"We used to stay at home all the time, we didn't know any cafés or other places to go out to. We've only finished primary school, but we often talk to well-educated people at work. We learned to cook from our grandmothers and mothers. Important people come here to eat. A convention took place in our village a few years ago and we made a buffet for about a thousand persons. We used to be 130 of us women in the association, but only eight of us remain".

They dared and succeeded

Maria Varvarezou belongs to the women's association which operates an amazing restaurant in Livadi, a Vlach village of Elassona. All of them are mature women, thinking and speaking quickly and never back down before difficulties. Some of the fantastic foods they cook are, "arostou" (young sheep braised in tomato sauce), "giaprakia" (grape leaves), "batsavoussa" (thick soup with onions and lamb liver), "prassotigania" (fried pork with leek) and "diviardja pie" (nettle pie with fresh scorching hot nettles).

The original Vlach women are such good cooks they steal men's hearts with their cooking. They give their men courage with their skill but also with their perseverance.

Helen Gkotsou is an energetic woman from Livadi, who owns a pasta and cheese shop in the village. "Me and my mother-in-law take care of everything. We use sheep milk and eggs from our own farm. We once had a creamery and traded our products. But people deceived us with bad cheques so we decided to sell everything on our own. Foreigners love our products. I met many people through the shop. When some of them come here for a second or even a third time, I take courage by this recognition and it relaxes me to know I am doing well. My husband is a very active and good man, who likes to do all kinds of jobs. The Vlachs are honest, they never cheat on their wives and they always bring money in the house. At home we all speak the Vlach dialect, even the children. In elementary school teachers used to punish us when we spoke this way, because this dialect is not similar to the Greek language. Fortunately during the 70's a philologist named Christodoulou who had written a book about our language came to our village, taught us grammar and syntax and made us pronounce the words correctly. We owe this man a lot".

The best cheese ever

A "touloumi" is handed to a lucky client at Ms. Helen's store. It looks like a sack made of leather. This pouch is made to preserve sour cheese which is considered to be the best kind of cheese for a platter. They shave the goat's skin and use it to make patches. They wash and dry it while it is still swollen. Wherever you find yourself in Livadi you'll hear about cheese. No matter the health risks it is worth a taste. A few bites of cheese won't plug up your arteries
TEXT-PHOTOS: GEORGE ZAFEIROPOULOS
SOURCE: www.greecewithin.com

MORE PHOTOS

Delicious cheese pie from Livadi.

The women association's brand.

They use milk from their own sheep, which graze the slopes of mount Olympus.

Livadi is a large picturesque village

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