Kerkini buffalo meat
the Greek water buffalo
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the greek waterbuffalo
a free spirit...
A free spirit, the Greek water buffalo arrived in Greece thanks to Xerxes, who brought it as part of the supplies for his army while crossing the River Strymonas. It is an animal that is not fenced-in, but one that grazes freely along the shores of the lake.
In past centuries, its meat and milk saved the local population from starvation. From 1950 onwards, Dutch cows stole the show and the water buffalo was neglected. Its numbers were reduced and its meat was undervalued. It took the great food scandals of dioxins and mad cows to bring about the rediscovery of the safety and purity of the meat of the buffalo, formerly scorned
a creature of particular characteristics...
The Greek water buffalo, endangered and protected by the Ramsar Convention, is a creature of particular characteristics.
It lives in herds that wander freely, so buffalo meat is of guaranteed free-range origin. Dark in appearance and dark in colour, it is uniquely associated with the wonderful, unearthly lakeside landscape, where it lives alongside exceptional species of birds and animals, while it is being called upon once more to support the local people by the utilisation of its meat.
the ecosystem...
In the woodlands and around the lake, 276 species of bird have been recorded, 68% of the species in our country. Of these, 70 species are considered rare or endangered and are protected by the European Union: for instance, the great white pelican, the Dalmatian pelican, the pygmy cormorant, the night heron, the spoonbill, the glossy ibis, the black stork, and all the herons of the Ardeidae family, such as the little egret, the grey heron, and the great white egret.
Many subsequent modifications have resulted in a lowering of the level of the water and a contraction in the area of the lake; however, the beauty of the place, the quality of the ecosystem, and the fertility of the substrate remain, providing a habitat for over thirty species of fish, including the lake carp, the eel, the crucian carp and the wels catfish.
Amphibians and reptiles, as well as mammals such as jackals, wolves, wild cats, hares, foxes, ferrets, deer and badgers are able to live there in their natural environment.
Here one can discover herds of the Greek water buffalo. Once it was threatened with extinction, but thanks to the efforts of local people, it has not merely been saved, but has revived livestock farming in the area.
