Cuisine of Crete

Crete is the first tourist destination in Greece with over 2 million visitors a year due to its unique natural beauty and surprisingly delicious traditional cuisine.

What makes Cretan cuisine authentic is the local raw materials used as a significant percentage of the population is involved in the primary sector and specifically mainly in oil, vineyards, olives, wine, livestock and cheese.

The olive oil they actually produce is the biggest secret of the Cretan diet and the longevity of the Cretans.

The Cretan diet is now known all over the world as, after research on nutrition in Crete, in 2012 it was recognized by UNESCO as the Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

The Cretan land, with over 1700 species of plants, has been characterized as a botanical paradise since about 160 of the plants are endemic. Cretan cuisine honors these herbs and especially oregano, rosemary, thyme and fennel. The aforementioned plants are also eaten by the Cretan lambs, which give the fine meat and the excellent quality dairy products.

If you want to have a good time and have your health, eat what is produced pure in your villages.

Even in meat the Cretans have their uniqueness. The lambs are baked face to face or baked in the oven while they have a particular weakness for the snails which cook them in various ways – snails, stew, etc.

Was there a case that the Cretans did not have unique proposals in pasta and pastries? Of course not! The Sfakian pies and the sweet mizithropitakia are unique in their kind and continuing in the pasta, the Cretans original with their own pasta such as the sioufika spaghetti, the mangiri and the noodles.

The only sure thing is that in Crete you will be full of its natural beauties and its delicious and authentic cuisine.