Shoushoukkos

Gerakies are famous for the preparation of the traditional siusiukko from grapes of the traditional white and black variety grown in the area.

For the inhabitants of the village it was a supplementary income, boosting the total family income.

The preparation of siusiukko dates back to the 18th century. The process of making this particular traditional product always started after the Feast of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary celebrated in the Holy Monastery of Kykkos on September 8

Along with the siusiukko, other by-products are prepared, such as zivania, wine, raisins and petimezi (Epsima – A sweetening substance which is created by intense boiling of the must) and it was used during the winter as a substitute for honey in their diet.

The process of making siusiukko has been passed down through time, from generation to generation and continues today in exactly the same way as a ritual, with only minor changes regarding the ingredients that are used. Perhaps, Gerakies is one of the few communities that continue even today to prepare this particular product in the difficult traditional way, like our ancestors.

In previous decades, the quantities produced were such that they even reached the United Kingdom as an exported traditional product.

The effort of all of us is the registration and certification of siusiukko as a PDO (Protected designation of origin). This will give surplus value to the product, thus greater purchasing power in the market and, by extension, greater income for those who continue to be involved in its preparation and those who choose to engage in this specific occupation in the future.