Monday the 8th of April started with breakfast in the University restaurant. We then got driven by our Greek friends towards the industrial part of Volos where we visited the mill of Barilla (Misko). This Italian food company has existed since 1877 and they believe food is a joyful experience and a form of sharing and caring.
In the mill the durum wheat arrives by trucks and gets loaded onto silos after pre cleaning. They check lots of parameters like protein, Gluten, yellow pigment, black tips, mycotoxins, heavy metals, chemical residues, humidity... Then the wheat is cleaned and tempered. The cylinder smashes the seeds into granules, using different size of cylinders or more than one they’re able to get different sizes. Pneumatic tubes send the granules upstairs to the control room. It gets into the roller mills, then into the moving sieves where it's separated into the different kinds and finally the purifiers.
Over 1 500 000 tons of wheat gets processed by Barilla every year. 80% of the used wheat is from local sources. They produce Semolina (for pasta), bran (rich in fibre used for wholegrain) and aluerone (which adds nutritional value). The company welcomed us nicely and let us taste their delicious cookies. Fun fact: on the flight to Thessaloniki I got to taste one of their microwave pastas!
On to the next company, Evol dairy company. A small cooperative that was formed in 1927 by Printzios. They give fair prices to the farmers they work with which is possible since the milk is of high quality and the yoghurt can be sold at higher prices. Everyday around 50 tons of cowmilk get processed here. We got welcomed with a chocolate goatmilk and even got a nice mug from the company! The milk comes from Pelion mountain, where special herbs grow because of the climate and therefore it has a different kind of taste. This cooperation started selling goat milk to support breastfeeding. They got the idea from Greek mythology since Zeus was raised on goat milk. Check out Amalthea to learn more about the story.
It takes the milk less than 24 hours to be processed and reach the store, so it is very fresh. The quality check is very thorough. In the milk of the animal they can even spot if it’ll be sick soon! Around 130 people work there and they work together with 7000 farmers. They produce 15 000 tons per year.
After our lunch we had some free time, quickly me, Lennaert and Margot started talking about organising a seminar and exchange week, more info in the future!
Then our speech about the Mediterranean diet (the theme of the week) started. All of us were dressed semi formally to listen to the speeches in the Technical Chamber of Magnesiabuilding. The first lecture was called: “Healthy eating, Mediterranean Diet, pyramid & ‘My Plate” by Maria Vlachava a PhD student of the University of Thessaly. As Hippocrates already stated 380 BC, “Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food.” or, in your diet everything should be in moderation with a variety of choices. Now, what is the Mediterranean diet? In the old definition it would be a diet consisting of: daily use of olive oil, eating more fruits, vegetables, whole grain cereals and fish and rarely eat meat and products. In the new definition however exercise and the way of eating becomes highly important as well. The diet involves a set of skills, knowledge, rituals, symbols and traditions,… Eating together is the foundation of the cultural identity and continuity of communities throughout the Mediterranean basin. You can see the new pyramid here: We learned about the origins of the diet, which includes lots of olive oil. The olive was and still is a main agricultural product of the Mediterranean region. Historically, the Romans used the olive tree to reclaim land, and together with the vine and wheat, the olive supported the development of civilization in areas of the Aegean sea. What are the health benefits of following this diet? Reduced risk of: Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, depression, diabetes, protection against some cancers, improved brain cognition, living longer and weight loss. We then learned about what a healthy eating plate is. Lots of vegetables, using healthy oils, plenty of fruits, lots of water, whole grains and healthy proteins. Want to know more? Check out www.choosemyplate.gov. The second presentation was by dietitian Eva Golpinou, titled: “Mediterranean diet and Great Lent” and talked about the fasting that people partake in, before easter. It starts on clean Monday to easter Sunday and requires you to abstain from meat, fish, dairy and eggs with as purpose self-discipline, avoiding sin and giving money to the poor.
The third and final presentation was by Dr. Tonia Karagiannis a dietitian as well. In “Benefits of Vinegar use in the Mediterranean diet” Dr. Karagiannis talked about the discovery of vinegar. Vinegar was discovered according to legend by Babylonians who found out that unattended grape juice turned into it. Vinegar has thus been sold for over 5000 years and is used to give taste to food but also as preservation. The night was closed of with a party in café Santan by IAAS Volos and ESN UTH CS called: Uniting the Nations – International party. We had loads of fun and danced until 3.30 am!