In Metsovo, the visitor can taste and find products of exceptional quality from locally produced milk, herbs, and meat. The most famous products of Metsovo are by far two types of cheese, Metsovone, and Metsovella.
What is Metsovone?
Metsovone is a yellow, semi-hard, smoked cheese with a special smell. It has a delicate smoke aroma that offers a distinctive smoky taste. It is produced by mixing 80% cow's milk and 20% goat's and sheep's milk using the pasta filata technique. When the fresh cheese comes out of the molds (forms), it is tied with a rope and hung where it is smoked and matures for at least three months.
It has no holes, its shape is narrow and long (stick), while the weight of the stick that is externally waxed ranges from 1.5 to 4.5 kg. It is also sold in smaller pieces though. Metsovone is one of the most special Greek cheeses and the most famous that is produced by the cheese firm of the Tositsa Foundation in Metsovo, Furthermore, it has been characterized as PDO cheese (Protected Designation of Origin).
What is Metsovella?
Metsovella is a semi-hard, white-yellow cheese with a sweet, mild taste and soft texture. It is produced with a mixture of 75% goat's and sheep's milk and 25% cow's milk. Its shape is cylindrical and is sold in pieces of 1.5 or 2.5 and less. It is produced in the cheese firm of the Tositsa Foundation in Metsovo, while it is distinguished from the red label and its taste that is definitely distinctive.
What else does the Tositsa Foundation factory produce?
Apart from metsovone and metsovella, other products produced by the firm as the famous graviera (semi-hard white-yellow cheese from sheep's milk) and Metsovisio - Gidisio which is a white spicy cheese with pepper. All these types of cheeses are produced locally by the cheese factory of the Tositsa Foundation, which has been operating in Metsovo since 1955 and exports products all over Greece and the world.
The firm also produces in smaller quantities the sweet graviera that resembles the Gruyères type, parmesan, cow butter, and maisio a type of Chevre.
The wines of Metsovo (Katogi Averoff)
The area is also famous for its wines, with the most well-known representative being the award-winning Katogi vineyard owned by the Averoff family. This owes its name to the prominent citizen and politician of Metsovo, Evangelos Averoff. The winery has been cultivating the most mountainous Greek vineyards in Metsovo since 1959, while its red wine labeled as Katogi is known throughout the country and has won awards abroad.
The special local products of Metsovo in combination with the unique wine offer an unforgettable gastronomic experience. It is offered in remarkable taverns and restaurants with other tasty delicacies.