Katsikaki Elassonas has a characteristic aroma with a pleasant smell and taste, is tender and succulent, and has a pH of 7.0-7.2. It has a thin or non-existent layer of fat and no subcutaneous fat, with a lean carcass that has high levels of linolenic acid. The colour of the meat is mainly white to pale pink, in accordance with Community regulations. The colour of the meat is mainly white to pale pink, in accordance with Community regulations.

The kids are fed exclusively on their mother’s milk until the age of slaughter. The goats graze freely on mountain pastures (above 250 metres altitude) and on artificial grassland. For 3-5 months, supplementary feed is given, mostly cereals, legumes, vegetables, straw, clover, oilseed products (mainly produced in Elassona province), vitamins and trace elements. The minimal artificial grasslands are fertilised with natural manure from the animals of the area, while the use of pesticides, herbicides and fertilisers is not permitted.

The area is mountainous and semi-mountainous and ranges in altitude from 250 to 2550 metres. Sixty per cent of it is covered by pastureland, where a wide variety of grasses, herbs, and aromatic plants grow. The parts of Elassona province that can be grazed include natural pastureland, agricultural land where animal feed is grown, fallow land and seasonally grazed land. The natural pastureland is covered by grass, scrub and partially wooded pasture. These areas are chiefly characterised by the great biodiversity of the existing flora, with many aromatic plants.

The herbaceous vegetation consists primarily of grasses and to a lesser extent legumes and composites. Of the grasses, Festuceae, Hordeae, Pemineae, Aerostideae, Phalatideae and Aneneae are the most common subfamilies. The characteristic herbaceous plants are Festuca rubra, Dactylis glomerata, Bromus sp., Trifolium sp., Stipa sp., Lolium sp., etc. The scrub pasture contributes significantly to the needs of the animals, both with young shoots and with the herbaceous vegetation that grows in the shade, while the grazing capacity amounts to 1.39 animal units.

The herbaceous vegetation consists primarily of grasses and to a lesser extent legumes and composites. Of the grasses, Festuceae, Hordeae, Pemineae, Aerostideae, Phalatideae and Aneneae are the most common subfamilies. The characteristic herbaceous plants are Festuca rubra, Dactylis glomerata, Bromus sp., Trifolium sp., Stipa sp., Lolium sp., etc. The scrub pasture contributes significantly to the needs of the animals, both with young shoots and with the herbaceous vegetation that grows in the shade, while the grazing capacity amounts to 1.39 animal units. The extensive rearing of goats is integral to the culture and to the conservation of the natural environment, but is also an essential part of daily life in the province.

The extensive rearing of goats is integral to the culture and to the conservation of the natural environment, but is also an essential part of daily life in the province. It is low-weight with a thin or non-existent layer of fat and no subcutaneous fat. Katsikaki Elassonas has a higher level of protein (19.63%) than kids in other regions (18.9%), total fat is less than 1.02% (compared to 4.83% in other regions), and the colour of the meat is white to pale pink, whereas lowland meat is slightly red. Furthermore, analysis of fatty acids in carcasses has shown that kids in Elassona have higher quantities of linolenic acid (C18:3) than kids in lowland areas. Katsikaki Elassonas has tender, succulent meat with a characteristic aroma and a pleasant smell and taste, even at older ages. For all these reasons, Katsikaki Elassonas is in high demand in many urban areas: the prefectures of Larisa and Katerini, Athens, Thessaloniki, Crete and abroad.

The quality characteristics of Katsikaki Elassonas meat are due to the particular soil and climate conditions of the area (mountainous and semi-mountainous land), with rich vegetation and a wide variety of plants (on Mount Olympus alone there are 1700 species of plants), many of them aromatic. The animals that graze the mountainous and semi-mountainous areas of Elassona consume a wide variety of grasses, herbs and plants. In addition, the animals often cover long distances, leading to a body shape that differs from that of animals at lower altitudes, and especially those that are confined. The antioxidant substances in many aromatic plants give a special aroma and taste to the milk and especially to the meat of the kids, which is why they are in great demand among consumers.

There is a link between the intensity of the aroma and the linolenic acid (C18:3) found in higher levels in free-grazing animals, and between these sought-after characteristics of suckling-kid meat and the soil, vegetation and microclimate of the province of Elassona.

Analysis of fatty acids in kids in Elassona reveals them to have higher quantities of linolenic acid (C18:3) than kids in lowland areas. Apart from this, the aroma is also affected by type of nutrition, breed, manner of rearing, age, and the animal’s reproductive status.