Elassona retained its Homeric name, Olosson, almost intact. Homer refers to it as “White Olosson”, the town that took part in the Trojan expedition with 40 ships, headed by Polypoetes. It was initially inhabited by the Lapiths, but owes its great significance to the Perrhaebi. It was the largest town and capital of Perrhaebia. The Byzantine city was built upon the ruins of the ancient city and continued its historical course.The insufficient flat land and the weak irrigation at the region of Elassona forced a large part of the population to turn to stock breeding. The festival of feta cheese, a key ingredient of the local food chain, takes place at the end of September in Elassona with a variety of related activities and demonstrations of traditional cheese-making. During the three-day event a scientific congress is organized and sampling stands can be found at the central square.