Taste the local Crete

26/08/2023

06/06/2023

It's probably the most emblematic Cretan dish to taste! Snails of Crete cooked in vinegar from red wine and rosemary (chochlioi boubouristi).

A freshly made dish full of aromas and flavors that we had the chance to taste at

Snails in Crete are juicy and particularly small in size.

And there are several ways to taste them: snails cooked with wild greens, snails cooked in tomato sauce with onions (choclioi stifado) and also snails cooked with xinochondros trachanas (a Cretan type of pasta)

The real Cretan cuisine loves the one-pan recipes and keeps things simple.

After all, it's a humble cuisine at its core.

Follow a self-guided itinerary and visit local food spots for authentic Cretan flavors. Check all tour itineraries created by Taste the local Crete on website.

15/05/2023

The most emblematic Cretan dessert served just after your meal in restaurants!

Fresh yoghurt made from local sheep's milk with syrupy spoon sweets made from Cretan 🍇grapes, quinces, bergamots or even oranges.🍊

It completes perfectly your meal and it's regularly served with a glass of tsikoudia (Cretan spirit drink).

A refreshing and fruity Cretan sweet delicacy!

03/05/2023

🧀 Why cheese in Crete is of superior quality?

Crete counts 14 cheese varieties and 4 of them are listed as products of Protected Destination of Origin (PDO):

1. Graviera Kritis
2. Xinomizithra Kritis
3. Xygalo Sitias
4. Pichtogalo Chanion

🔎In fact, the island of Crete has the most PDO cheese varieties in Greece!

But why? Crete is not just a large island, it gives the feeling of a whole continent. Here the landscape is full of mountains where goats and sheeps freely graze.

Crete counts more than 1.600 different kinds of plants and wild herbs and almost 170 of them are endemic, which means that they grow only in Crete.🌿🪻🌱

And that's the purest natural food for goats and sheeps.

Therefore, Cretans have become excellent in the livestock activities, especially when it comes to the making of cheese.

🧳Visit Crete and explore the real Cretan products meeting the people behind them.

Go for a self-guided food itinerary, at your own pace, or let's create your customized food experiences together!

18/04/2023

Spring escapes in Rethymno! Now it's the perfect time to visit the valley with the red Cretan tulips (tulipa doerfleri).🌷🌷🌷

Gious Kampos is known for the wild flowers including the red tulips and an extraordinary variety of orchids.🪷🪷

If you look closer, the orchids seem to have the shape of a little human.

The best time to visit Gious Kampos is around the end of March to early days of May. An explosion of color and scents!💐💐

Rethymno is an all-year-round destination. Make the most of every season following a self-guided tour itinerary at your own pace.

🔎Check all self-guided tours created by Taste the local Crete in bio.

13/04/2023

Kalitsounia is a popular sweet Cretan delicacy but have you tasted the handmade phyllo pastries from the area of Sitia?

At the easternmost part of Crete, Sitia holds a long tradition in the making of kalitsounia and traditional sweet delicacies from sourdough.

It all starts with a small piece of sourdough!

The treatment of sourdough is considered to be a kind of art as it demands patience and talent.

Local bakeries and pastry workshops in Sitia are specialized in the making of kalitsounia with a distinct soft texture that melts in your mouth.

You'll find two different types of kalitsounia, based on shape, filled with fresh mizithra cheese and thyme honey from Sitia that gives a delicate sweet flavor.🍯

During Easter, people fully participate in the joy of making kalitsounia!

😉For more authentic Cretan tastes check all self-guided tour itineraries in bio.

24/03/2023

Are you a slow-travel enthusiast?

🧳 A self-guided tour itinerary relies on the slow-travel philosophy.

No need to follow strict plans, no rush, enjoy your freedom while traveling.

🏝️Choose your self-guided tour itinerary to explore the island of Crete at your own pace.
Check all tours created by Taste the local Crete on website.

20/03/2023

Seafood and Cretan wines pairings! If you love seafood tastes, you will find your happiness in Crete. The island has an abundance of fish and seafood.🦐🦐🦐

Grilled fish simply served with an olive oil and lemon sauce, combined with a freshly made salad is a perfect summerly meal. 🐟

🫒 An olive oil and lemon sauce, made from extra virgin olive oil, is all you need to taste the real flavor of the fresh seafood. 🍋

And what's better than teasing your taste buds with a glass of good Cretan wine, made from local grape varieties such as the white ones "vidiano" or "thrapsathiri"!

Fruity and delicate in flavor with distinct aromas. They also pair excellently with a dessert of white cream.

Enjoy!

😉 For more authentic Cretan tastes follow a self-guided food itinerary created by Taste the local Crete. Check all tour itineraries: https://bit.ly/3QO9EnZ

31/01/2023

A special gastronomic event with Cretan wines and food pairings!🥂

Greece is one of the oldest wine producing places worldwide. Crete island boasts a wine tradition that is 4000 years old.

🍷A special night including wine tasting from Toplou winery (Lassithi) and a veritable Cretan menu.🍷

Cretan grape varieties from the easternmost side of Crete, Lassithi, giving exceptional wines of distinctive flavours and aromas.

Around 11.000 acres of vineyards are concentrated in the eastern part of the Lassithi, near Sitia, which is covered almost in its entirety with the Protected Designation of Origin “Sitia”.

🍇Liatiko grape variety is the king of Lassithi giving strong red dry wines pairing well with a meat of intense flavour (lamb).🍇

It also gives delicate rosé wines to pair with pork meat and red sweet wines to complete your meal with a nice dessert.

Liatiko is one of the most distinctive wine varieties in Greece bringing the aromas of ripe fruit and spices.

Thrapsathiri and Asyrtiko are grape varieties that give delicate white wines to pair with seafood, fish and foods with white sauces.

Explore the trademark wines of Crete and meet the people behind the finest Cretan products.

🔎 Take a look at our self-guided food itineraries! Check on our website:https://bit.ly/3QO9EnZ

18/01/2023

Did you know that Crete is famous for the cultivation of a unique kind of bananas?

Giorgos Vasilakis is one the few local producers of the authentic Cretan banana in Crete (Lasithi).

🍌In this small local farm, in Sitia at the easternmost side of Crete, Cretan bananas are cultivated in the most pure way and that's why they are of incomparable taste. 🍌

It's the superior quality of these aromatic bananas that makes them so special giving a sweet delicate flavor.

The authentic Cretan bananas, which are particularly small in size, have a higher nutritional value compared to the imported ones.

😉Their soft texture and their rich sweet flavor make them an excellent choice for sweet recipes replacing sugar.

Meet the people behind the finest Cretan products. Choose your self-guided itinerary and start exploring the rich culinary culture of Crete. Check our website: https://bit.ly/3QO9EnZ

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11/01/2023

Did you know that Crete is a perfect destination for cheese lovers?

The distinctive flavors of the Cretan cheese products come from animals that graze freely in the mountains. And the Cretan land is rich in aromatic wild herbs and plants.🌿

🧀 Graviera Kritis is one of the Greek cheese products with protected designation of origin (PDO).

It's a cheese of hard texture with a distinctive salty flavor. It's basically made from regional sheep milk.🐑

Graviera pairs perfectly with Cretan honey on top. But it's also used in the making of saganaki (fried cheese). And if you're looking for original rich flavors you should try an aged graviera cheese with a glass of good red dry wine.🍷

Galomizithra is a soft creamy cheese made from goat milk and it's used in the making of dakos salad (dakotyri).

It has a mild delicate flavor and it gives a nice creamy texture when added on pasta or in salads. But you'll also taste galomizithra in the traditional Cretan cheese pies (mizithropites).

And these are just a few of the Cretan cheese varieties. Visit Crete and taste the finest Cretan products following your self-guided food itinerary.

🔎Take a look at our self-guided tours! Link in bio

29/12/2022

🍯 In Crete, honey symbolises sweet life. Wild thyme honey is the most emblematic honey of Crete.

It's a product of high nutritional value and it has a distinct aroma and a rich delicate flavor of thyme with a gold color.

Honey with Cretan graviera cheese is a beloved food pairing. Honey added on top of the mizithra cheese pie is a tasty combination. And yoghurt pairs perfectly with honey and walnuts.

💮 Thyme honey selected from the thyme fields in Sitia, at the easternmost side of Crete, is a distinctive feature of this unique area which was designated the Sitia Global Geopark by UNESCO.

The dry, rocky soil and the warm climate of Sitia allow thyme plants to grow in abundance giving a fragrant thyme honey.

🧳Visit Crete and taste the finest Cretan products following a self-guided food itinerary with Taste the local Crete.

🔎Take a look at our food itineraries! Link in bio.

13/12/2022

Want to taste the best of Crete? Grab a car and choose an off-the-beaten path experience.

That's the way to explore the local core foods of the rich culinary culture in Crete.

🤳 Take a look at our self-guided tour itineraries and use our local food guides as well.

Read more about Taste the local Crete: https://bit.ly/3QO9EnZ

05/12/2022

What makes the extra virgin olive oil of Crete so special?

🫒It's the soil and the cultivation methods offering an olive oil of the lowest acidity (the least amount of fatty acids).🫒

And Crete has the ideal mild climate with dry sunny summers along with the fertile soil giving an olive oil of top quality made either from koroneiki or tsounati olive variety.

The olive harvest season starts in November and harvesting operations are now in progress.

📍Over Zakros (Lasithi prefecture), on the easternmost side of Crete, two siblings, Christina Chrisoula and Antonis, are working hard and methodically to cultivate naturally extra virgin olive oil trying to preserve the ecosystem of their olive groves.

A new generation of producers, being small-scale producers, offer an excellent extra virgin olive oil working for the adoption of agro-ecology in olive cultivation.

Their vision is to reconnect consumers and producers following a farm-to-table philosophy.

🧳Visit Crete Island and meet the people behind the most distinguished Cretan products.

Taste the local Crete brings you closer to the top local producers and the local communities.

🚗 Grab a car and follow your self-guided itinerary, at your own pace, experiencing the best tastes of Crete. Visit: https://bit.ly/3QO9EnZ

Taxidi Olive Farm

Video & Photos credits:

28/11/2022

Cretan breakfast part 2!

A savoury pie filled with Cretan mizithra cheese is a typical choice for the first bites of the day.

Choose among Cretan pies stuffed with wild greens (horta) or with graviera cheese or even with anthotiros cheese.

🧐 All you have to do is to search for the traditional bread workshops making their own fillo pastry delicacies.

Take a look at our local food guides and visit, at your own pace, the best food spots in Rethymno city. Read more here: https://bit.ly/3QO9EnZ

24/11/2022

The most distinguished Cretan products in a small deli store supporting the best local producers!

📍 Here is the place to find selected regional goodies coming from small local farms, food traditional workshops and wineries.

When it comes to food, good quality matters. And taste is all about good quality.

🍲 If you are a food lover then Crete is a perfect all year round destination for your gastronomic explorations.

🧐Take a look at our self-guided food itineraries and taste the best of Crete! Learn more about Taste the local Crete here: https://bit.ly/3QO9EnZ

21/11/2022

Let's take a short walk down to a farmers market in Crete Island!

3 things you need to know about the Cretan diet:

🍋 Simple cooking procedures

🌶️ Local ingredients of good quality

AND

🍊 Seasonality

😋 Find the best seasonal vegetables and fruits at the local farmers markets in Rethymno region.

Cretan products, every week, all year round!

Learn more about the self-guided food itineraries provided by Taste the local Crete.
Visit https://bit.ly/3QO9EnZ

15/11/2022

Celebrating the production of the Cretan distillery drink, raki/tsikoudia!

🍇 Raki comes from Cretan grape varieties and is always served with various kinds of Cretan delicacies (rakomezedes).

Every year, during October and November, people in Crete gather together in order to celebrate the production of raki.

Drinking raki is an essential part of the social life in Crete and it's also part of the welcoming spirit of the people.

🗺️ Sitia in Lasithi area, at the easternmost side of Crete, is the place to live an authentic food experience visiting the local spots (rakadika) specialising in serving good quality of raki along with the original Cretan delicacies that pair perfectly with raki.

✈️ Visit Lasithi all year round and taste the best of every season. Grab a car and start your explorations, independently, following a self-guided itinerary depending on your mood and preferences.

😉 Read more about Taste the local Crete and pick your self-guided itinerary easily! Visit https://bit.ly/3QO9EnZ

15/11/2022

Celebrating the production of the Cretan distillery drink, raki/tsikoudia!

🍇 Raki comes from Cretan grape varieties and is always served with various kinds of Cretan delicacies (rakomezedes).

Every year, during October and November, people in Crete gather together in order to celebrate the production of raki.

Drinking raki is an essential part of the social life in Crete and it's also part of the welcoming spirit of the people.

🗺️ Sitia in Lasithi area, at the easternmost side of Crete, is the place to live an authentic food experience visiting the local spots (rakadika) specialising in serving good quality of raki along with the original Cretan delicacies that pair perfectly with raki.

✈️ Visit Lasithi all year round and taste the best of every season. Grab a car and start your explorations, independently, following a self-guided itinerary depending on your mood and preferences.

😉 Read more about Taste the local Crete and pick your self-guided itinerary easily! Link in bio.

11/11/2022

A full day to explore the Cretan grape varieties that give wine gems rich in aromas and flavors!

A unique chance to meet the passionate winemakers of Crete and taste the local varieties.

🍇11 indigenous Cretan grape varieties cultivated only in Crete.

🍷More than 30 wineries.

🍾Over 300 labels of wine from Cretan and international grape varieties.

The island of Crete, at the southernmost area of Greece, is a major player in wine production due to its fertile soil and the mild Mediterranean climate.

The local Vidiano variety from white grapes, the king of Rethymno, stands out for its rich fruity aromas.

Vidiano has been established as one of the most important varieties not just of Crete but of Greece.

The local Liatiko grape variety, from the fertile vineyards of Lasithi, gives both red dry wines and red sweet wines.

Liatiko is one of the most distinguished wine varieties in Crete bringing the aromas of ripe fruit and spices.

🧳Experience Crete the local way tasting the authentic Cretan products.

😋 Read more about Taste the local Crete and start your gastronomic explorations as a free spirit. Visit https://bit.ly/3QO9EnZ

15/09/2022

At the easternmost end of Crete, in Lasithi, the Cretan bread festival "Zimomata" takes place every year.

Toplou Monastery which is the largest and most impressive fortification-type Monastery of Eastern Crete hosts this bread festival every year.

🍞 It's a celebration of the traditional way of making bread. People knead bread together and prepare various kinds of local delicacies made from dough.

🥖 Crete loves the fresh sourdough bread which is a kind of soft and fragrant bread.

Different types of bread give various kinds of Cretan rusk (sourdough, eftazymo, wheat, barley, carob rusk).

🧳 Crete Island is a top gastronomical destination. Explore the rich culinary tradition of Crete and discover the most distinguished Cretan products with Taste the local Crete! Visit https://bit.ly/3xqYNbL

🎬Video credits:

25/08/2022

😎Your daily Lasithi!

🏝 Are you an island lover? Crete is the 5th largest island in the Mediterranean Sea and it's an all year destination due to the mild weather.

📍Lasithi is located in the easternmost side of Crete and offers a unique natural landscape of wild beauty. It's an ideal location for a slow type of travel since it offers a calm and solitary atmosphere.

✈Thinking of adding Crete island to your next travel plans? Learn more about Taste the local Crete: https://bit.ly/3QO9EnZ

22/08/2022

Lasithi, at the easternmost side of Crete island, is a geological paradise presenting a wild and rocky landscape which hides incredible inlets of crystal clear waters.

Little islets around Crete, in a short distance form the shore, really give a kind of exotic character.

Discover little-known secluded beaches along the coast in Lasithi area wandering around charming locations. Follow a slow travel itinerary, at your your own pace, with Taste the local Crete. Learn more about us: https://bit.ly/3QO9EnZ

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19/08/2022

🍤Crete island offers a variety of seafood goods and it's a real pleasure to taste all fresh seafoods while enjoying a glass of ouzo with ice cubes, wine or a cold beer.

🍻Gathering together and enjoying all kinds of delicacies, "mezedes", in the middle of the table is such an important part of the culture in Greece.

In Crete, sharing food and local products with one another is inextricably connected to the hospitality spirit that caracterised the island.

Crete is a top gastronomical travel destination and if you are passionate about exploring new food tastes you should definitely visit Crete.

😉Discover the best local food locations and enjoy unique gastronomical experiences with Taste the local Crete! Learn more about us: https://bit.ly/3QO9EnZ

18/08/2022

🌴☀️ Your daily Rethymnon!

Wander around Rethymno and explore, at your own pace, all hidden locations. Learn more about Taste the local Crete: https://bit.ly/3QO9EnZ

15/08/2022

🌾 Summer in Crete!

✈️🧳 Crete island is an all year destination and summer lasts longer. Add Crete to your travel list and pick any season you want.

🎬 Video credits:

11/08/2022

📸Your daily Lasithi without filters!

Sunset moments while visiting one of the most incredible beaches from the easternmost side of Crete.

For your off the beaten track explorations in Lasithi, choose Taste the local Crete. Learn more about us: https://bit.ly/3QO9EnZ

08/08/2022

🏆Greek cuisine ranked number two worldwide, again, considering the traditional dishes and the local food products (TasteAtlas, the world’s food atlas website).

🍲The traditional Greek cuisine and cooking, remains largely seasonal and the superiority of the unique Greek products, which are cultivated in the ideal Mediterranean climate, has strengthened the respect for the flavors.

🫒Cretan gastronomy has a distinguished role in greek cuisine since cretan tastes are based on 3 elements: simple cooking, excellent quality of regional products and clear flavours. 🍯Pine thyme honey (Pefkothymaromelo Kritis) and 🍊"maleme" oranges (Portokalia maleme Chanion Kritis) are listed on top local products on a global scale.

🍅 Cretan rusk topped with chopped tomatoes, feta, herbs and olive oil (“dakos”) was found to be the world’s best salad. And cretan antikristo meat earns distinguished position on top traditional dishes worldwide.

✈️If travelling for food is your passion then you will discover a rich culinary culture in Crete.

🍽️For your gastronomical explorations in Crete visit Taste the local Crete. Learn more about us: https://bit.ly/3QO9EnZ