The Cretan way of eating
Cretan cuisine is often held up as a model of the Mediterranean diet, built around olive oil, vegetables, pulses, herbs, cheese and modest amounts of meat and fish. It is also simply delicious, full of strong, clean flavours and generous hospitality.
Meals tend to be shared. Order several plates for the table and take your time; lunches and dinners can easily stretch for hours.
Market street
Heraklion's central market street, running south from Lions Square, is lined with stalls and shops selling olives, honey, herbs, spices, cheeses, nuts and dried fruit. It is a great place to stock up on edible souvenirs such as thyme honey, dried mountain tea and dittany, a herb that grows wild in Crete.
Small eateries tucked among the shops serve quick, inexpensive lunches to market workers and locals alike.
Dishes to look for
Dakos is a Cretan classic: a hard barley rusk topped with grated tomato, crumbled mizithra cheese, olive oil and oregano. Kalitsounia are small pies filled with cheese or wild greens, sometimes sweet, sometimes savoury. Snails cooked with rosemary and vinegar are a traditional speciality.
Among main dishes, look for lamb or goat slow-cooked with herbs or greens, and gamopilafo, a rich wedding rice cooked in meat broth. Wild greens, known as horta, are simply boiled and dressed with olive oil and lemon, and they are far tastier than they sound.
Raki and the end of the meal
At the end of a meal in Crete, you will very often be brought a small carafe of raki, also called tsikoudia, a clear grape spirit, along with fruit or a small dessert, on the house. Accepting it is part of the experience; sip it slowly.
For the best tavernas, step away from the busiest tourist streets and look for places full of Greek families, especially later in the evening, since Cretans tend to dine late.
Wine and olive oil
Crete has a long winemaking history, and local wineries in the hills south of Heraklion produce reds and whites from native grape varieties such as vidiano and liatiko. Many tavernas serve their own house wine by the carafe, and it is usually decent and inexpensive. Olive oil is everywhere and of excellent quality. If you have time, a visit to a winery or olive oil producer in the countryside makes a lovely half-day outing, and a bottle of local oil is one of the best souvenirs you can take home.
Good to know
- Pack honey and olive oil securely in a checked bag.
- Dine later in the evening for a livelier, more local atmosphere.
- Try a few small plates rather than one big main to sample more.