This old high school was built in the late 19th century and operated as a Bulgarian primary school. During the battle of 1913 it got nearly destroyed.
The division of its face into three parts, the decorative columns that indicate the entrance and scale, the ornate lintels with decorative wedges that point to forms of late neoclassicism, which is the dominant trend in the architecture of that period. It is currently being renovated for use as a folklore museum.
In the permanent exhibition of Paleontology the rich paleontological treasure of animal fossils and other findings of the Cave in St. George’s hill inKilkisare hosted, as well as other interesting exhibits such as the model of the dotted hyena of the cave, the "caver", the representation of the wild mule, etc. which date back to the last Ice Age.
These bones belonged to animals that have now disappeared from Europe due to the climate change, such as: the spotted hyena cave, the giant weasel, giant deer, primitive ox, wild horse and the wild mule. The fossils tell us a great story about the last 30.000 years in the region of Kilkis, when the hill of St. George was a dangerous den of hyenas. The first findings were discovered in the 60s, when the excavation began in the cave of Kilkis, but the report was only created in 2012. The scientific study, in collaboration with the Department of Geology of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, revealed significant results, such as a very high concentration of wild mule bone, Equushydruntinus, which is the largest in the world.
The exhibition of Paleontology is housed on the 2nd floor of the cafeteria on St. George's Hill, about 300 meters from the corresponding cave. It is a bilingual exhibition of modern design and graphics that represents the past with an attractive and understandable manner.
On the interactive table (design of NtikMol) a dummy of a dotted hyena and informational material for the different categories of large carnivores (wolf, hyena, lion, saber) can be found.
The uniqueness of the cave is the number of bones-almost 300- from the wild mule, which have been found inside; a number that is the most populous in the world.
The museum was built in 1966. It belongs to the Ministry of Defense, which is authorized for its operation. The visitor can see in the halls of the museum documents from 1912-1913, as well as personal belongings of the officers who participated in the battle of Kilkis: uniforms, weapons (mortars, grenades, guns, etc.) and regimental flags.
One of great interest is the relief map and the audio-visual presentation of the battle.There is also a miniature of the battleship Kilkis here.
Kinteata
Pontian
Ingredients for 2 people
1 bunch of nettles
5-6 mint leaves
4 tablespoons flour
some salt
some pepper
garlic
olive oil
Directions
We gather the nettles from a field or buy from the farmers' market.Clean and rinse them thoroughly and then blanch them in boiling water.Then, put the blanched nettles in a blender with some water and whisk the ingredients together by adding 4 tablespoons of flour gradually.Pour the puree into a saucepan and leave it on the stove to set, adding some salt, pepper andtheolive oil.Serve with a sprinkle of minced garlic and mint.
Editing & photoshoot :
Stella Spanou
Author of Cooking Books, Award Winning Photographer
Just a few kilometers south of Kilkis lies the archaeological site of Colchida, that stretches on the east bank of Gallikos River. Its foundation dates back to the 4th
AC century and it was probably preserved during the Ottoman rule, since the Turks called the villages of ColchidaAktse-Klise (Asproklissi, i.e.White church).
In the area there are traces of fortification of uncertain chronology, but also ruins of a Christian basilica of the 5thor early 6thcentury, that was converted to a Catholic monastery during the 9th or 10th century. The complex was destroyed and later rebuilt during the 11thcentury.The church has some of the best examples of Byzantine painting of the late 12thcentury.
Lachanontolmades (stuffed cabbage leaves)
Macedonian
Ingredients for 4-6 people
1 small cabbage
500g minced pork
1 & 1/2 cups rice (carolina variety)
2 onions
some parsley leaves
1 small cup olive oil
1 tablespoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
2 eggs
juice of one lemon
Directions
Remove the heart of the cabbage and dip it in hot water for 10 minutes.After draining the water, separate the leaves, remove the stems and cut each leave into halves.Grate the onions and sauté in olive oil along with the minced meat.After 5-8 minutes add the chopped parsley, salt, pepper, the rice and some water and let it absorb the liquid.
Put a tablespoon of the above mixture on each cabbage leaf and wrap tightly.
Place some of the thicker cabbage leaves at the bottom of the pot and place the wrapped ones over them in a scattered manner (not in any particular order).
Pour water or meat broth in the pot, enough to cover up all the wrapped cabbage leaves; add olive oil, salt and place a plate upside down on top of them, so that they won’t unfold while boiling.Boil for 3/4 of an hour over medium heat.
Prepare the lemon sauce by beating the eggs and slowly adding the lemon juice and some liquid from the pot; stir and pour over the lachanontolmades.
Editing & photoshoot :
Stella Spanou
Author of Cooking Books, Award Winning Photographer
Manti
Caramanli
INGREDIENTS for 4-6 people
1/2 kg minced beef
1 large onion
2 tablespoons tomato sauce
1 cup oil
1 cup chicken broth
salt - pepper
For the dough:
1cup milk
1/2 packet baking powder
2 eggs
1 cup oil
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 kg flour
DIRECTIONS
Chop the onion and sauté in a saucepan.Add the minced beef while stirring constantly, to prevent it from sticking to the pan.When the meat is ready (approximately ten minutes), add salt, pepper and the tomato sauce. Let it boil for 5 minutes, then remove it from the stove wait for it to cool down.
Put the milk, oil, eggs, baking powder and the salt in a bowl and mix gently. Gradually add the flour to the mix until the dough is soft and let it rest for half an hour.
Roll out the dough in sheets with a rolling pin and cut them in small squares.Add a spoonful of the filling in each square sheet and close it with your fingers, linking the 4 edges together of the top to form a pouch. Grease a baking tray with oil and put the manti in the tray.
Bake in the oven at 200 degrees for 30 minutes.Once removed from the oven, pour the chicken broth over the manti and cover them with a towel to soak up the broth. Serve with yogurt.
Editing & photoshoot :
Stella Spanou
Author of Cooking Books, Award Winning Photographer
Mantzanoskordo
Eastern Thrace
Ingredientsfor 2 people
1 large eggplant
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 tablespoon vinegar
3 garlic cloves
salt
Directions
Bake the eggplant on the grill (or oven). Peel off its skin but keep the stem on to hold the eggplant together.Mince the garlic and sprinkle it over the eggplant along with some salt.Serve the eggplant with olive oil and vinegar.
Editing & photoshoot :
Stella Spanou
Author of Cooking Books, Award Winning Photographer
In the beautiful grove of Leventochori, immediately after the protests under labor claims are over, the residents and visitors gather to celebrate the arrival of spring.
Meat pie
Macedonian
Ingredients for 4-6 people
6 phyllo sheets
1 cup olive oil
1 large onion
500gleeks, finely chopped
300gminced pork
salt & pepper
Directions
Pour half of the olive oil in a pan and sauté the onions; add the leeks after a while and leave them until they absorb all their juices.Then, sauté the minced meat for 7-10 minutes, add salt and pepper, remove from the stove and allow the filling to cool down.
Grease a baking tray and place the 3 phyllo sheets on the bottom of it, oiling each one of them; put the filling on top and cover it with the 3 remaining phyllo sheets, oiling each one of them again. Cut the pie in pieces and bake in a preheated oven at 180 degrees for 50 minutes.
Editing & photoshoot :
Stella Spanou
Author of Cooking Books, Award Winning Photographer
