Ioannina - The Gastronomic Pleasures Of Ioannina
The expression to “live like the Pasha in Ioannina” means that a person is enjoying the absolute best that life has to offer. It is not enough to have the title of ruler; he also has to live in Ioannina. It is the distillation, in colloquial terms, of the idea that Ioannina was always a wealthy and aristocratic city.
The gastronomic pleasures of Ioannina will satisfy the most demanding. The mountains of Epirus provide a wide range of spices and herbs which are freely used to complement the finest basic ingredients. Fish, of course, from the lake, such as eels and trout, are cooked in sophisticated ways, and together with frog’s legs, a special delicacy, are the hallmark of the Ioannina cuisine.
The traditional Ioannina desserts are famous throughout Greece. The famous ‘sker bourek’, or ‘sugar pie’, the exceptionally delicious baklava and the other syrup pastries are but a few of the flavours that are certain to captivate visitors.
One item made only in Ioannina and nowhere else, is an alcohol free liqueur. This completely unique liqueur is based on a mixture of organic vinegar, nectar, fruit syrups, and herbs. It is usually drunk with crushed ice, and you will soon discover, if you try it, that a drink does not have to contain alcohol to be intoxicating. The traditional coffee shops in the town also serve what they call “sherbetia”, or sherbet, which is a kind of sweet wine flavoured with fruit and flowers.
Silver and gold
The silversmith’s art is one of the most important aspects of local culture in Ioannina. The wirework or cast jewellery of Epirus, the exquisite "tzovairia" were famous beyond the Greek territories. The expression "Arta and Ioannina" meant - and is still used to mean - "all the wealth of the earth".
The beautiful jewellery of Ioannina, of traditional or original modern designs is still synonymous with understated elegance. Delicate earrings, intricate chains, ornate buckles, and silver ornaments are only fragments of the variety of craftwork that visitors can admire in the town’s jewellers’ shops.
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