Opson / Όψον

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Opson / Όψον

Opson makes gastronomic & cultural events.
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Our fundamental mission is to provide our guests with journeys through delicious tastes and history: experiences that will inspire you and help you get acquainted with the Greek gastronomy and tradition.

21/11/2023

The agora was a central public open space in ancient Greek city-states and the literal meaning of the word "agora" is "gathering place" or "assembly". The Ancient Agora of Athens is the best-known example.

The name, first found in the works of Homer, connotes both the assembly of the people as well as the physical setting. It was applied by the classical Greeks of the 5th century BCE to what they regarded as a typical feature of their life: their daily religious, political, judicial, social, and commercial activity. The agora was located either in the middle of the city or near the harbor, which was surrounded by public buildings and temples.

The word "agora" derives from the verb ἀγείρω (ageiro), meaning to bring together, gather together, to come together, assemble

Photo © F. Huebner. 1989, modern agora (market) in Crete.

20/11/2023

Have a sweet morning with pure Greek honey, warm bread and a cup of Greek coffee.

17/09/2023

Have a honey day 🐝

Meli (μέλι) means "honey" in Greek and it's a very old inherited word with Indo-European origins.

In the Linear B script of the Mycenaean Greeks is attested in the dialectical form, "meri".

In 600 BC a fully developed and legally regulated beekeeping arose in Greece. Famous ancient doctors used honey as a cure for various diseases and maladies.

29/07/2023

Hot evening, cool wine, delicious food, lovely company and stories to share, they constitute a summer night in the city.

Dinner walk!

13/07/2023

“As soon as I enter the door of a tavern, I experience oblivion of care and a freedom from solicitude. There is nothing which has yet been contrived by man, by which so much happiness is produced as by a good tavern or inn.”
― Samuel Johnson (English writer and lexicographer, 1709 - 1784)

A restaurant in Greece is commonly known as a taverna. Their history begins in Classical times, with the earliest evidence of a taverna discovered at the Ancient Agora of Athens; the style remains the same to this day.

ℹ Taverna (ταβέρνα) derives from the Latin word, "taberna", meaning inn, tavern, saloon, store. hut shed. Other synonyms: kapileio (καπηλειό), krasopouleio (κρασοπουλειό).

Artwork: Taverna, 1963 © Manoussakis Georgios (1914 - 2003)
Oil on canvas, 40 x 50 cm, NATIONAL GALLERY OF GREECE

Visit https://www.opsonexperiences.gr/?lang=en

06/07/2023

A Midsummer night's dream.

Listening to the song of the waves and enjoying scrumptious food with unique company. What else could one need, to create precious memories?

06/05/2023

Refreshing, nutritious, light, delicious or simply... Greek salad. Kali orexi! Bon appetit 😉

01/05/2023

Greek cheeses tasting!

🇬🇷

05/04/2023

Street ice-cream seller in Monastiraki, Athens, 1970 📷© Bob Olsen

The Ancient Greeks were attracted to “ices” as early as the fifth century BC. At the time, ice was actually made of honey and fruit-flavored snow. They became very popular among Greeks in Athens’ central market, spreading rapidly throughout the Aegean world. Though, Hippocrates is known to have criticized chilled products (drinks, in particular) for causing "fluxes of the stomach".

In Greece 🇬🇷, ice cream in its modern form, or pagotó (Greek: παγωτό < πάγος (págos, “ice”), was introduced at the beginning of the 20th century. Later, in 1936, Evga started the mania of ice cream on a stick, as they were the very first brand to make the delicious treat in that form in Greece.

27/02/2023

Kali sarakosti and let's have a happy Clean Monday!
Lagana is the celebration bread of Clean Monday and we love it.

22/02/2023

Η ελιά

Είμαι του ήλιου η θυγατέρα
η πιο απ’ όλες χαϊδευτή.
Χρόνια η αγάπη του πατέρα
σ’ αυτόν τον κόσμο με κρατεί.

Όσο να πέσω νεκρωμένη,
αυτόν το μάτι μου ζητεί·
είμ’ η ελιά η τιμημένη.
Δεν είμ’ ολόξανθη, μοσχάτη
τριανταφυλλιά ή κιτριά·

θαμπώνω της ψυχής το μάτι,
για τ’ άλλα μάτια είμαι γριά.
Δε μ’ έχει αηδόνι ερωμένη,
μ’ αγάπησε μία θεά·
είμ’ η ελιά η τιμημένη.

Όπου κι αν λάχω κατοικία
δε μ’ απολείπουν οι καρποί·
ώς τα βαθιά μου γηρατεία
δε βρίσκω στη δουλειά ντροπή·
μ’ έχει ο Θεός ευλογημένη,

κι είμαι γεμάτη προκοπή·
είμ’ η ελιά η τιμημένη.
Φρίκη, ερημιά, νερά και σκότη,
τη γη εθάψαν μια φορά·
πράσινη αυγή με φέρνει πρώτη

στο Νώε η περιστερά·
όλης της γης είχα γραμμένη
την εμορφιά και τη χαρά·
είμ’ η ελιά η τιμημένη.
Εδώ στον ίσκιο μ’ αποκάτου

ήρθ’ ο Χριστός ν’ αναπαυθεί,
κι ακούστηκ’ η γλυκιά λαλιά του
λίγο προτού να σταυρωθεί·
το δάκρυ του, δροσιά αγιασμένη,
έχει στη ρίζα μου χυθεί·

είμ’ η ελιά η τιμημένη.

- 1882, Κωστής Παλαμάς.

🎨 Olive trees (1938), by the Greek engraver Tassos (Anastasios Alevizos, 1914-1985)

🎨 Ελαιόδενδρα, 1938, του χαράκτη Τάσσου (Αναστάσιος Αλεβίζος).

16/02/2023

Today is Tsiknopempti; the Thursday of the 2nd week of Apokria (the week of Kreatini), during which large amounts of meat are traditionally consumed prior to the fasting season leading up to Easter.

In the Greek Orthodox tradition, fasting on Wednesday and Friday is important, therefore Thursday is the best day for Tsiknopempti.
According to sources, the origins of that delicious custom date from the ancient times in Greece and Rome, where the bacchic celebrations with grand feasts were a ritual that calls for a more fertile ground during the upcoming spring.

The name Τσικνοπέμπτη comes from the Greek words τσίκνα, which is the smell and smoke of grilled meat, and Πέμπτη, which means Thursday.

Photo: © Cas Oortbuys, Athens in the 1950s.

01/02/2023

Have a good, healthy, and "tasty" February, dear foodies!

February is derived from the Roman month Februarius, named after the Latin term "februum", which means "purification", via the purification ritual Februa held on February 15 (full moon) in the old lunar Roman calendar. The Februa was of ancient and possibly Sabine* origin.

The Februa festival was also known as "Lupercalia", connected with the Ancient Greek festival of the Arcadian "Lykaia", a wolf festival (Greek: λύκος, lýkos; Latin: lupus), and the worship of Lycaean Pan, assumed to be a Greek equivalent to Faunus.

* Sabini was an ancient Italic tribe located in the mountainous country east of the Tiber River.

Today, February 1, Saint Tryphon is celebrated on both the Orthodox liturgical calendar and the Roman Calendar of Saints. He is the patron saint of gardeners and winegrowers, hence it's a rest day for them.

23/12/2022

I know that it looks like a modern dish used in several gourmet restaurant nowadays, but it is not!

Actually that's a purely beautiful and elegant vase, restored from sherds found in Thessaly, Greece. 🇬🇷

It dates from the Middle Neolithic period (5800-5300BC).

🇬🇷

14/10/2022

The dittany in my little garden has bloomed!

Origanum dictamnus, a.k.a. the dittany of Crete is known in Greek as δίκταμο (díktamo) or in the Cretan dialect as έρωντας (erontas, "love"). It is a therapeutic and aromatic plant that grows wild only on the mountainsides and gorges of the Greek island of Crete. The Greek philosopher Aristotle in his work The History of Animals (612a4) wrote: "Wild goats in Crete are said, when wounded by an arrow, to go in search of dittany, which is supposed to have the property of ejecting arrows in the body."

It is widely used for food flavoring and not only. For example, one way to easily enjoy a dittany tonic drink is to prepare its infusion. In a container that can be tightly closed, place a few dried leaves and flowers. Its aroma is very intense so for a cup of drink one gram of dried herb is enough. Add hot water to the pot (temperature about 90oC just before boiling) and leave it for about 5 minutes. We choose to add water just before the boiling point so that by adding it to the herb we do not lose its volatile essential oils. Strain it and enjoy it plain, with honey, or in combination with other herbs.

I highly recommend https://tofillo.com/ for plenty of information about more Greek herbs.

Photos: © Giorgos Koniaris - Opson / Όψον

28/09/2022

One more delicious and enjoyable Dinner Walk we had; this time with Ailin and Lulu. Thank you for choosing Opson / Όψον girls.

Στην υγειά μας!

29/06/2022

"The Dinner Walk with Giorgos Koniaris was amazing! Having grown up in Athens as well as having previous generations of family living there, he had plenty of great facts and stories to share about the areas we walked through. We were very impressed with his wide range of knowledge from food to history to many other areas. His passion and love for Greek culture and history are very obvious. The dinner to end the night was excellent and all the dishes he ordered for us were absolutely delicious! Highly recommend giving Giorgios the opportunity to introduce you to Athens and the amazing food it has to offer!"

Shaun and Bridget from Chicago wrote for OPSON food tours on our Airbnb profile.

We are always very glad to make you happy and your feedback inspires us to keep doing our best!

https://www.airbnb.gr/experiences/1872279

08/06/2022

Good morning foodies! ☀️
www.opsonexperiences.gr

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Food is Culture

Ancient Greeks named “opson” anything eaten with bread or food, to give it flavor and relish, e.g. cheeses, vegetables, eggs, fish and meat. They also used the term “opson” to refer to “the most pleasurable part of any meal”.

So OPSON is everything. Food is not just a biological need but an occasion for friends and family gatherings and an integral part of rituals and ceremonies all over the world from the foundation of civilization till today.

From my childhood, I remember vividly relatives, friends and guests sitting around a table, talking, eating, laughing, drinking, sharing stories and experiences, expressing feelings and thoughts. On the table an assortment of homemade, mouthwatering small and biggers dishes jaded everybody’s apettite, while wafts, nicely decorated and served foods, plenty of colors did stimulate all our senses.

OPSON makes events of gastronomic and cultural interest. It was born from the need to keep creating such wonderful moments, to impart knowledge to foreigners and locals and share my passion and experiences with foodies from all over the world. Greek cuisine has much more to give you than just the trite recipes that most of you know already. My fundamental mission is to provide you all with sensational journeys through increased awareness, delicious tastes and history: an experience that will inspire you and help you get acquainted with the amazing Greek gastronomy and culture.