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Traditional Cretan Food: The Guide To The Best Authentic Cuisine On the Crete Island

Traditional Cretan Food

Traditional Cretan food has always been prepared from local ingredients, raw or prepared as simply as possible – grilled or baked. Since ancient times, Cretan cuisine has been based on several basic elements: olive oil, herbs, fish and seafood, goat or lamb meat, vegetables and fruits grown on the island. Later, Venetian and Ottoman influences were added to them, which created a special cuisine. Crete has many dishes that are found everywhere in the mainland of Greece, but also some specific only to this area. Today, the traditional Cretan diet is considered one of the healthiest in the world, so you can’t leave without eating in Cretan taverns.

Eating Out in Crete

Crete has plenty of restaurants specializing in certain types of food and drink. Although the differences between them are not too significant, we will show you what to expect.

Psistaría is a place specializing in grilled dishes, with a relatively limited range of salads and mezédes. A tavern is a bit bigger, with several dishes, including mageireftá, but also grilled meat or fish and wine in carafes. Most of the taverns are family businesses. A psárotaverna offers mainly fish and seafood dishes.

Ouzerí offers not only oúzo, the alcoholic drink specific to Greece, but also mezédes, to accompany it because you should never drink oúzo on an empty stomach. Oúzo is usually served with pieces of octopus, olives, cheese or fried fish, but you can choose something else. Mezedopolío is a bit more elaborate than oúzeri because here, the emphasis is on food. Kafeníon is a typical Greek café, formerly exclusively for men, which is still valid in the traditional villages in the centre of the island. Simply furnished, with old tables and chairs, it is the place where political events are debated, and backgammon is played.

Eating Time in Crete

The resort taverns also offer European breakfast, lunch and dinner menus. In general, the Greeks do not eat breakfast – maybe just a coffee and friganiés (a kind of toast) or a pastry. Lunch is eaten between 14:30 and 16:00, followed by the sacred afternoon siesta before resuming work, from 17:30. Dinner is eaten late, starting at 21:00, with some restaurants open until midnight.

Cretan Food Specialties You Must Try

At most restaurants, you will receive a reasonably varied menu. The menus are suggestive, so you know if the prices are within your budget or not – especially if you want to eat fish or meat, which are more expensive. All restaurants have a special fee, usually for bread brought at the beginning of the meal. Still, it does not exceed € 1 per person.  If you have the opportunity, try paximádia (a dry Cretan bread) or dákos (salted barley biscuits), which are served with a well-known salad called koukouvágía in the Réthymno region.

Mezédes or Appetizers

Carefully chosen appetizers, called mezédes, can even be a dish in itself in Crete. They are made to be shared by all who eat, which brings a sense of closeness.

The most famous Greek appetizers are: tzatzíki (yoghurt with garlic, cucumber and mint); dolmádes (sarmale in vine leaves stuffed with rice and vegetables – very rarely with meat) – served hot with avgolémono sauce made from eggs and lemon or cold with yoghurt; taramosaláta (cod caviar in breadcrumbs, olive oil and lemon juice); gígandes (beans with large grain, in tomato sauce); keftedákia (meatballs); fried squid; pleurotous mushrooms and tyrokafterí (a spicy cheese sauce).

Traditional Cretan Food

Saganáki is fried cheese, and feta psití is feta cheese baked with spices and garlic in aluminium foil. Kalitsoúnia are kind of doughnuts filled with greens or sweet cheese which served with honey.

Traditional Cretan specialities include volví skordaláta (wild narcissus bulbs with garlic), marathópitta (fennel pie), apáki (pork cooked over low heat) and sýnglinos (tender but slightly fatty pork). Wild greens such as stífnos, stamnagáthi (chicory, often served with meat) and askolýmbri (yellow squash) are often used in Cretan dishes. Greek salad or horiátiki saláta (which translates as “village salad”) contains tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, bell peppers and olives, plus a healthy slice of feta cheese.

Winter is under the sign of soups, but in summer, they are not very common. Psarósoupa (fish soup) can be found at most restaurants serving fish and seafood. Fakés soup (lentils), revýthia (chickpeas) or fasoláda (beans) are excellent for vegetarians.

And as always have a chilled day from the Viking