Local Products
Almost all products used in Manolis’ tavern are locally grown, either on own land or bought from neighboring farms. The meat (beef, pork and lamb), the vegetables, the honey, the wine, the raki (the local “grappa”, made of grape mash) the cheeses, the feta, the olive oil and much more make Manolis’ kitchen an extremely healthy and nutritious one.
Naxos is the most fertile island in the Cyclades. It’s most famous for its potatoes and cheese, but also Naxos tomatoes, olives, olive oil, fruits, honey, wine and liqueur (Kitron) are well known outside of Greece.
In 1990 the Naxos cheese factory was established by Emmanuel Koufopoulos. The main material used for all the products of the cheese factory is the top quality cow milk, collected from more than 100 cows existing at his farm and the cow and goat’s milk given to him by the approx. 200 selected cattle breeders existing in the mountainous regions of Naxos. The cheese – dairy goods are produced in limited quality. Especially the graviera cheese and the xinotiri (a soft and milky cheese from goats and sheep, which gets more compact with time) are well known also outside of Naxos. Xinotiri is on the list of the Ark of Taste, which is an international catalogue of heritage foods in danger of extinction, which is maintained by the global slow food movements.
