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XpatAthens

Wednesday, 06 October 2021 07:00

How To Make The Perfect Cup Of Greek Coffee

Greek coffee is a strongly brewed coffee that can be found all over Greece, a staple of the Greek diet, and an integral part of the country's culture. According to studies, Greek coffee has major health benefits, going as far as to say that drinking a cup of Elliniko kafe a day can increase your lifespan!

To make Greek coffee, you'll need a briki, a metal (copper is best) pot with a long handle. Brikis come in many different sizes–anything between 2 and 6 cups is acceptable. However, keep in mind that if you're serving more than 6 cups at a time, you'll need to do it in stages.

What You'll Need

1. Greek Coffee 
2. A briki
3. Water
4. Sugar
5. Demitasse cups

How To Make It

Step1: Take however many demitasse cups are needed and fill each with water. Then, pour the water from each cup into the briki. Add 1 heaping teaspoon of Greek coffee into the briki for each demitasse cup.

Step 2: Add sugar as needed: 1 teaspoon for metrios (medium) 2 for glykos (sweet)

Step 3: Put the briki on a gas burner and turn it on to medium-low heat.

Step 4: After a few minutes when it starts to get warm, continuously stir the mixture until it dissolves. Once all is dissolved, stop stirring.Continue to slowly heat and watch for the foam to rise and take it off right before it begins to boil. (This foam is called kaïmaki) and the richer the foam, the better the coffee.

Step 5: If it’s just one cup, pour and enjoy. However, if there is more than one, pour a little into each cup, then go back to the first, and fill up each cup to the top. The reason for this is that you spread the foam to each of the cups so it will be present in each person's coffee.

 
Sit back, relax, and enjoy your coffee!
A pedestrian walkway across Zea Marina in Piraeus is set to offer archaeology lovers a seaside stroll through time as it aims to connect wall fortifications, towers and ancient harbor finds.

The Culture Ministry has tabled a plan which has already received the approval of the Central Archaeological Council to establish a historic route that will highlight the port city’s ancient history and landmarks.

The walkway, which will include the Hellenic Maritime Museum, will bring all the main sites, findings, buildings, cisterns and parts of the famous Kononeio Wall together through wooden ramps, bridges and constructions aiming to offer visitors insight into the port city’s vast history.

To read this article in full, please visit: Greek Travel Pages
Tuesday, 23 May 2017 20:57

March 14 - Out & About In Athens

Discover the best places to visit in Athens with a list of top wine bars and a Sunday brunch along the Athenian Riviera!

Please click HERE to view this issue of our newsletter!

Remember to stay connected with us through our weekly newsletterFacebook, and Twitter!
Millennials in Greece trying to enter the job market come up against countless closed doors. At the same time though, they are quite innovative and proving themselves capable of charting new paths.

This kind of thinking is what resulted in the first Makerspace in Athens. It is a small, communal workspace for young professionals who do not have the funds to rent or buy their own and equips them with modern and traditional tools.

Today, items made by professionals at Athens Makerspace adorn the windows of the workshop in the eastern Athens neighborhood of Kaisariani. There are colorful plastic figures made using a 3D printer and a wooden disc with the workshop’s imprint, carved with a CNC router and inspired by the Phaistos Disc. Walking through the door of the Athens Makerspace it becomes immediately clear you’ve entered a lively, cooperative place equipped with specialized tools for each craft.

To read this article in full, please visit: Ekathimerini
The big day for all meat lovers is almost here! Tsiknopempti is right around the corner and now is the time to stock up with all the necessary meats, vegetables, salad dressings, sodas and beverages you will need for one of the most important days devoted to BBQ in Greece (after Easter of course…).

Do you need to get all of your supplies fast, hassle-free and delivered to your doorstep? 

Don't worry, it's easy! Open your laptop or tablet and log onto www.e-fresh.gr.

e-Fresh.gr is the best online supermarket that delivers your groceries within hours to the whole of Attica from 7am to 11pm on weekdays and Saturdays. The minimum value of your order must be 25€ or more, and you can by cash, POS, credit cards, even PayPal. You choose the day and time of delivery and the people of e-Fresh.gr will take it from there.

So what will need for Tsiknopempti?

At e-Fresh.gr you’ll find a big selection of fresh or frozen meats of all kinds, sausages and more traditional selections. You can search for the best side dishes for your meat feast like Freskoulis salads and of course a huge selection of salad dressings. There is also an impressive variety of beer and soda, as well as wine and snacks.

So, forget about the hassle of running to a supermarket. Get on e-Fresh.gr, create your account, shop from the comfort of your own home, and get that BBQ grill fired up!
Everyone knows that we Greeks love music; in joy and in sadness, we sing! And truth be told there’s a great number of music genres to accompany all moods and mind states. There’s folk songs, rebetika, laika, entexna (sophisticated music), as well as mainsteam music like pop & rock.
 
The two golden decades of the 50’s and 60’s produced great composers, distinguished performers, and some of the best Greek songs that were ever written.
 
Undeniably, one of the most recognizable Greek tunes worldwide is that of the song ‘Τα Παιδιά του Πειραιά’ (The Children of Piraeus). The song was first performed by Melina Merkouri, in Jule’s Dassin’s film ‘Never on Sunday’ and fascinated cinema & music lovers all over the world. Furthermore, this song earned Manos Hadjidakis an Academy Award for Best Original Song in 1960. Since the 60’s ‘Τα Παιδιά του Πειραιά’ has been sung by various artists such as Nana Mouskouri, Pink Martini, and even Miss Piggy from the Muppet Show!
 
Discover more Greek songs that became international hits, here: omilo.com
A full moon illuminated the waters at Greece's Koroni castle on August 15.
The moon was celebrated with cultural events around the country, with local media reporting that museums and archaeological sites would stay open late.

The famous Koroni castle is saturated with Greek history. Built in the 13th century by the Venetians, the castle overlooked the ruins of an ancient acropolis as well as a Byzantine fort in the Peloponnese.



















Video Source: Euronews














The Hellenic Civil Aviation Authority on Sunday issued an aviation directive regarding domestic and international flights during Greece's nationwide lockdown, namely from November 9 to November 30.

Domestic Flights
From 6 am on Monday, November 9, domestic flights and commercial and general/business aviation to all airports in Greece are allowed only for necessary travel, such as medical reasons, business trips, the reunification of families, and returning to a person's permanent residence.

International Flights
From Tuesday, November 10 onwards, all passengers of international flights departing from Greece must fill in a Passenger Locator Form.

From 6 am on Wednesday, November 11, travelers to Greece must manifest a negative COVID-19 test no older than 72 hours. Incoming passengers will also be required to fill in a Passenger Locator Form (PLF) at least one day before arrival, providing detailed information, such as their departure airport, the address where they will be staying, and the expected duration of their stay in Greece.

The Hellenic Civil Aviation Authority emphasized that before accepting passengers onboard, airlines must check:

1.
The Passenger Locator Form submission confirmation
2. The correspondence with the QR code and the Passenger Locator Form

Airlines that do not comply with the new rules will be responsible for the repatriation of passengers at their own expense.

To read this article in full, please visit: greekcitytimes.com
A total of 545 beaches in Greece were awarded the prestigious Blue Flag award for 2021, putting the country in second place among 49 countries, according to data released by the Greek section of the Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE).

The Halkidiki peninsula in northern Greece, renowned for its golden sand and turquoise waters, swept most of the 545 awards, earning 155 flags. Crete, with more than 120 green flags, follows and Rhodes, which is in third place with 63. In Attica, the popular beaches of Varkiza, Voula, and Vouliagmeni all passed muster as well.

The iconic Blue Flag is one of the world’s most recognized voluntary eco-labels awarded to beaches, marinas, and sustainable boating tourism operators. In order to qualify for the blue flag, a series of stringent environmental, educational, safety, and accessibility criteria must be met and maintained.

The Blue Flag was created in France in 1985, as a pilot scheme from the Office of the Foundation for Environmental Education in Europe where French coastal municipalities were awarded the Blue Flag on the basis of criteria covering sewage treatment and bathing water quality.

According to a 2020 report by the EU environment agency, Greece is among the top five European nations in terms of the cleanliness of its swimming waters, while Cyprus is at the very top of the list. More specifically, a total of 97.6 percent of reported swimming areas are in line with the minimum quality standards and are thus classified as “sufficient” or better. 95.7 percent are classified as “excellent.” No swimming area in the entire country was classified as “poor”.

To read this article in full, please visit: greekreporter.com
For most people, the summer holidays mean beaches, exotic cocktails, relaxation, sunshine-filled carefree moments, and, of course, food; lots of food!

There are many reasons why we tend to get weight during the summer holidays, from swimming, which is known to whet one’s appetite, to parties and social gatherings where we get more reckless regarding what we eat. Not to mention all these delicious summer foods, with ice cream, our all-time favorite summertime treat, being on top of the list.

If you feel like you have let yourself go a little bit and want to get your fitness back on track, here’s a list of some Greek foods, both healthy and tasty, to help you jumpstart your healthy eating habits!

Garlic

Garlic

Garlic possesses a number of properties that are super good for our body, including antibacterial, antifungal, antiviral, and anti-inflammatory properties. Garlic has been used as a natural detoxifier for thousands of years because it helps the body produce more glutathione, an important antioxidant that ensures healthy liver and kidney function and detoxification.

Almonds

Almonds

Almonds are a valuable healthy ally that we should definitely include in our diet. Just a serving of almonds (about 30 grams) provides 35% of recommended daily intake of vitamin E, and is also a great source of omega-3 fatty acids (the good type of fat!). Not to mention that almonds benefit the regulation of bad cholesterol, boost brain activity, help bone density, and improve skin and hair health.

Capers

Capers

The caper shrub mainly flourishes in the Aegean Islands (especially the Cyclades), and capers are a great addition to the Greek salad and every other salad, actually! Quercetin, their main flavonoid compound, possesses antibacterial properties and significantly improves immune system performance. Moreover, capers contain vitamins, antioxidants, and anti-histamine properties.

Tomatoes

Tomatoes

A staple of the Greek diet, used in hundreds of recipes, tomatoes are great for reducing oxidative stress in the body and are a major source of vitamin C. This hugely variable ingredient has a high lycopene concentration when cooked protecting us against heart disease and various cancers.

Beetroot

Beetroot

Another Greek staple - everyone has heard about pantzarosalata, after all - beetroot is known for its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Beetroots are a great source of fiber, folate (vitamin B9), potassium, iron, and vitamin C and have been associated with numerous health benefits, including improved blood flow, lower blood pressure, and increased exercise performance
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