Lesvos, GREECE
Airing Date: Oct 24th, 2005
Lesvos is the third largest Greek island and is closer to the mainland of Turkey than it is to Greece. The island is renowned for producing Greece's best ouzo and olive oil. You can join a food tour with Better Homes & Gardens' cook, Maeve O'Meara to find out all the culinary secrets on the island.
To find the great food, head to the aghora (Greek for market) in Mitilini, the capital of Lesvos. The aghora is hundreds of shops crammed into narrow streets, selling everything and anything especially really fresh produce including tomatoes and heaps of different types of fetta cheese! Fetta is Greek's national cheese and Greek families eat 100 kilograms of the cheese a year.
One person who knows all about food is local celebrity chef Stratos Panagos. He also knows about Lesvos's most famous produce, Ouzo. Ouzo is an alcoholic drink made from aniseed grown on the island. There are rules for drinking Ouzo. Don't drink it with ice, or from a tall glass, don't keeping pouring until the glass is empty and eat something when you drink Ouzo.
Stratos can also take you to meet the members of the Women's Co-op of Parakula. These women keep the food traditions of the island alive. They make jams and pasta using the recipes their grandmothers have handed down to them.
If you want to do more than eat and drink then head to Molyvos, a picturesque hillside town that's great for shopping. But just in case you do get hungry there is a great place to have a long lazy lunch, Octapus Restaurant, where the house specialty is some of the freshest octapus in the world.
Further information
Lesvos Gourmet Safari's twelve day Greek Islands tour from $6200 a person twin share. Includes transfers, accommodation, most meals, cooking classes & tours.
Gourmet Safaris
Website: gourmetsafaris.com.au
Gulf Air return to Athens from $2096 ex Sydney. Prices include surcharges, fees & taxes. Conditions apply.
Gulf Air
Telephone: 1300 366 337
Connecting flights from Athens to Mitilini fom $350 return including taxes.
Jetset
Telephone: 13 63 83
Loriet Hotel rooms from $195 a night.
Teloephone: + 30 251 43111 or 41139
Website: loriet-hotel.com
Prices correct at 24/10/05
