Cuisine

Pelion is a destination which right up until the present day, holds its customs and traditions dear. The local cuisine is one of the most characteristic in Greece, making Pelion a gastronomic utopia. There is a huge variety of local dishes, an assortment of fresh fish from the Pagasitikos Gulf as well as traditional sweets, pastries and fruits. The high quality local olive oil is used in the majority of traditional recipes.

A few traditional dishes

In the villages of Pelion you will find many traditional taverns where you will have the chance to sample some local dishes, such as fasolada (hot bean soup), spetzofai (sliced sausage in spicy red sauce), tsitsiravla (pickled leaves of wild pistachio with fennel and garlic), wild boar, rooster in wine or perhaps boubari (sheep entrails filled with minced meat and herbs) For dessert try traditional walnut pie, cheese and pumpkin pie or one of the many “spoon sweets” made from local fruit and nuts such walnut, cherry, lemon and many more!

Seafood

The Pagasitiko Gulf is one of the richest spots for fishing, which is apparent from the abundance of fishing boats in the region which supply Volos and the surrounding areas with fresh fish such as bream, sargon, and red snapper. Watch out for the grouper which could well be tastiest fish ever to grace your table.

Local drinks

Pelion produces its own wine from the local variety of red grapes and it can be found in all restaurants and wine outlets. The local specialty called tsipouro, is exceptionally popular in the fish restaurants as it is the perfect side drink to accompany your meal. Tsipouro is produced by distilling the ‘leftovers’ of the grape, namely the grape stem. A second distillation will produce tsipouro of an even higher quality.

Fruits

The Pelion region also produces large quantities of fruits, such as apples, cherries, grapes and peaches, all grown without the use of chemical fertilizers. The most famous fruit of the area is the firiki, which is a smaller, sweeter version of the apple.