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GREEK TRAVEL GUIDE Top travel sites to Greece & Greek islands

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Top travel sites in Greece and Greek islands. Greece is endowed with fascinating landscapes, the cleanest seas in the world, it is rich in natural beauty and history, and an ideal destination for vacations close to nature, culture, thermal springs, for relaxation, adventure, but also for corporate travel.

About Greece F.A.Q. Greece Morphology Blue Flags Celebrations Transfers

Greek camping Agrotourism Wildlife Scubadiving Ecotourism Money

Greek Museums Mythology Greek Castels Philosophers Religious Tourism Olympics

Greek Carnival Gyros & Souvlaki Greek Ouzo Greek Cuisine Greek Wines Geotourism

Driving Classical Tours Greek Easter Christmas Cruises Folk Dances

Acropolis Agio Oros Knossos Delfi - Oracle Homer Socrates

Great Alexander Volcano Colossus Lady of Ro Weddings Piraeus

Herbs & Spices Greek Olive Oil Hippocrates

Athens Capital Thessaloniki Chalkidiki Meteora Delfi Olympia

Corinth Nafplion Monemvassia Pelion Naxos Corfu

Zakynthos Kefallonia Lassithi Crete Heraklion Crete Chania Crete Rethymno Crete

Skiathos Skopelos Rhodes Kos Symi Astypalea

Kalymnos Kastellorizo Lesvos Chios Samos Karpathos

Patmos Santorini Myconos Tinos Paros Patras

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Top Travel Sites to Greece and Greek islands

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GREEK OUZO

Ouzo is an anise-flavored spirit that is widely consumed in Greece. Its taste is quite similar to arak, zivania, or rakki (in the Levant, Cyprus, and Turkey), pastis or absinthe (France), Sambuca (Italy), mastiha (Hios). It can be consumed neat or mixed with water.
The origin of the name "ouzo" is disputed. A popular derivation is from the Italian "uso Massalia" - for use in Marseille - stamped on selected silkworm cocoons exported from Tyrnavos in the 19th century. According to anecdote, this designation came to stand for "superior quality", which the spirit distilled as ouzo was thought to possess.

In modern Greece, ouzeries (the suffix -erie is imported from French) can be found in nearly all cities, towns, and villages. These cafes like establishments serve Greek ouzo with greek meze — appetizers such as octopus, salad, sardines, calamari, fried zucchini, and clams, among others. It is traditionally slowly sipped (usually mixed with water or ice) together with meze shared with others over a period of several hours in the early evening.

In other countries it is tradition to have ouzo in authentic Greek restaurants as an aperitif, served in a shot glass and deeply chilled before the meal is started. No water or ice is added but the drink is served very cold, enough to make some crystals form in the drink as it is served.

Ouzo is often referred to as a particularly strong drink, although its alcohol content is not especially high compared to other liquor. The reason mainly has to do with its sugar content. Sugar delays ethanol absorption in the stomach, and may thus mislead the drinker into thinking that they can drink more as they do not feel tipsy early on. Then the cumulative effect of ethanol appears and the drinker becomes inebriated rather quickly. This is why it is generally considered poor form to drink ouzo "dry hammer" xerosfiri, an idiomatic expression that means "drinking alcohol without eating anything") in Greece. The presence of food, especially fats or oils, in the upper digestive system prolongs the absorption of ethanol and ameliorates alcohol intoxication.