• 3-4 big eggplants
  (sliced in 1/8'' think)
• 4 cups of olive oil for frying
  (you may avoid frying by baking the sliced eggplant, sprinkled with olive oil)
  
                   Sauce
• 5 fresh tomatoes
  (peeled, seeded and crushed)
• 8 - 10 garlic gloves (crushed)
  2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
• 1/2 cup of water
• 1/2 cup of Greek extra virgin olive oil
• salt and pepper
• feta cheese for garnish

Preparation:

In the small pot, sauté garlic in oil, add tomatoes and water. Let it simmer for 5 minutes until sauce is thick.
In a separate pan fry thinly sliced eggplant (or bake them 20 minutes) and strain them for an hour. In big skillet place one layer of the sliced eggplants and one layer of the sauce repeatedly, ending with the sauce, and add salt and pepper. Let it cook on stove until tender, add  al little water if needed, add vinegar and remove it from heat. Sprinkle with crumbed feta cheese and serve.

Serve with fresh bread and Verdea or any other Greek wine

Epirus in Northwestern Greece is one of the less often visited regions of Greece. Being geographically "impregnable" due to high mountains and few passages it has been historically isolated causing its people to be self-sufficient even during difficult times. The region includes several lakes, and borders the Ionian seas, guaranteeing plentiful supplies of water, fresh fish, and several agricultural products.
Epirus also has some of the best organized dairy and livestock farms that include beef cattle, pigs, goats and sheep. It is also very rich in game, making it one of the prime destinations for Greek hunters.
This independence in food production has been responsible for unique cuisine and culinary customs that we would like to introduce in the next issues of our newsletter. We hope that you enjoy it.

Part 1 Milk for Greek Yogurt

In Greece, it is only relatively recently that yogurt has become readily available in supermarkets prepackaged in one small cartons. In the towns, you used to be able to buy it from die local dairy in the same way as milk, whereas in the country, people preferred to get their milk straight from the farmer and make their own yogurt at home. The advantage of this milk was that it had all the lactic acid bacteria need make good yogurt. Although pasteurized milk in other words milk that has been heated to a maximum- temperature of 165 °F (74°C) does keep, it is no longer suitable for making yogurt, unless coagulants are added. As far as the spontaneous souring of the mike is concerned, the \Greeks had in some ways always been in just right place, because one of the bases of yogurt is Lactobazillus bulgarius, a special lactic acid culture that, as its name implies, is not found not far away. It has the special quality of curdling only certain milk proteins, thus having a beneficial effect on the flavor and acid content of the yogurt. With milk fresh from the cow, the right spores in the air, a warm day, and sufficient time, you would be hard pushed not to make perfect yogurt. Today, even in the rural regions of Greece, when making homemade yogurt, people still think it advisable to boil up milk first and then leave it to cool, before stirring in some of the previous batch of yogurt as a starter culture, and leaving the pan to stand in warm place.

As milk producers, cows are undisputedly one of the most important domestic animals in Greece, but the systematic farming of dairy cows on any large scale is still very recent here. The countryside has always been home to some farmers who kept dairy cows for their own consumption. But even just a generation ago, Greece used to import a large part of its total milk requirement from Holland. In the last few years, the Greek government has set about a better organization of the regional dairy industry by developing or supporting it with state incentive programs. A region such as Epirus would seem particularly well suited to this plan. Half of its pastures are in mountain areas and provide nutritious, healthy fodder, while its many streams provide clear, clean water. The climatic conditions are also ideal for keeping cows outdoors. As a result, Epirus is now home to the largest milk processing company in Greece. “Dodoni” now exports its products to 18 countries and is one of the most successful companies of its kind in the entire country.

The so called Heron's odometer was most probably an invention made by Archimedes. Vitruvius was the first writer who mentioned the instrument (1st cent. BC). Its full description is found in Heron's work Dioptra or On Dioptra. The odometer was used in order to calculate road distances, while a later variation, known as nautical odometer was used to measure distances at sea. The function of the mechanism relies on a system of cogwheels (gears) which, assembled in atermones kochlies, transferred the movement of the wheels onto three circular discs at the upper part of the instrument, where the travelled distance was measured.  

Excerpt from:
Ancient Greek Technology,
by Ailos Publications
(in English and Greek)

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 The Neptune Collection - Sterling Silver Bracelet - Opal & Greek Key Motif Links (1mm)

GEOGRAPHY Thera or Santorini is quiet unlike the other Cycladic islands on account of its geomorphology, resulting from the activity of its now dormant volcano. The present configuration of the island is due to the sinking of the caldera and it is surrounded by other islands, Therasia and Aspronisi. Thera is on the southernmost fringe of the Cyclades, between los and Anaphi. It is 76 sq. km. in area, has 69 km. of coastline and is about 200 nautical mils from Piraeus. There is a daily boat service from Piraeus and with the rest of the Cyclades, daily during the summer. The boat on the Piraeus-Kavala route also goes via Santorini, linking it with Crete, the Dodecanese and the islands of the east and north Aegeane, while in the summer there is a local connection with los, Paros, Naxos and Mykonos. There are also flights to Mykonos, Rhodes and Herakleion Crete. The island's capital is Phira, its main port is Athinios and its population is 7,083.
Most of the island's terrain is covered by deposits of volcanic material, its west coast is sheer cliffs, while its east side is an extensive, fertile plain. In the interior of the island is the mountainous mass of Profitis llias (565 m. a.s.l.).
Santorini's unusual landscape, impressive architecture, wealth of monuments and overall fascination attract visitors in their thousands, especially during the summer months. They liners and its albeit well-developed tourist facilities are often insufficient to cope with the all. However, despite this deluge of tourists the island's picturesque aspect remains unspoilt and one can just as easily spend quiet holiday as a cosmopolitan one.
 
HISTORY In antiquity the island was known as Strongyle (perhaps because of its shape); it also referred to as Kalliste (the most fair) and, historians tell us, was settled by Phoenicians. Excavations have shown that the island was inhabited in prehistoric times, during the Early Cycladic Period (3200 2000 BC), and the dig at Akrotiri (Sp. Marinatos - continued by Christos Doumas) indicate that the island reaches its apogee during the ensuing period (2000 - 1550 BC), which was cut short by the eruption of the volcano in 1500 BC. Finds from the area of Monolithos suggest that the island was reinhabited from at least from at least the 13th century BC. Around 1000 BC Dorian colonisers arrived here, led by Theras, after whom it was name. In historical times its capital was on Mesa Vouno and contacts were established with Cyprus, Crete, Melos, Paros, Rhodes, as well as Attica, Corinth and Asia Minor. Therans founded the colony of Cyrene and in the 6th century BC minted their own coinage. In the following years it remained affianced to Sparta, but 426 BC became a member of the Athenian League. On account of its strategic position it was used by the Egyptian Ptolemies in Hellenistic times and an anchorage for ships was established in the harbour of Elefsis. The island's decline commenced in Roman times, though in the Byzantine period its political and military significance was exploited once more. From 1207 onward  it belonged to the Duchy  of Naxos and was governed by several  noble families - Barozzi, Crispo, Pisani. Through well fortified - castles and garrisons - the island was the victim of numerous piratical attacks, culminating in that of Barbarossa in 1537. It was ceded by Joseph Naze until 1579 and then taken by the Turks. The Latin occupation not only influenced the political  and economical organisation of the island but also the religious, since many Therans were converted to Catholicism. During the 19th century there was a flourishing economy based on shipping and Thera's contribution of vessels to the 1821 Struggle for Independence was superceded  only By Hydra and Spetses.

Next month: The Island of Euboia, Part 21 of 22

Vintage Greek City Photos from the Cyclades Island Region - Amorgos
Discover Greece: Cyclades Islands - DVD (NTSC/PAL)	Road Map of Kyklades (Cyclades) Special 50% off	Ancient Greek Cycladic Idol's Head Magnet 52	Cyclades Costume for Women Style 641111	Cyclades Costume for Men Style 642095