ANIMAL PRODUCTS

MEAT

State-of-the-art units, with free-range and stabled animals, in all the prefectures of the Region of Eastern Macedonia and Thrace, produce excellent quality meat.

Free-range beef cattle are mainly reared in the Delta of the Evros River, the Rodopi mountain range, and the mountainous region of Drama.

The rearing of beef cattle mainly undergoes primarily in pastures, free of fertilizers and pesticides, such as forest or riverside areas, and more generally in regions with self-sown vegetation. These conditions create a comparative advantage regarding the quality of the meat produced.

The breeds of the animals are predominantly local, but animals of mixed races have also acclimatized to the local environmental conditions.

Sheep and goat farming is also of particular interest in regions of all prefectures.

MEAT PROCESSING PRODUCTS

KAVURMAS

Kavurmas is a unique, authentic, and famous meat delicacy from many regions, of the Region Eastern Macedonia- Thrace. The refugees from Eastern Thrace brought along the knowledge of making kavurmas in their new homeland nearly a century ago. Its timeless success is attributed to the quality of its raw materials, namely lean meat- beef, pork, sheep, goat, buffalo, or mixed – boiled only with spices, without preservatives, and with minimal fat. It is worth mentioning that it is easy and quick to cook.

It can be eaten either cold, cut into cubes, as a wonderful accompaniment to tsipouro, or cooked, in many different ways. Some simple, tasty, and fast cooking ways include kavurmas with an omelet or in a pan with tomato and eggs.

Preparing kavurmas is relatively simple. First, the meat is salted to dry. It is then simmered with spices, such as nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves, allspice, and fat. Finally, it is packaged in a cylindrical shape of about 10 cm in diameter and stored.

Various companies have won significant awards in gastronomic competitions for their kavurmas.

SAUSAGES

Whether with oregano, leek, or other vegetables, sausages base their quality and reputation on the raw materials. The meat from local farms and the variety of aromatic herbs from the rich production of the Region’s land are responsible for the unique taste experience. Additionally, the recipes that were sometimes secretly brought by those uprooted from their native land from the opposite side of the river Evros, but also the passion for their creation are the secret ingredients of the taste of this sausage.

All those involved in producing meat processing products, whether young or not so young, managed to keep sausages’ traditional taste unchanged over time.

BABO

“Babo” is a gastronomic delight, made from the pig’s intestine filled with meat, rice and spices, and is to this day the favorite food of Thrace during Christmas and beyond.

On Christmas Eve, domesticated pigs were slaughtered in all the villages of Thrace, as the Christmas fast expired and meat was added to their diets.

All parts of the animal were used. The “good” pieces of meat were salted and preserved for later, while Babo was prepared from the intestines and the liver, which in the past was baked throughout the night on a low fire to be ready when the family would return from the church. That is why Babo is considered a traditional Christmas morning appetizer.