WEATHER

Anogeia

Light Showers
11°C
Wind: 15 Southwest

Rethymno

16°C
Wind: 27 West

Spili

14°C
Wind: 06 West

Fragma Potamon

17°C
Wind: 13 West

Shelter at Toubotos Prinos - Nidas Plain

Local recipes

Ofto (Roast meat) or Antikristo (Roasted meat around the fire)

"Ofto" or "Antikristo" meat was prepared only in mountainous areas usually by shepherds. The way it was cooked was very convenient for the shepherds because they could not use any utensils outdoors in the mountains. Once they butchered the animal, they would remove the saddle and divide it into four pieces, called "goulidia". Each piece was rolled in a wooden skewer made wood and salted. Some shepherds, followed a procedure called "otermenia". That is, they placed stones in the shape of a square, where they would set up the meat skewers. In the middle of it, keeping the appropriate distance (not too close or too far) they placed a stack of dry woods. They lit the fire in order for the meat to cook by the flames of the fire. The meat was placed facing the fire (andikrista) and not on top of the fire. The meat was left in this position for 45 minutes and then it was turned over. The secret for the meat to become tasty is the fat.

Wedding pretzels

Two days before the wedding that used to take place only on Sundays (nowadays weddings take place other days as well) people prepared the well known wedding pretzels: "nifopsomo" (the bride's bread), bread rolls for the best men, for "Kaniskia" (presents from the relatives of the couple) and for "Lagina" that is the jag with the wine for the guests. All the women of the village gathered to help with the kneading. Once they made the dough they kneaded it and then shaped it in large or small rolls. Other women sat in small tables with several tools (sticks, bobbins, scissors, nippers, combs) in order to make the so called "ksomplia" (ornaments) with which they would decorate the rolls. This was a procedure where they used all their imagination and often competed with each other as to whom would make the best ornament. "Ksomplia" mainly consist of birds, roses, lizards, chaplets, grapes with leaves and the so called "deses" (bindings).

Source:(printed material: Anogeia, i gi tou mythou kai tou oneirou (Anogeia, the land of myth and dreams), p. 101)