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by Crete Locals
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.
When visiting Crete, immersing yourself in the local cuisine is a MUST. The island’s culinary tradition is rich and varied, offering a unique blend of flavours that tantalize the taste buds. Among the must-try dishes are:
These are delightful little parcels made from grape leaves or courgette/ zucchini flowers, typically stuffed with rice, herbs, and sometimes meat. They offer a burst of Mediterranean flavours with each bite.
This is a classic Cretan dish that features a hard barley rusk topped with chopped tomatoes, crumbled feta or mizithra cheese, olives, capers, and a generous drizzle of Cretan olive oil. It’s simple, yet incredibly flavorful.
Cretan pies are a culinary masterpiece, often filled with a mix of wild greens, local cheeses and meat. These pies are not just food; they’re a piece of Cretan culture, baked to perfection.
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A true cheese lover’s delight, Saganaki involves frying a thick slice of cheese, often graviera or kefalotyri, to golden perfection. It’s crispy on the outside and melt-in-your-mouth soft on the inside.
A Cretan delicacy, these are often fried with olive oil and coated with rosemary, offering a crunchy and aromatic experience.
Antikristo, a renowned lamb dish from Crete, involves the locals dividing the lamb into four parts, seasoning it with salt, and skilfully threading the meat onto a sharp skewer. They then prepare a pit, filling it with ample wood to ensure a strong fire. The meat is carefully arranged around the fire’s edge, with meticulous attention paid to the fire’s strength, the meat’s placement, and even the wind’s direction.
Continue reading to delve deeper into the world of traditional Cretan food, where each dish tells a story of the island’s rich history, culture, and love for gastronomy.
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.
In general, the Greeks do not eat a heavy breakfast – maybe just a coffee and friganiés (a kind of toast) or a pastry like Bougatsa or other pies. Lunch is eaten between 14:30 and 16:00, followed by the sacred afternoon siesta before resuming work, at 17:30. Dinner is eaten late, starting at 21:00, with some restaurants open until midnight.
A fantastic way to savour traditional Cretan food is by joining a local who knows all the best spots. In Chania, there are wonderful tours available where locals guide you through the city’s culinary delights, sharing insider knowledge and stories. This is an ideal opportunity to truly experience the flavours of Crete. Make sure to check out this tour for an authentic taste journey: Chania: Guided Tour with Street Food.
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 Cretan appetizers are:
Other Traditional Cretan specialities include:
Winter is under the sign of soups, but in summer, they are not very common.
Chochlioí Boumpouristoí – snails or “choclioi” from Crete are highly prized throughout Greece. They are eaten fresh only in the summer months when they are inactive or immediately after the rain when they come out of the shell and are kept frozen to be prepared before Lent.
Chochlioí is prepared in countless ways (it is said that there are at least 40): bathe in salt water, boil with potatoes and pumpkin, fried with oil, rosemary and garlic or cooked with tomatoes, potatoes and thyme, in a dish called egíni.
At fish restaurants, the catch of the day is displayed at the entrance on ice, so you can choose the fish you want. It will be weighed, cleaned and cooked – pay attention to prices. If the fish or seafood is frozen, this is specified in the menu by an asterisk or directly in Greek (and is likely to happen between June and September).
Larger fish are grilled or baked, and smaller ones are fried; all are served with lemon or ladolémono (olive oil with lemon juice). The most common fish species are barboúni (mullet), xifías (swordfish), koliós (mackerel) and various types of bream. Seafood is also often grilled, but there are also more complex dishes, such as ktapódi krasáto (octopus with red wine and tomato sauce); soupiá (cuttlefish with rice and spinach) or garides saganáki (shrimp in cheese sauce).
Among the meat dishes that you can eat on the run, we recommend gýros (a fluffy pita, made with pork, garnish and tzatziki) or souvláki (skewers of barbecued pieces of pork or chicken). The more generous meals include whole roast chicken, loukánika (sausages, the best being in the Sfakiá region), lamb or soúvla (roast pork), all cooked to perfection.
Brizóla – pork or veal – is the classic cutlet; lamb or goat chops are called païdákia. Baked or grilled lamb is eaten mainly at Easter. Gída vrastí (boiled goat meat) is more common in the village, where it is usually served with a garnish of gamopílafo (rice pilaf).
Among the stews, we mention kléftiko (lamb cooked over low heat in tomato sauce), stifádo (beef with onion) and giouvétsi (meat with sauce and small pasta called kritharáki) – all these dishes are served in clay pots. Tsigaristó is a less elaborate stir-fry of lamb or goat chunks with vegetables.
Perhaps the most well-known traditional Greek dish prepared in the oven is Pastítsio. It is traditionally baked on a big plate in the oven, to be cut up into individual portions later.
The basic dish is composed of several layers. The pasta used is a cross between macaroni and penne, which separates the layers of minced beef, onions and cheese. The top layer is made of béchamel (eggs, milk and flour), which becomes solid in the oven and holds the whole dish together.
While Cretan cuisine features numerous meat-centric offerings, it’s essential to remember that the essence of Greek food is deeply rooted in its GREENS.
Here are the Vegetarian dishes for you to try:
You will find a lot of delicious vegetarian and vegan options on the Mezédes menu.
Here you have it! Crete’s top vegetarian delights. The variety is vast, ensuring every bite offers a rich and distinct flavour.
Most cheeses on the island of Crete are made from cow’s, sheep’s or goat’s milk, often from a mixture of two types of milk. The most famous cheese is feta which appears in all Greek salads or served plain, with olive oil and oregano. Graviéra and kefalotýri are harder cheeses with a more intense flavour; there are also many types of soft cheese, such as manoúri and anthótyro. Stáka is a very thick cream made from goat’s milk. Mizithra (Cretan Ricotta) is produced from the whey of any other cheese.
In a zaharoplastío (confectionery) you can taste the appetizing sweets, most of them inherited from the Ottomans:
The fruit platter offered by the restaurants on the house as a dessert contains seasonal fruits: watermelon or muskmelon in summer, grapes and pears in autumn, apple slices with cinnamon all year round; citrus or strawberries in spring. Greece imports few varieties of fruit from Italy or Spain and has almost no tropical fruits.
The Greeks have been making wine for millennia; the quality of the wine has increased a lot in the last decades. However, as production is low – many vineyards do not produce more than 20,000 bottles of wine a year – likely, you have not heard of even the best of them. Cretan wine was highly prized in antiquity; only in more modern times did it lose importance.
You can order red, white or rosé wine at the restaurant by hýma or varelísio, meaning by quarter, half or full carafes. The quality varies quite a lot on the island; if you are unsure, you can ask for a small quarter-litre carafe and some mineral water.
Oúzo is served at the beginning of the meal, with ice and water; due to anise, when mixed with water, oúzo becomes whitish. Cretans prefer a local spirit, rakí, distilled like oúzo also from grapes, but without anise. The strength varies between 40% and 50% alcohol. It is the cheapest drink on the island, often even cheaper than water, and many restaurants offer it on the house at the end of the meal.
Many types of beer are also produced in Greece, among the well-known Greek brands being Fix, Vergina (which are considered the best), Alfa and Mythos. Some brands you may find when out for a drink in Crete are Cretan Brewery, Solo Beer, Charma Beer or the brand-new Notos Lager by Notos Brewery.
The coffee is ellínikós or “Greek coffee “, strong and served in small cups. It automatically comes quite sweet (glykós) unless you specify that you want it métrios (medium) or skétos (without sugar). Don’t drink it until the end because it has coffee grounds on the bottom. Instant (nes) coffee is very popular in Greece, but it is even more appreciated when it is made Freddo – cold nes with milk, well mixed.
Mountain Tea is also called Shepherd’s Tea. This is because shepherds would use the plant for making tea while tending their flock in the mountains.
Real Cretan mountain tea is made from ironwort. This plant has many beneficial properties. The Greeks use iron tea for colds, lung diseases, stomach anxiety, and even stress. Greeks also love to mix herbs to create a special type of tea. Such exquisite drinks can be found in all restaurants and cafes in every city of Crete.
Soft drinks are the same as everywhere and it should be noted that fruit juices are not always freshly squeezed but pasteurized. For something simple and refreshing, try the mineral water, which springs from the mountains of Crete.
Καλή όρεξη! – Enjoy your meal!