Houla hlu – traditional Pontic egg pasta, 500 g cooks in 4–5 minutes • irregular flat pieces hold sauce well • with tomato, mushroom and meat sauces
Geusi Vounou Houla Hlu is traditional Pontic egg pasta with a mild wheat-and-egg flavour. The irregular flat pieces hold butter, cheese and tomato, mushroom or meat sauces well.
- ● Cooks in 4–5 minutes • cook in boiling salted water
- ● Northern Greece • regional Pontic pasta shape
- ● No preservatives • according to the pack
- ● Simple recipe • semolina, flour, eggs, water and salt
Houla hlu egg pasta – a traditional Pontic shape (Geusi Vounou, 500 g)
Houla hlu, written as Choola Chloo on the packaging, are dry Pontic egg pasta in the form of irregularly cut, flat pieces. The name refers to a type of pasta rather than a ready-made dish with a fixed sauce or filling.
Pontic cuisine forms part of the Greek culinary tradition associated with the Greek communities of the historic region of Pontus. Houla hlu are one of its lesser-known dried pasta shapes and, like other regional varieties, can be served after cooking as the base of a dish in its own right or as a side dish with sauce.
Once cooked, they have a gentle wheat and egg flavour. The irregular, flat pieces have a larger surface area than smooth, thin noodles, so they hold butter, olive oil, grated cheese, tomato sauce, roasting juices and thicker meat or mushroom sauces well.
How to use
- Simply with fat and cheese – toss the cooked pasta with butter or olive oil, a little cooking water and grated hard cheese.
- With tomato sauce – serve with tomatoes, aubergine, onion, garlic and herbs; the irregular pieces also hold thicker vegetable sauces well.
- With braised meat – serve as a side dish with beef, lamb or chicken and its roasting juices or sauce.
- With mushrooms or in baked dishes – combine with sautéed mushrooms, cream or vegetables, or cook briefly before baking with cheese.
Add the pasta to boiling salted water and cook for approximately 4–5 minutes. Reserve a little of the cooking water before draining; its starch helps bind the pasta with butter, cheese or sauce.
Suitable for
Recommended related products
- Greek tomato and aubergine sauce
For a vegetable pasta dish. Finish the cooked houla hlu in the warmed sauce for the final minute, adding a little cooking water as needed. - Acaia Greek extra virgin olive oil
For simple serving with herbs and cheese. Add the oil to the freshly drained pasta so that it coats the flat surface evenly. - Blend of oregano, thyme and sweet paprika
For a meat or tomato sauce. Add the seasoning while braising the meat or vegetables rather than to the finished pasta.
Did you know?
- Houla hlu are among the traditional pasta shapes associated with Pontic cuisine.
- They are not a ready-made traditional dish with a single recipe, but a regional pasta shape for cooking at home.
- The label states a cooking time of 4–5 minutes and that the product is free from preservatives.
The product is not labelled organic.
Houla hlu – key features
- Traditional Pontic pasta – a regional Greek product with a less familiar name and straightforward preparation.
- Irregular, flat pieces – the broad surface holds fat, cheese, roasting juices and thicker sauces well.
- Gentle egg flavour – does not overpower vegetables, mushrooms, meat or seasoning.
- Five ingredients – semolina, flour, eggs, water and salt.
- Free from preservatives – the product contains no preservatives.
- Cooks in 4–5 minutes – quick preparation in boiling salted water.
- For simple or fuller dishes – works well with butter, olive oil, cheese, vegetables, mushrooms and meat.
- 500 g pack – enough for several main-course or side-dish servings.
Houla hlu can be served as a pasta dish in their own right or as a side dish with sauce or braised meat. The irregular shape works particularly well in dishes where the pasta needs to hold roasting juices, melted cheese or a thicker vegetable base.
Why choose Geusi Vounou
Geusi Vounou is an agricultural business from the Grevena region of northern Greece. Its fields lie near the village of Vatolakkos at an altitude of approximately 600 metres, and the business produces, processes and packs food under its own brand.
The brand’s story builds on the experience of grandmother Magdalini and her respect for nature, farming and traditional methods of preparing ingredients. This family experience is continued by business manager Panagiota Mouza and producer Vasilios Karapas, who comes from a farming family in Grevena.
Geusi Vounou combines Greek flavours with standardisation and quality control, bringing regional Greek foods to customers beyond its domestic market. Its production facilities operate according to HACCP and ISO 22000 systems; organic status applies only to specifically certified products.
Family farming origins
The business builds on the family’s experience in the Grevena region and the legacy of grandmother Magdalini.
Fields near Vatolakkos
The business’s farmland lies at an altitude of approximately 600 metres.
Production and packing under its own brand
Geusi Vounou combines agricultural production with the processing, packing and sale of its own range.
Controlled production process
The production facilities operate according to HACCP and ISO 22000 systems, with organic products labelled separately.
Ingredients
SEMOLINA, FLOUR, EGGS, water, salt.
Allergens: eggs, gluten.
FAQ
What are houla hlu?
Houla hlu are traditional Pontic egg pasta in the form of irregular, flat pieces. Boil them in water before serving.
What does the name Choola Chloo mean?
Choola Chloo is the transliteration of the Greek name shown on the packaging. We use the form Houla hlu in the Czech product name.
Are houla hlu traditional Greek pasta?
Yes. This type belongs to the tradition of Pontic pasta, a regional Greek culinary tradition associated with historic Pontus.
Are they a ready-made traditional dish?
No. The name refers to a type of dry pasta, not a ready-made dish with a filling or prepared sauce.
What do houla hlu taste like?
They have a gentle wheat and egg flavour. The finished character of the dish comes mainly from the sauce, fat, cheese, vegetables or meat.
How do you cook houla hlu?
Add them to boiling salted water and cook for approximately 4–5 minutes. Then drain and immediately combine with butter, oil or sauce.
What can you make with houla hlu?
Serve them with butter and cheese or a tomato or mushroom sauce, use them as a side dish with braised meat or bake them briefly with vegetables and cheese.
Why does the irregular shape work well with sauce?
The flat pieces have a larger surface area than thin, smooth noodles. This helps them hold thicker sauces, melted cheese, butter or roasting juices.
What are the ingredients, and does the pasta contain preservatives?
The ingredients are semolina, flour, eggs, water and salt. The label states that the product is free from preservatives.
Are houla hlu organic?
The product is not labelled organic on the supplied label, so we do not describe it as organic.
Additional parameters
| Category: | Food |
|---|---|
| EAN: | 5214002734923 |
| Country of origin: | Greece |
| Manufactured by: | Geusi Vounou, Βατόλακκος, Grevená, Greece |
| Vhodné pro: | GMO Free |
| Size: | 500 g |
Product rating
Be the first who will post an article to this item!
Discussion
Be the first who will post an article to this item!
Geusi Vounou – “taste of the mountains” from Grevena, Greece
Geusi Vounou (Greek: Γεύση Βουνού, literally “taste of the mountains”) is a family agricultural business from Vatolakkos near Grevena in northern Greece. The brand is run by Vasilis Karapas, an agronomist from a farming family who planted his first oregano on family land in 2014 while still studying. He later added Greek mountain tea, thyme, sage, saffron, lemon balm, other aromatic plants and pulses.
His grandmother Magdalini was an important influence, teaching the family how to work with local herbs and emphasising the value of traditional plant material. What began as a small student project developed into an agricultural brand combining Greek farming and culinary traditions with modern processing control, packing and export.
.jpg)
Not an anonymous brand. A real farm in Western Macedonia.
- Fields near Vatolakkos at approximately 600 m above sea level – not 680 m, as our website previously stated incorrectly.
- A family farming tradition – Vasilis grew up working in the fields and built on the experience of previous generations.
- Farm-grown herbs are naturally shade-dried to avoid unnecessary loss of aroma during drying.
- Herbs and pulses form the core of the farm’s own production. We use organic claims only for products that are individually certified; the brand’s wider range is not automatically organic.
Greek agricultural press reported in 2023 that the family farm covered approximately 50 hectares, including around 20 hectares of pulses and about 14 hectares of aromatic plants. Cereals used in crop rotation also remained part of the farming system. For the pulses and aromatic crops, the source reported certified organic cultivation.
Why Greek herbs are more than “just another oregano”
With Geusi Vounou, the main difference is not decorative packaging but provenance and the way the raw material is handled. Vasilis describes manual work from planting and weeding through harvesting, drying and packing. With aromatic plants, the aim is to preserve the character of the whole plant with as little processing as possible before packing.
For customers outside Greece, it is also useful to understand what individual Greek ingredients actually are and how they are used. A literal translation of the name is not always enough. Greek mountain tea, dittany, trahanas, kritharaki, hilopitaki and petoura are not marketing terms; they are specific traditional herbs, foods or types of pasta with their own uses.
From herbs and pulses to the wider Greek pantry
Today’s Geusi Vounou range is broader than the farm’s original production. At PraveBio.cz we therefore distinguish between two parts of the assortment:
- The farm-grown core: oregano, thyme, sage, lemon balm, Greek mountain tea, saffron, other herbs and pulses.
- The wider Greek range: traditional pasta, honey, mushrooms and truffle products, flavoured olive oils and other regional foods.
For each product we therefore check origin, ingredients, organic certification, the traditional name and the correct way to use it. The aim is not to sell customers “something Greek” without context, but to explain what makes each ingredient different, how to prepare it and why it has a place in Greek cooking.
Vasilis Karapas: from the first oregano crop to an export brand
Vasilis Karapas was born in Grevena in 1994 and studied agricultural development and farm business management in Thessaloniki. He has worked professionally in agricultural production and packing since 2014. Oregano was the first crop, followed by other aromatic plants and pulses.
Greek media reported in 2024 that more than 70% of production was exported. Exports began in Germany in 2018 and later expanded to other European countries, including the Czech Republic. Geusi Vounou was not created as a souvenir brand for tourists; it grew out of a working agricultural business and now sells its products across several markets.
Geusi Vounou at PraveBio.cz
PraveBio distributes Geusi Vounou in the Czech Republic and Slovakia. As with Ceylon Kokonati, we explain the differences between individual products, their Greek names, how they are used in the kitchen and the genuine USPs of each ingredient. Organic claims are used only where they apply to the specific certified product.
