Grove Koger
Nearly every island, it seems, can boast certain food and drink specialties born of happenstance or necessity. The Greek island of Naxos, for instance, is noted for a fresh, soft cheese called xynomyzithra that you’ll probably find crumbled over your green salad. Another specialty is a citrus liqueur based on the leaves of the citron tree.
The citron (Citrus medica) is one of the world’s original citruses. It may have originated in India, and Alexander the Great’s soldiers may have been instrumental in its spread westward. The citron fruit itself is relatively large, oblong, gnarled, and bitter. In Greece, its thick rind is sometimes sliced thinly and boiled in sugar syrup to produce what’s known as a “spoon sweet” to be served with a glass of cold water. And it’s in Naxos that an entrepreneur created Kitron (KEE-trohn).
Maggie and I visited the original Vallindras Distillery in the attractive little village of Chalki (once the capital of the island) in 2011. The operation was founded by Grigorios Vallindras, and its first product was apparently a version of the traditional Naxian citron-flavored raki known as kitrorako. It was the founder’s son, Markos, who created Kitron in 1896, and its popularity soon surpassed that of its traditional cousin. Today, the building is given over in part to a tasting room and small museum displaying equipment, bottles, documents and other artifacts from the distillery’s early days.
Workers begin harvesting citron leaves in September or October, when they’re at their most aromatic, after which they’re mixed with water, citron peel and spirits. After half a day or so, the mixture is filtered and distilled. The brightly flavored distillate is then sweetened with sugar, tinted with colorant, and bottled. Kitron comes in three categories. The sweetest is lowest in alcohol (about 60 proof) and green, while the driest and strongest (72 proof) is yellow. A clear version falls somewhere in between in sweetness and strength.
The export of Kitron began in 1928, but today little of the distinctive liqueur is shipped beyond the island, as the number of citron trees has declined. Kitron carries a European Protected Designation of Origin (PDO), which safeguards the reputation of the liqueur while outlawing unfair competition.
The image at the top of today’s post is a sign dating from the early days of the Vallindras Distillery, and the two photographs beneath it are scenes from the distillery’s museum. The modern yellow leaflet advertises the strongest version of Kitron, while the photo at the bottom shows a typical house in Chalki.
World Enough 