “kopanisti Volou” will brighten up your table and your dining experience. Served best at Mezen the innovative tsipouro restaurant in the city of Volos. Ask the owner to share the secret of the orange color with you.
3. Kolitsianoi is a sea flower (sea anemone) that is battered, deep fried, and served as meze only in the hard core authentic tsipouro restaurants. This Greek style sea flower tempura will bring to your table the aroma of the sea.
4. Boubari is a locally made spiral looking sausage baked in the oven and served with potatoes. The sausage is filled with rice and beef meat including the heart and lungs. Enjoy it at the village of Agios Georgios!
5. Only four ingredients make up the Pelion dish par excellence. Easy to make and a delight to savor, spetzofai’s flavor lies in the sweetness of the home-grown tomatoes simmered in extra virgin Pelion olive oil, the spiciness of the local sausage, and the aroma of the Volos’ green peppers. At Climax in Xinovrisi they serve it just right and the view to the Aegean Sea is unforgettable.
6. Anyone with a sweet tooth will not want to miss these delectable “spoon sweets”! Try the Pelion small apple called “firiki” and pair it with a cup of Greek coffee at the plateia of Makrinitsa overlooking the city of Volos.
7. The queen of desserts, tall, elegant, and celebratory, blonde baklava is a wedding sweet. If you’re lucky, tavern owners sometimes serve it as a treat at the end of the meal. With almonds instead of walnuts and dozens of super thin homemade phyllos, these small diamond-shaped “skyscrapers” crowned with cloves, will be the reason for you to return at the place where you tried them.