{"id":3986,"date":"2020-11-25T22:13:14","date_gmt":"2020-11-25T20:13:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.elissos.com\/?p=3986"},"modified":"2020-11-25T22:13:14","modified_gmt":"2020-11-25T20:13:14","slug":"the-true-traditional-dishes-of-crete","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.elissos.com\/ru\/the-true-traditional-dishes-of-crete\/","title":{"rendered":"The True Traditional Dishes of Crete"},"content":{"rendered":"

Which are the true traditional dishes of Crete? Where is the best place to eat these unique Cretan dishes? We can assure you that in this article, we will introduce you to the authentic Cretan Cuisine we enjoy in our Households and suggest to you the rare areas in Crete where you can try it!<\/p>\n

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The island is famous for its rich and delicious cuisine. The Cretan gastronomy hides a philosophy of life. It refers to the way of life of the Cretans, where food is a huge part of the culture. Furthermore, the Cretan diet is healthy and tasty, with recipes that reach our days from the depths of the centuries. Nonetheless, today with modern creative interventions, and with high-quality products, Cretan dishes are a unique experience on their own.<\/p>\n

The inhabitants of Crete, over the years, have learned to honor their land that generously offers a huge variety of products, such as oil, wheat, wine, honey, herbs, and aromatic plants. These products are the basis for Cretan cuisine<\/a>. In recent years, long-term scientific research proves their health properties and nutritional value.<\/p>\n

\"Traditional<\/p>\n

1. Antikristo — Traditional Cretan Meat Dish<\/h2>\n

Antikristo is the most famous Cretan lamb dish. The locals cut the animal into four pieces, add salt, and carefully pass the pieces of the meat onto a sharp stick. Then a pit is dug where a lot of wood is placed, to have plenty of fire. Afterward, they place the wood with the meat around the perimeter, always taking into account the intensity of the fire, the distance of the meat, and even the direction of the wind.<\/p>\n

During the Turkish occupation, the meat was rarely cooked, as people feared being betrayed by the smoke of the fire. However, today the meat is simmered for 4-6 hours. From a nutritional point of view, antikristo is a healthy way of cooking. What makes antikristo particularly unique and healthy is the fact that the whole technique is such that it avoids the creation of carcinogens. More specifically, the meat is cooked on low heat and then on the coals that simmer. Moreover, the meat is at a distance from the hearth, so the fat does not drip on the fire and its proteins are not altered. Finally, the use of wood is an advantage, because the smoke produced is clearly \u201chealthier\u201d than that of industrial coals.<\/p>\n

The traditional recipe does not include spices or marinating meat, due to the lack of such facilities in the countryside. Nevertheless, you can marinate the meat, as research indicates that it not only gives flavor to the meat but also builds a protective wall on its surface with the help of the antioxidants in the food we use for marinating. Therefore, we recommend using garlic, onion, turmeric, and wine for the marinade. The addition of oregano, rosemary, or thyme during cooking will help protect you from toxic substances and will surely satisfy your palate!<\/p>\n

\"gamopilafo<\/p>\n

2. Gamopilafo — Traditional Cretan Pilaf<\/h2>\n

The traditional Cretan pilaf is served at weddings, engagements, and baptisms. Especially if you try it in a household of a Cretan village you will have a unique taste experience. The rice symbolizes the deep roots of marriage and, the couple’s fertility. The presence of rice at weddings is a custom since ancient times in Greece. \u00a0The wedding pilaf was first cooked in Western Crete but over the years it became the most famous wedding dish on the entire island! According to tradition, the men prepared the pilaf, not the women.<\/p>\n

Every Cretan family had a «gamopilafo specialist» who was in charge of the dish at family weddings. The men of the family and their friends together with the chief «specialist» brought from their houses very large pots where they boiled the meat and kept the broth. In Cretan weddings, there were always many types of meat. For example, goats, lambs, chickens, and roosters that were boiled for 4-6 hours. To this broth, they added lemon juice and boiled the rice over low heat. Then they put «stakobutter», a butter formed on the surface of the freshly boiled goat’s milk. Buttermilk makes all the difference!<\/p>\n

\"culinary-private<\/p>\n

Experience: Lassithi Plateau & Diktaion Andron by Elissos Travelling Philosophy<\/h3>\n

The Lassithi Plateau & Diktaion Andron<\/a> experience is ideal for those who want to taste traditional Cretan dishes. Apart from exploring the fertile Lassithi Plateau<\/a> and the Cave of Dikation Andron<\/a>, you will have the chance to lunch at a local house. There, you will taste traditional Cretan plates deriving from the mountainous regions of the island. The local cooks will prepare for you several dishes paired with their local wine.<\/p>\n

\"lentil<\/p>\n

3. Legumes with Apaki — Traditional Cretan Soup<\/h2>\n

This dish can contain all the legumes you have in our fridge. This plate has its roots in antiquity. It is the continuation of ancient customs, wherein celebrations related to the fruition of the Earth people made such ritual offerings to the gods, especially to Demeter<\/a>. This happened in both ancient Greek and Roman times.\u00a0Today, in many villages of Eastern Crete, this food is common. It is a salad or soup of legumes and wheat that was made by the people of the countryside. They gave the same food to their animals.<\/p>\n

The dish is served with dill or parsley and with plain oil vinegar or even with plain vinegar or lemon as a hot soup. \u00a0Let us now turn to the evolution of the soup. We urge you to enrich the taste of the soup with slices of «apaki». Apaki is smoked cured meat from lean pork, produced in Anogia<\/a>, Crete.<\/p>\n

\"Minoan<\/p>\n

Experience: Minoan Tastes by the Beach by Elissos Travelling Philosophy<\/h3>\n

Minoan Tastes<\/a> An experience focusing on Minoan flavors and Minoan-style cooking. Attend an introductory presentation of the Minoan cuisine around the hearth fire. An Archaeologist and Scholar of Minoan Cooking vessels will be teaching the class. For the rest of your culinary adventure, you will make Minoan-style lentils in ceramic pots and bake pita flavored with herbs or dried fruits. You will enjoy a 3-course meal by the fire with the tastes from the land and the sea. You will taste the high-quality ingredients in all the dishes and you will have a choice of either red or white wine to pair the dishes with.<\/p>\n

Here are a few of the dishes that you will prepare, just to get an idea: Lentils flavored with herbs and honey, also topped off with olive oil. Pork simmered in wine and finished with either aromatic herbs and fruit or a savory seasonal sauce. Octopus or calamari simmered in wine with onions and tossed with olive oil and aromatic herbs.<\/p>\n

\"boiled<\/p>\n

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4. Stamnagkathi — Traditional Cretan Greens<\/h2>\n

Stamnagathi, Cichorium Spinosum<\/a> was known by the Ancients as \u201cSeris\u201d. In Crete, it is called \u201cMavres\u201d (black) due to its color.\u00a0It is essentially a wild variety of radish that has a pleasant bitterness along with a slight sweetness, a trademark of Cretan cuisine. It has always been considered an enviable food that few were able to obtain. This is mainly due to the difficulty of harvesting as it grows in inaccessible places.<\/p>\n

The most common ways it is served and consumed are the following:<\/p>\n