Flavours of Western Greece

Across the strait in the Ionian island of Lefkada but seemingly worlds apart lies the western coast from the Greek mainland and, towards the south, Messolonghi, where Lord Byron died. The coastal wetlands are the place to find dozens of natural marine fisheries-the magical, melancholy marshlands produce sizable harvests of fish.

Further north across the coast, in Epirus, only locals know where you can buy jars of exquisite sage honey in the Zaghorohoria. The same goes for that region's excellent game (including partridge and wild goat), river trout (cooked after some butter), savoury pies made of myriad greens, cheeses and leeks, and provatina - female sheep of the certain age. The only real food that's widely available towards the culinary tourist is cheese. But luckily Epirus - using its mountain slopes and age-old traditions of husbandry-long ago elevated cheese-making for an art.

Messolonghi is actually a source of botargo, the sun-dried roe from the grey mullet, although exactly when or by whom this type of rarefied treat was initially produced remains a mysterious. The name is Greek in origin, from avghotarahon, meaning 'egg pickle', but based on English classicist Andrew Dalby (Siren Feasts), botargo goes back to classical Byzantium. The very first known reference to it is through the Byzantine physician Simeon Seth, who included it within an 11th - century survey from the dietary customs of his time. Botargo is famous throughout the Mediterranean. Except for Venice, where the locals use tuna eggs, it is usually made from the roe of thegrey mullet since the eggs are compact and dense-they won't fall apart when salted. Each fresh egg sac weighs between 100 and 500 grammes, with respect to the size of the fish. When they are dried, each weighs half that amount.

The Greek season to make botargo runs from late August to early October, when shoals of female grey mullet, swollen with eggs, attempt to move in the marshes to the sea to spawn. A labyrinthine system of netted walls-ybaria in fishing jargon-deters them. They're trapped, slit and gutted, and also the two long, soft egg sacs are lifted out. The roe ranges in colour from ivory to deep amber-the yellower the eggs, the greater mature they're.

Once removed from the fish, the sacs are put in coarse salt for some hours, to 'tighten'. They are rinsed and left to dry on planks in screened outdoor cages for a few days. Finally, to preserve and enhance their flavour, the dried sacs are drizzled with beeswax.

Epirus is home to a couple of Greece's most famous cheese towns. Dodoni harbours the nation's first and largest state-of-the-art feta factory, and also the Averoff family, in order to help villagers preserve their shepherd's life-style, founded today's cheese making facility near Metsovo.Metsovo's version of chevre doesn't resemble its French namesake, but it's made with goat's cheese and it is equally rich and delicious. A tough, rich delicious cheese having a distinct peppery finish, it's also produced in Dodoni traded in supermarkets around Greece.

Metsovone, a smoked cheese created using cow's as well as sheep's milk that closely resembles an italian man , provolone, is eaten like a table cheese or fried like a delectable saghanaki. Metsovella is semi-hard and never unlike graviera. Such as the Averoff 's pleasant, parmesan-style hard yellow cheese, it's produced in limited quantities and sold only in local shops.

While you go to the Greek Islands taste the Greek Products and learn Greek Recipes in order to smoke to your friends when you are home. They'll surely be astounded by your cooking skills and also the taste of the dishes.