Although Crete is the number one tourist destination in Greece with two million visitors a year, it also maintains an important productive population that deals with the primary sector, with olive oil, vine and wine, vegetables, animal husbandry and cheese making. The combination of the mountains and the sea with the prolonged sunshine, which makes the products tastier, and the love of the Cretans for good food have made Crete the absolute culinary paradise.
The Cretan diet is healthy and tasty with recipes that date back to very old times but also with modern, creative interventions that give the food a different taste through many original combinations. The good quality of life of the Cretans can be seen in a meal cooked with the best and purest ingredients.
Vegetables and fruits are grown in harmony with the seasons. Peas, zucchini and legumes in the Spring, beans, peppers, eggplants, tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, potatoes, pumpkins throughout the summer and carrots, spinach, beets, etc. in the winter. The apples, pears, oranges, cherries, figs, grapes and bananas produced in Crete are unique. Wild greens form the core of traditional cuisine and are particularly loved for their diverse flavors and health benefits and are usually boiled and served with lemon.
A wide variety of cheeses are produced in Crete. Their basis is goat's milk. Graviera is a yellow, spicy cheese, particularly popular throughout Greece. Myzithra, sour myzithra, xigalo, anthotiros, kefalotyri, tyrosouli etc. are very delicious and worth a try. Yogurt is produced in a traditional way and has a characteristic aroma and taste. The meat from goats and lambs is the most loved in Crete and is the main dish for feasts, weddings, celebrations and also in home kitchens.
The visitor can try salad with dakos, a layer of rusks with grated tomato and feta, wild green pies, small square pies with wild herbs, kaltsounia filled with mizithra cheese, fennel pies, and boureki with layers of potato, zucchini, fennel and mint. Many different dishes contain lamb, or goat. The meat pie with boiled goat or lamb and a variety of cheeses, the sizzling lamb, the lamb with stamanagathi greens, and the anticristo, which is lamb ribs placed upright facing the fire are some of them. The Sfakianes pies, small pancakes typical of Southern Crete, xerotigana, which are made of twisted dough that is fried, with sugar, honey syrup, grated walnut and cinnamon on top, and loukumades with honey and nuts are the most beloved desserts.
Cretans drink raki or tsikoudia, a spirit of grape pulp, produced in distilleries, rakokazana. Raki production is a celebration. Raki accompanies food in cafes, at parties and in everyday life and unites people. Also, the climatic conditions and the dedication of the winemakers create interesting white, rosé and red wines, which fit perfectly in the Cretan cuisine.
(More articles about Crete on www.gomega.gr)
