Tomato Soup

Wine, as a blessed commodity, plays a predominant role in the life of the Athonite monasteries. The founder of the monastic state of Mount Athos, Saint Athanasius the Athonite, decreed that each monastery should have its own vineyards. Thus, since the 10th century, the founders of the monasteries, recognizing the value of wine, have numerous vineyards in their monastic properties. On Mount Athos, there were no large areas for grain, due to the geographical difficulty and the wildness of the place. However, the microclimate of Mount Athos as well as its special vineyards, are key factors for a distinct wine production, unique throughout the Balkan Peninsula and the Northern Aegean. Even today, a number of monks from each monastery are in charge of the cultivation of vineyards and the production of wine.

We boil the octopus in a pan adding a cup of white wine. We don’t pour any water as the octopus will extract its own. When the octopus is cool, we remove its suction cups and we cut it into

Remove the pits from cherries with the special tool. Put them in a saucepan with the sugar and water and boil until the syrup thickens. When the mixture is cool, put the cherries in glass jars and pour over syrup as much as needed. Store the rest in bottles, so you can make sour cherry juice.