Taste & Diet

The term cooking relates to the time required for a food to be considered suitable for consumption. The time of cooking varies depending on the type and the size, and differentiates the taste of the food.

Blue or Blue rare or Seared. The meat has been cooked in a very hot pan while the interior is still almost cold and virtually raw.

Black and Blue. It is the same as blue, merely changing the external surface which is quite darker since the pan is even hotter.

Rare. The outside of the meat is colored gray to brown and the inside is red with plenty of juices and slightly warm. The internal temperature in the center of the meat does not exceed 50 ° C-52 ° C.

Medium Rare. The center of the meat is at 55 ° C and has a pink color.

Medium. Dark brown color on the outer of the meat and in the center light pink color at 63 ° C.

Medium Well. The meat center reaches 68 ° C and there is a distinct two-tone coloration between the dark outer part and the light pink center.

Well done. The temperature has reached 73 ° C and there is no strong two-tone coloration between the center and the inside.

Cretan apaki: One of the finest cold cuts, it is tasty, aromatic and delicious. With its distinctive smoky flavor it has won our hearts and our palates.

A very tasty cold cut made with love in a special way. It is a natural product, traditional, and does not contain any preservatives. Its special taste is owed to the good raw materials, the high quality vinegar and the wonderful aromatic herbs of the fertile Cretan land. In its way of preparation, the extract of centuries’ old expertise in meat preservation becomes evident.

The traditional, genuine Cretan apaki is prepared from tenderloin, which has no fat and is very tender. The meat is seasoned, sprinkled with aromatic herbs, sage, oregano, savory and thyme and marinated for 2-3 days in vinegar made of fine wine. Then it is hung in a special place where it is smoked, slowly, with branches from olive, cedar, cypress, etc. and aromatic herbs, which result in an exceptional taste.

The apaki is made of pure pork meat without any fat, so in the right quantity, it is a good dietary choice. It contains B complex vitamins, niacin, zinc, potassium, iron and magnesium, proteins and sodium (salt). A thin slice (28-30gr.) has approximately 35 calories. There are many ways to enjoy it and all of them are delicious: Eaten plain or warmed up in the pan or the oven along with good wine or raki. It can boost the flavor of the bean or legumes soup of your choice, it can be fried or become a great base for various pasta sauces or add a special flavor to various soups, pizzas, salads and our beloved omelets.

Frozen … the misunderstood.

A large number of people believe that frozen fish and seafood is not as beneficial as fresh are. However, with the modern means used for their cooling, frozen fish and seafood are delicious, nutritious, economical and sometimes more beneficial than the corresponding fresh ones.

Frozen fish and seafood retain their beneficial nutrients, offering a variety of vitamins and minerals such as vitamins A, D and B2, phosphorus, calcium, iron, magnesium and zinc, which are conducive to the smooth operation and health of the cardiovascular and musculoskeletal systems.

In many cases, depending on how soon they are frozen, frozen fish and seafood may have an even higher nutritional value compared to the corresponding fresh ones. This can happen for example, in the case that a fish is frozen immediately after harvest, while a fresh fish may be consumed after some time, and thus its nutritional value gradually decreases as the decomposition process begins.

How nutritious are frozen vegetables?

Answers to this question are given by a survey conducted by the Laboratory of Food Chemistry and Biochemistry of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki.
The results of this study, which compared the nutritional quality of fresh (two or more days old) and frozen vegetables, confirm the data of the international literature.

Frozen vegetables do not appear nutritionally inferior compared to fresh (two or more days). There is a whole process in order to produce them, with strict controls to maintain the nutritional value of the product.

Vegetables, immediately after their harvest and the quick transfer to the processing unit, are immersed in boiling water (90-95 ° C) or are exposed to steam (2-4’), for the inactivation of endogenous enzymes (such as peroxidase), which are responsible for the loss of nutritional value and organoleptic characteristics (color, texture, taste). After this the vegetables are frozen at temperatures below -18 ° C. Consequently, the use of preservatives or other chemical additives is not required.

According to the survey’s results, it appears that frozen vegetables are superior in vitamin C content compared to fresh vegetable samples, if the latter were collected two or more days prior to their release to the market. This happens because the loss of vitamin C begins immediately after the vegetables are cut.