Kerkini farm

H Kerkini farm, his family farm Vassilis Papadopoulos, is located in its protected wetland of Lake Kerkini and is the most important vertical unit for breeding and processing buffalo meat.

Vassilis and his wife after a short stay in Germany in the 1980s, when there was no sign of work in the area - nor buffalo of course, because they appeared 20 years later - the 1999 started as a butcher and meat factory, in 2006 they stopped raising cattle and switched to buffalo breeding, completing their unit with the current facilities.

We visited the unit located a few meters from the lake, where in summer the animals walk and feed on the local flora and of course swim and cool off in its waters.

«All buffaloes as you can see have their identity and are certified by the Ministry of Rural Development. We have 80 breeding mothers and around 100 animals. The buffaloes live for 6 months with their mother and then for 12 months they are raised in another stable for fattening. They are smart, good animals, they love swimming, once we lost a water buffalo, which swam and they found it on the other side of the lake!Says the new generation of the family who, of course, do not even think about leaving their place and the family farm.

In the workshop we met the dozens of products of Kerkini farm, most of course from buffalo meat. We watched its production crab, where the buffalo meat is boiled, stirred for more than 8 hours and then seasoned with salt and spice, while the special taste is added by a "secret broth" of vegetables where the carrot stands out. Probably the most delicious kavourmas I have ever tasted.

Production cold cuts includes a wide range of codes:

• Village sausage with buffalo meat, boiled and smoked,
• Serres type salami (with whole peppercorns) with buffalo meat,
• Buffalo horseshoe sutzu,
• Kerkini sausage from buffalo meat.

In addition to traditional cold cuts, Kerkini farm also produces more modern ones buffalo meat sausages, such as smoked fillet, raw buffalo sausage, smoked buffalo steak, buffalo soutzoukaki fermented with onion, parsley and spices, while daring combinations with other products, such as cold cuts with Kymi figs or plum.

An admirable family farm - which utilizes the healthiest meat, do not forget it - with present and future in a beautiful place that seeks and finds its new identity.