Page 64 - MYCONIAN COLLECTION MAG 2018

discover|the mykonians

MYKONOS FARMERS
In 60 minutes, visitors can find out how the milk is processed and the cheese is made; and then there is a tasting of xinotyri, kopanisti, “boiled cheese”, The “PaGa” in Gialos
and tyrovolia with a glass of wine or a taste of Mykonos yoghurt with a homemade spoon sweet.

iF There is one haBiT that’s hard to break, it’s the street market that local fishermen hold every morning in the area of
gialos. as long as you get there early enough to enjoy the “paga” display, the fresh fish and “baksevanika” – fresh vegetables
sold in crates by local producers straight from their own gardens, their “baxedes”. By the time the visitors wake up from a night
of hard partying everything will have disappeared and the stands will be shiny and clean. everything here happens early in the
morning. if you are looking to find authentic mykonos, you just have to sacrifice some hours of sleep and get to the “entrance”
to the town. There, you will easily discern who the “morning people” of the land are, who don’t change habits easily. gialos
was once the heart of the area, but to this day tradition is still alive and kicking here. even if one cannot enjoy local products,
they can discover gastronomical treasures such as courgette flowers, purple amaranth (a type of green), brown-eyed mykonos
beans (black-eyed peas), plums, and aromatic plants such as oregano, thyme, fennel, spearmint, sage and marjoram.

GiorGos syrianos

Third generaTion cheese maker. That means giorgos is up to his neck in all the secret recipes for the cheeses
his great grandmother used to make, which were improved upon by each generation. it didn’t take long for tradition to meet
the entrepreneurial spirit, when giorgos syrianos and a friend and partner of his – a mykonos local who studied abroad, with
in-depth knowledge of finance – started a model cheese dairy in agios Lazaros. They didn’t just want to make tasty cheeses.
Their challenge was to persevere through the difficulties of a venture and survive the harsh reality of greece’s financial crisis,
turning their dream into reality. giorgos syrianos’ cheeses are the continuation of his family tradition. Xinotyro, tyrovolia, niari,
vrasto, kopanisti, greek yoghurt – all unique and connected to the island, they bear the mykonos Farmers stamp. Behind them
hides an investment of dreams and significant funds. The cheese dairy of giorgos syrianos is a family jewel. he describes it as
though talking about a valuable heirloom. architectural simplicity and superiority, modern surgical steel equipment, double
glazing and disabled access, a lack of preservatives and chemical enhancers. The sheep are allowed to graze freely in order to
meet increased demands in milk. everything down to the smallest detail has been studied carefully in order to harmoniously
LOcAL pROductS
combine the past and the present, and to highlight the farming tradition of a local community that once consisted of families Discover simple gastronomical treasures such as fresh eggs, courgette flowers, purple amaranth (a type of green), brown-eyed Mykonos
that each made their own cheese. The cheese dairy can be visited. mykonosfarmers.com beans (black-eyed peas) and aromatic plants such as oregano, thyme, fennel, spearmint, sage and marjoram.

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