Achaean rural and urban periope cuisine

If there is a place in the Peloponnese that incorporates in its gastronomy the most deeply rooted techniques of traditional, rural cooking and together with all the innovations of an urban center, it is none other than Achaia.

The port of Patras was and remains one of the largest commercial hubs in Greece and, in the past, the gateway to every new idea and trend from Europe, while it was also the point from where the famous black currant was exported, bringing wealth to the place.

Exotic and luxurious products, rare delicacies, food fashions, modern cooking and confections, everything first arrived in Patras and then spread to the rest of Greece.

A particularly favored place geographically, Achaia is famous for its wonderful agricultural products such as olive oil, citrus fruits, and vegetables.

Of course, the raisin remains one of its top products, while it can also boast of its famous wines, with an unusually large number of certified PDO and PGI: the masterpiece Mavrodafni, the Muscat of Patras, the Muscat of Rio, the Patras and Achaia varieties, but and the famous Tentoura liqueur, which has a hint of cinnamon and is one of the most aromatic in Greece.

The Patraikos Gulf and the Ionian Sea generously offer plenty of fish and many of the first salted fish industries, mainly sardines, were born here.

Achaia is mountainous for the most part and is famous for its livestock products

The barrel-aged feta PDO, especially from the Kalavryta Cooperative, with its spicy and rich taste and its characteristic buttery texture, is one of the best in the country. Together with them, graviera, kefalotyri, formala, traditional sheep's yogurt and anthotiro, make up a range of fine cheeses that contain the top features of the mountain flora that is also the food of the goats and sheep.

The cheese pies of Achaia are famous for their deliciousness, not only for the wonderful cheeses of the filling but also for their artistic sheets that are as thin as transparent, a sign of the skill and art of the cook.

In the taverns and cafes of Zarouchla, Kalavryta and the other beautiful mountain villages, some of the finest samples of pie are served, among them the very special formaelopita.

The highlands of Achaia are a paradise of traditional products and recipes: trachanas, noodles (especially the small noodle called tutumaki here), Helmou honey, but also some of the tastiest and finest meats in Greece, cooked in dishes of amazing taste and imagination .

Lamb and goat in a yogurt crust, braised with tutumaki, juvetsi with handmade barley, boiled goat, gardubaki with oregano, the exquisite gyulbasi, stew, roosters and chickens braised with spaghetti, cockerels, splenanders, kontosouvlia!

A multitude of meats combined with wild mountain greens, handmade local pasta, tomatoes from the plains. And if these are Sunday and holiday dishes, everyday cuisine is just as exciting.

The kayanades with fresh eggs, the oily legumes that were once extensively cultivated in the semi-mountains of the prefecture, the delicious soups with pasta and tomato, the summer laderas, the wonderful sourdough bread are just some of the most delicious dishes of rural Achaean cooking.

For fish and seafood lovers, the coast of Achaia is a culinary paradise

Fresh anchovies, atherines, cod, squid, maridis, pelagic bream, tongues, you will find all of them fresh and spartan in the fish market of Patras, but you will also taste them in local dishes in the beach taverns around Patras, Rio or Aigio.

The Aegean bourgeto with sklebou, as they call peskandritsa in the region, is worth trying well-cooked and mashed, quite different from the well-known Corfu bourdeto.

In Achaia, sweets are a serious matter

In the city, the good old patisseries still make wonderful European confections such as pâtissien and mille feuilles, but if one wants to taste its traditional sweets, one will look for the fragrant and famous rose loukumi, the galaktobureks and the milk pies with the famous dairy but and more everyday flavors, such as "bougatse" cookies which are not related to the classic baguette with cream, but are cookies like cakes, fasting and scented with cinnamon.

Just outside of Aigio, in the Monastery of Taxiarchon, the amazing rose gardens cared for by the monks yield one of the most wonderful local sweets, Rodozachari, i.e. sweet spoon rose, handmade and with an unforgettable aroma. A spoonful on sweet cream or yogurt is an unforgettable experience!