Petimezi – Concentrated Grape Juice – Nectar of The Greek Gods

 

 

Exactly what is petimezi, this delicious, sweet elixir, the world’s oldest natural sweetener, created in ancient Greece thousands of years ago?

Hippocrates the father of medicine mentions petimezi as long ago as the fifth century BC and Aristophanes, the Athenian playwright, also refers to it.

  To find out, I went to visit Panagiotis in Halki (Χαλκί), a rather out of the way picturesque little village, off the beaten track, in the Vocha region of Corinthia.

 

 

The panoramic views of the Peloponnese and the Corinthian and Saronic gulfs around the village of Halki, nestling in the hills above the coastal town of Vraxati, a few kilometres West of Corinth, are breathtaking.

 

Panagiotis Mantzioros

Petimezi Mantziotou Halki – Korinthos

 

Here in this peaceful, traditional Greek village, Panagiotis produces his petimezi, nectar of the Greek Gods.

 Panagiotis, a sweeter man you couldn’t wish to meet, was waiting for me and after coffee, served to us by his delightfully hospitable mother, Panagiotis taught me all there was to know about petimezi.

 Panagiotis explained to me that petimezi is pure, 100% natural, concentrated, unfermented grape juice, known in ancient times as epsima (The name for petimezi still used in Cyprus today).

 

 

 Petimezi is a thick, dark, sweet syrup (The depth of colour depends on the type of grape used).

The flavour is unique, sweet, with a heavenly burnt caramel aftertaste and it’s the healthiest alternative to sugar there is!

 

 

Petimezi is produced after the grape harvest, (Trigos in Greek) in late August to October, by boiling pure, fresh grape juice in enormous vats for hours, if not days, until about only a fifth of the original liquid remains.

 Panagiotis takes pride in making authentic petmezi in the traditional way, the way it was
made thousands of years ago.

Nothing is added, no sugar, no colouring, it’s pure, natural, concentrated grape juice.

 The grapes Panagiotis uses are Corinthian Sultanina, golden, seedless grapes with a delicate, unique flavour and sweetness, grapes which are grown by himself and by his father before him.

Sultanina grapes are packed with iron, potassium, selenium and vitamins A and B.

Traditionally imported from the Ottoman Empire, the sultanas grapes are so called, according to folklore, as after the Sultan left his grapes in the sun too long after fleeing when attacked by a tiger.

There after they were called sultanas. (The feminine form of sultan).

 

 

Panagiotis’ story

 

Panagiotis has a wonderful story about how he came to produce petimezi.

 As is typical in small, traditional Greek villages, families live in the same house for years, handed down from generation to generation.

 So it is with Panagiotis and his family.

 One day whilst clearing out an old outhouse, Panagiotis came across an old bottle.

After brushing off the cobwebs he saw that it contained a thick brown liquid.

 Cautiously, Panagiotis opened the bottle and took a smell, what could it be?

 On showing it to his mother she informed Panagiotis that it was petimezi, made by his grandmother Alexandra, more than thirty years ago.

 As Panagiotis went to throw it away his mother stopped him, telling him that Petimezi keeps forever, it never goes off and needs no refrigeration.

 This discovery played on Panagiotis’ mind, it put the seed of an idea in his head and in 2004, after much trial and error, Panagiotis put his first 100% pure and natural, authentic petimezi on the market.

 

 

 

Producing petimezi in the authentic, traditional Greek way

 

The process of producing petimezi takes three days to complete.

The grape juice is boiled, the froth is skimmed off, it’s boiled again, skimmed again, left to rest and boiled yet again.

 

 

 Either clean wood ash or special clean white earth is added to remove all impurities from the juice and yes you guessed it, boiled again, until the desired result is reached.

 

 

 Panagiotis’ whole family helps with the procedure.

 There’s much stirring of this aromatic potion and everyone takes their turn.

  I can tell you it becomes rather hot in there!

 

 

It’s a true labour of love, done, as they say in Greece, with Meraki ; something done with passion and with pride.

  Petimezi, the healthiest sweetener in the world, is rich in antioxidants, vitamins A and B, minerals, potassium, iron, calcium and magnesium, the list goes on.

 

Petimezi in Greek and Mediterranean cuisine

 

Petemezi has many uses in Greek and Mediterranean cuisine, the most common being to flavour “Mustokouloura” grape must cookies, seen in all bakeries and patisseries at the time of the grape harvest, delicious, spicy, dark cookies, with rather a gingery flavour.

 

 

Another use for grape must is “Moustalevria” a kind of pudding made from flour and grape must, served in small dishes and topped with chopped nuts.

 

 

 Instead of using shop bought syrups and sauces use petimezi as a healthy topping on yogurt or ice cream.

You can also mix it with balsamic vinegar for a delicious salad dressing.

 

 

Pour petimezi over panna cotta to add that special touch.

 

 

 Petimezi adds a burst of flavour when added to soups and stews,and it’s perfect for making a sweet and sour sauce, or for drizzling over mature cheese.

In fact, you can’t go wrong with petimezi, anywhere that calls for refined sugar (bad for your health!), use petimezi instead.

Panagiotis tells me that petimezi, as old as the vine, has been known since ancient times to work wonders for coughs and colds and taken in a shot glass every morning, or diluted in a glass of water, it will give you so much energy, you may very well have the strength of Hercules!

 

 

 In Greece, during the war when sugar was not to be found, petmezi was the only sweetener available.

 As food was scarce, petimezi, being so full of vitamins, mineral and iron, was daily given to soldiers to help keep their strength up.

Little did Alexandra know, that leaving her jar of her homemade petimezi in that outhouse over thirty years ago, would prompt her grandson, Panagiotis, into creating the successful petimezi business he runs today!

 Thank you Panagiotis for an enthralling afternoon, for teaching me about this unique Greek product and thank you for the bottles of  petimezi, I love it and use it anywhere I can.

I especially like it on yoghurt, on ice cream and on salad and well just about on anything!

 

 

 It’s so refreshing to see people keeping old traditions going with their hard work and devotion, slowly but surely many long forgotten artisan skills are making a come back.

Have a look at Panagiotis’ website: Petimezi Mantzioros. Halki Corinthia, pure, naturally sweet, concentrated grape juice

There are some mouthwatering recipes on there, why not give them a try?

 

 

Ambrosia and Nectar

 

 Maybe petimezi really is the nectar, mentioned in Greek mythology, thousands of years ago.

Ambrosia and Nectar were the food and drink of the Greek gods, said to have been delivered to Mount Olympus each morning by doves.

This divine Ambrosia and Nectar was then served to the gods of Olympus in golden goblets by Hebe, goddess and personification of eternal youth and cupbearer to the gods, who was bestowed with the gift of restoring youth to mortals.

Hebe was the daughter of Zeus and Hera and wife of the Greek hero Hercules.

It was said, in ancient times, that nectar, with its magical powers, bestowed immortality to any mortal who had the luck to drink it.

Wouldn’t it be fabulous if that were true about petimezi!

 

 

Ambrosia is a food, in general, only to be eaten by deities, to achieve immortality.

 Whoever consumed ambrosia no longer had blood in their veins but a substance called ichor, blood of the Greek Gods a fluid believed to be toxic to mortals, killing them instantly.

Thetis, mother of Achilles, is said to have anointed Achilles with ambrosia when he was born and then passed his body through flames, causing all his mortal elements to be destroyed.

Now to begin the search for ambrosia!