What is Crete food? What is traditional Cretan cuisine? Which dishes should you seek out and what sort of dishes and flavors might you find when you visit this Greek island? This Crete Food Culinary Travel Guide provides answers with an overview of Cretan cuisine, including its famous olive oil, and our favorite mezze, traditional Cretan dishes, desserts and drinks from our travels across the island.

While I appreciate that Crete food and the traditional Cretan diet are known as being one of the healthiest in the world, every time I look at our food photos from Crete and remember our experience eating our way across island, I think: “Damn. That was just awesome food.”

Cretan cuisine is one of foundation, not of complicated sauces. Its strength lies in the quality and freshness of its ingredients, the use of wild herbs and greens, and purity of taste. And not to be forgotten, the copious use of olive oil, Crete's liquid gold.

We'll touch on the ingredients and philosophy of Crete food before diving into some of our favorite appetizers and sides, mains, desserts and drinks — and where we consumed them. The goal: you don't come to Crete looking only for gyros and souvlaki.

Let's dig in!

Cretan Food: Ingredients, Approach and Philosophy

When it comes to Cretan food, you could say it features the three F's: freshness, fragrance and family.

Wild Herbs and Greens

As we drove from Heraklion, the provincial capital of Crete, civilization quickly yielded to nature. “Pull over here,” Viki implored us as we made our way into the hills. We did.

She hopped out of the car and scampered off the side of the road, and returned a minute later with armfuls of wild sage, oregano, thyme and marjoram. The car filled instantly with fresh and fragrance. It was out of this world.

She also pointed to several plants growing nearby: “You can pick those for wild salads. We have over thirty kinds of wild greens in our mountains.”

The Cretan countryside smells of wild herbs and flowers. Oregano is perhaps the most common herb used, but sage, thyme, parsley, marjoram, basil (different than Italian basil), fennel, and dill also play a prominent role. On Crete, you'll find them used on salads, in dishes and also in beautiful, cleansing blends of herbal tea.

Cretan Vegetables and Fruits

One woman joked with us: “If you think this tomato is good, you should have tasted one from when I was a kid. Pure gold.”

Maybe so, but we were still impressed by the selection of local produce in the markets. Every time we went to a restaurant we learned that the food came from a nearby farm or village. And it tasted that way, too.

From pomegranates to peppers, Cretan produce is all about the crisp, the fresh, the retained flavor.

Olive Oil

Olive oil is the most important ingredient in Cretan cuisine. Virtually everything has a spoonful (or two or three) of olive oil thrown on top. Some Cretan dishes even swim in the golden liquid, only to their benefit. Savory pastries are fried in olive oil. Try french fries in olive oil and you'll be spoiled.

Crete features over 1.5 million olive trees. If you are born on Crete, it seems like a birthright that you own at least a few.

To place the importance of olive oil to the Cretan diet in perspective, consider that average olive oil consumption in Germany and the United States runs about 0.5 liters/person annually. In Crete, it’s 25 liters per person per year. The best and healthiest olive oil, natural to Crete, has acidity levels of under 1, with 0.3-0.6 being the ideal.

Crete Eating: Family Style

Before jumping into our favorite eating experiences on Crete, a note on the local style of eating. Family style is the name of the game: everyone shares.

Our guide, Ioanna, chuckled at us before we figured this out. As we served salad to our plates from the community bowl, she observed as a Cretan might, “You are strange. Just use your fork and eat right out of the bowl.”

Agreed. Community eating binds us, and it just might make meals taste that much better.

Cretan Appetizers and Sides

Dakos

A very typical Cretan dish. Rusks, a traditional dried bread that is baked several times and kept for months, is moistened in a bit of water, and topped with grated tomato, olive oil, cheese and oregano. Crunchy, light and full of flavor, it makes a perfect snack.

Marinated and pickled vegetables

Artichokes, wild onion bulbs, black and green olives are just the beginning of a mountain of marinated appetizer goodies that you'll find on Crete. If small plate eating is your thing, this is where experience begins.

Fasolakia

Fresh beans cooked with a little crushed tomato and olive oil. The simplicity of this dish belies its taste and reminds us never to judge a book by its cover.

Dolmades

Stuffed grape leaves, usually with a rice, herb and ground meat mixture. This dish is not specific to Crete; it's popular throughout this side of the Mediterranean.

Crete cheese

There's certainly no shortage of cheese on Crete. Among the main varieties you'll find: anthotiros, a sheep and goat cheese that's mild and soft when it's fresh and salty and earthy when hard; kefalotiri, a firm sheep or goat cheese, and mizithra, the typical fresh cheese of Crete made from sheep's milk (and when made from goat's milk it's called katsikithia).

Graviera, the typical hard cheese of Crete is usually made with sheep’s milk. Although the name sounds suspiciously like gruyere, graviera is nothing like its Swiss sister namesake. Also delicious when fried and served hot.

The best introduction to Cretan cheese is a walk through the market (preferably with some knowledgeable locals) and sampling visits to a handful of cheese stands. We did our Cretan cheese deep dive at the Atsalenio Wednesday market in Heraklion.

Sarikopitakia

Sheep’s cheese-filled pastries fried in olive oil. Named after the iconic traditional scarf, of the same shape, worn by the men of West Crete. We ate these fresh at the women's cooperative of Idaia Gi in the mountainous village of Gergeri (on the way to Phaestos).

Greek yogurt

Decadently rich and creamy, this stuff is to die for. The local Cretan yogurt variety is made with sheep's milk instead of cow's milk. Top it with honey, nuts, and some fruit for one of the most beautiful (and healthiest) breakfasts on the planet.

Kalitsounia Kritis

A pastry crust stuffed with a slightly sweet Cretan cheese mixture (often including mizithra). Their sweetness implies dessert, but they are also served as appetizers.

Where to eat it: For a vast spread of Cretan appetizers and nibbles, head to Agreco Farm outside Rethymno. Many of the appetizers you see above were devoured there. It’s an organic farm with a nice view of the coast; food is fresh and top notch. Also serves a full Cretan feast for dinner.

Cretan Main Dishes

Snails with Cracked Wheat (Coclious me hondro)

Fresh snails cooked with olive oil, salt, onion and red wine served in a cracked wheat stew. You’ll never look at eating snails in the same way again. Added bonus: you will also earn serious Cretan cred by eating this dish. We're told many travelers shy away from it. Not only did we enjoy eating it, but we felt honored to have been served it.

Cretan Rice

A rich, filling staple of Cretan weddings. Cretan wedding rice is made by boiling a side of sheep (we’re told older sheep are better for this dish) for hours and hours so that the meat becomes fall-off-the-bone tender. Served with rice cooked in sheep broth. It may sound boring, but the richness and depth of flavor will surprise you.

Artichoke hearts with wild hare

I heart artichokes. So imagine my excitement when we were served a dish overflowing with artichoke hearts stewed with wild hare (or the next door neighbor's rabbit) and crushed tomatoes. I had to really work hard not to eat myself sick with this dish.

Where we ate it: We enjoyed the main dishes above at Kalliope Kehadiadaki's Taverna in the village of Apostoloi in the hills just southeast of Rethymno (Tel: 30 28330 61285). Kalliope’s cooking is famous with locals and visitors alike. And, she's a sweetheart grandmother.

There’s no menu; just chat with Kalliope regarding what she has fresh and what you like. Ingredients come from her family farm or from other farms in the village. Very reasonably priced – €10-€15/person for a feast, including her husband’s wine and raki. The journey into the hills to find it is worth it. Special thanks goes to our guide, Ioanna Glypti, for introducing us. We would never have found it without her.

Psitos

Pork (usually) and potatoes slow-cooked in a traditional Cretan wood-burning oven. When the oven is hot enough, the wood coals are removed and trays of pork with potatoes are placed inside. The oven door is then sealed so no liquid or air can get out or in. Cooks for about 3 hours. It may not look like much in the photo below, but it is truly delicious and tender.

Where we ate it: Seli Ambelou, a family run taverna near the Venetian windmills on the way to Lassithi Plateau. This place is full of Cretan families on Sunday out for their weekly meal.

Cretan Seafood

We were surprised to learn that although Crete is an island, people don’t eat seafood as much as they do meat. One reason for this is that overfishing has pushed up the price of seafood. When you do find local seafood, it’s usually cooked lightly in olive oil. Worth a splurge.

Where we ate it: Taverna Spinalonga ARIS in Plaka. A great place to have a long seafood lunch after visiting Spinalonga island.

Cretan Desserts

Candied fruit

Candied fruit may sound boring. But when done right, it can be terrific. In this case, take the sour perfume-fragrant skin of a pergamont (pergamonto, or bergamot orange), candy it in sweet syrup , serve it with fresh yogurt and side it with raki. Never tasted anything quite like it. An inspired finish to a meal.

Loukoumades

Like hand-made donut holes fried in olive oil and topped with honey, cinnamon, and finely ground earthy bits like sesame or nuts. Decadent.

Bugatsa

Pastry filled with cream and/or cheese, and sprinkled with powdered sugar. The most famous bugatsa is served at Kipkop in Heraklion, founded in 1922 by Armenian immigrants who serve up the same recipe to this day.

Filo dough

While filo dough isn't a dessert per se, it's the foundation of many desserts on Crete, including the ubiquitous baklava. You’ll never look at filo dough again in the same way after visiting George Hadziparshos' bakery in Rethymno (Address: Verbadov 30). He takes a small ball of dough and in his methodical way stretches it over a burlap covered mattress — without a single tear, bubble or hole. Amazing.

Crete Wine and Drinks

Raki

It’s hard to visit Crete without drinking raki — a couple of times a day. Although raki is made in the same way as Italian grappa – from the remains of grapes (pits/skins) – it is fortunately smoother and less potent. And, it’s almost always served with food like savory little snacks or dessert.

When it's time to make the raki (October-November), Viki explained: “I can hear the smell of alcohol.” Yes, you can literally hear the crackling of the wood and the sound of raki stills piping away. Then you know it’s time to join friends and neighbors to eat, drink and fill up bottles of raki straight from the still.

Cretan Wine

Crete is one of the Greece's biggest wine producers. Most of the wine that we tried was of the local village homemade variety. While most of it was acceptable table wine, it didn't strike us as exceptional. However, one of our guides gave us a bottle of her husband's red wine and we were convinced that Cretan wine could, in fact, be truly excellent.

Herbal Tea

In the middle of the day or at its end, look for herbal teas. Never thought you could make wild oregano tea? You can, and it's nice. Mix and match herbs, or better yet, let your knowledgeable host do it for you. And stay on the look out for malotera, or mountain tea. A great way to keep your body hydrated and refreshed as you eat your way around the island.

Kalí óreksi!

Gluten Free Eating in Crete

If you have celiac disease or a gluten intolerance there's good and bad news about gluten free eating in Crete and Greece in general. On the positive side, many traditional dishes use fresh vegetables, meat and grains like rice or barley. On the negative side, filo dough and many of the snacks are bread based. It's important to always be careful and ask questions.

To help you navigate Cretan (and Greek) food so that you can eat local, but also gluten free and with confidence, check out this Green Gluten Free Restaurant Card and Gluten Free Guide to Greece created by our friend, Jodi. The restaurant card explains in detail, using local food names and language, your needs as a strictly gluten free eater, including common problems regarding cross contamination, so that you get the meal you want and need.

Jodi has celiac disease herself so she understands first-hand the importance of being able to communicate gluten free needs in detail and educate waiters and restaurants on what this means in practice. She created her series of Gluten Free Restaurant Cards in different languages to help celiac and gluten-free travelers eat local with confidence, and without communication problems or getting sick.

Note: These gluten free restaurant cards are not part of an affiliate plan or a way for us to make money. We are extremely fortunate that we can eat everything, but we've seen the challenges of others who are celiac or have food intolerances where every meal can potentially make them sick or cause pain. These detailed gluten free cards were created to help prevent that from happening and make eating out fun and enjoyable when traveling.

The post Crete Food: A Culinary Travel Guide appeared first on Uncornered Market.

We’ve landed on Crete, the almost-southernmost island of Greece.

We’ve just begun to explore the island and we thought you might like a taste – of the rivers of olive oil, the layers of history back to the ancients, and the Cretan people who are quite clearly a product of both.

Cretan Food

Fresh and fragrant is the name of the game with Cretan food. The island’s hills are covered with wild herbs such as sage, thyme, marjoram, even bay leaves (laurel). Olive oil, consumed at a staggering annual 25 liters per capita, is still very much a family business. And the temperate climate of the island means fresh vegetables and fruit for much of the year.

No wonder the traditional Cretan diet leans to health and long life. If what we ate on our first afternoon was any indication, we’re in for a treat.

Crete History

Crete evinces a deep history. From the mythological cave where Zeus was born, to its Minoan palaces, Roman cities, and Venetian forts, to the World War II cemetery, Crete’s contours and soil tell a story of a Mediterranean crossroads.

Windmills are a symbol of clean energy today, but wind power is not especially new technology on the Greek island of Crete. In the late 15th century, the occupying Venetians began to use windmills on the edge of Crete's hillsides to grind wheat. To better catch the wind, they attached fabric-like sails on the blades.

Today, after over 500 years of facing the elements, the sails are gone and the windmills that remain do so in various stages of disuse. In spite of all that, amidst the breeze, it's possible to imagine the two dozen windmills on the edge of the Lassithi Plateau in Seli Ampelou helping to churn out kilos of ground wheat.

The People of Crete

Although large areas of Crete are heavily developed with mass tourism, small villages are an easy drive away. Locals who’ve lived long drink coffee and while away the hours chatting — just as you might imagine they’ve done for ages.

Life has not been easy for many and people are anxious regarding the current economic crisis, but that doesn’t put a halt to the sense of hospitality and humor that Cretan people bring to the table. When the people we've spoken to discuss the current financial crisis, I’m quick to note – not to diminish but perhaps to commiserate – that the crisis brews also in America and ultimately worldwide.

As I took this woman’s photograph, she asked for a copy and said with a chuckle in a fullness of a life well-lived, still enjoyed: “If I like the photograph maybe I’ll use it on my gravestone.”

Coming Soon on Crete Week

In the coming days we’ll share visits to Crete’s main archeological draws of Knossos, Phaestos and Gortyn. We’re also hoping to hike through Samaria Gorge (weather permitting) and explore the areas in and around Chania and Rethymnon.

But for the moment, we take a lap with the locals, we share some bread and olive oil, and we get a sense of this big little island’s span of landscape, history and life.

Stay tuned.

Have you been to Crete? Do you have any suggestions for places to visit, local restaurants and awesome Cretan dishes to try?

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