Elia Bouvalisia of Serres

The buffalo belongs to a related tribe of cattle. Its distant origin is from the region of the Indies, where it spread to many places and was domesticated. They are large animals, reaching a height of 1-1.5 meters and their weight can reach up to 200 kg. Its coat is black, or reddish, sparse or dense, depending on the season. Especially in the summer, it looks like it has no fur at all. In fact, in the summer it usually sinks into the water and leaves only its head out. In this way, it avoids insect bites. Buffalo meat stands out for its deep red color, while compared to other meats, it has many more positive elements and organoleptic characteristics, which make it beneficial for the human body. Its intramuscular fat is also less, compared to beef, while the color of the fat is whiter. But how did the buffalo get to the area? The most well-known version is the one that claims that centuries ago, Xerxes used them to transport materials and supplies during the Persian Wars and some, then, ended up in the Strymons River, to become the ancestors of today's. However, relatively recently, in the 1950s, due to the large importation of cows from the Netherlands, they were minimized and tended to disappear. Shortly before 2000, the remaining populations were included in a conservation program with the designation of a rare breed of farm animals as endangered, and this greatly helped their increase. The animal production manager of the Greek buffalo breeders' cooperative, Mr. Dimitris Patousis, tells us that "the animals reared in the Kerkini area are offspring of the only certified indigenous breed, as confirmed by the Genetic Improvement Center of Thessaloniki, which carries out checks. »