If wine, a product of the magical fermentation of grape juice, is the gift of Dionysus to humanity, the tsipouro (or raki) is result of the culture of poverty and ingenuity of ordinary people, who in order to utilize the remnants of the production of wine (marcs), created the distillation and from there the discovery of the most favorite drink of the Greeks.

The tsipouro, the symbol of pride, dignity and valor of the ordinary people of the bio-struggle, but also a symbol of company, of companionship: "Let's go for sea bream".

In recent history, tsipouro has been associated with Tsipourodika, the shops that served it. The institution started from Volos, and especially from the refugees from Asia Minor. In the beginning, the tsipouro, which came mainly from Tyrnavos and the villages of Pelion, was drunk in the "thimbles", dry ham, without meze or with simple appetizers, such as cabbage, tsitsiravla, tsiro, pasta, political lakerda, tomato olive and sardines on the saucer. The refugees brought with them the love and habit of seafood delicacies and the ritual of the meze that accompanies tsipouro.

Ο Volos a century later, the tradition of tsipouro restaurants is alive. Protagonists of o "Crab" with 70 years of history, the oldest of the center, the "Yota" in the heart of the Old Wall, the "Demiris" in Nea Ionia with the strangest seafood delicacies, the "Gianna-Nikos" hangout of the city's universities, the "Buddy"in Nea Ionia a small area with the bird's milk and finally it "Mezen" where its chef owners wanted to renew the meaning of tsipouro restaurant and its appetizers. Not to mention the tsipouro restaurants of Volos, I love them very much and for many reasons. Which was finally recorded by a very magical guy, just recently.

The day before yesterday, the publishing house Nisos received a booklet "manual" on the subject Tsipoura in Volos. Creator of the Alexandros Psychoulis, painter professor of Art and Technology at the Department of Architectural Engineering of the University of Thessaly.

I read it in one go. His reading was a ritual, like the one he recorded. Alexander is not content with the descriptive themes of tsipouro restaurants, their aesthetic descriptions and their gastronomic content. He is concerned with the symbolic, ritual and anthropological character of the events, because as a modern popular event, my stranger, but also very close to me after reading his book, Alexandros, is facing tsipouro. You know Alexandre, I ate and spent my years studying cafes for the writing of my book "The cafes of Greece". I enjoyed your book, it was a pleasant surprise, flawless with concentrated meanings, without chatter, with many apt remarks, essential meanings and multiple approaches. Some minor disagreements or issues for discussion, close to Volos…!

I quote for prospective readers some excerpts from the book that I liked the most.

The manual is addressed to the "foreigner", to the one who comes to the city not only to drink sea bream but to reach, by drinking, snacking and discussing, the state of collective fullness, coordination, solidarity, the sweet feeling of low swing and the illusion that life is simple. ”

"The right shop with good bulk tsipouro, how we sit, the size, the company, the crunch, the menu, the character of the waiter, the conversation, the place, the time, and especially the pace are the factors that determine result. If something does not work properly, what you will experience will be just a good situation and not the coveted experience ".

"In the Volio tsipouro restaurant, everything starts in one word. The "with" or "without" are word-buttons, which activate the launch with concise procedures. The autopilot-waiter takes care of the rest. Που The appetizers that come - usually three plates each round - contain exactly the necessary amounts of taste stimuli that you need to accompany the alcohol ".

"In tsipouro restaurants, the chairs are not waiting for you, buried on the tables, but lined up on both sides. The traditional ergonomics of tsipouro drinking imposes the side seat and squatting. The legs do not come under the table, nor do the attendants sit in front. The chair is turned to the side which means now I do not eat but I sip while snacking ". 

Many wishes for a good trip to Tsipoura in Volos by Alexandros Psychoulis, this excellent manual. Study it and make it an act of enjoyment.