Cretan foods rely on a few simple ingredients
What makes Cretan cuisine so special? Cretan foods rely on simple ingredients, minimal cooking preparations, and distinct flavors. From ancient olive groves to mountain herbs and artisanal cheeses, Crete’s culinary treasures have captivated visitors for thousands of years.
A flavorful journey through seven incredible ingredients that make Crete’s local dishes truly unforgettable. Plus, find some insider tips on using them like a true Cretan in cooking!
Want to learn how to cook Cretan foods from scratch? Check out the free digital recipe guide created by Taste the Local Crete!
Extra virgin olive oil is a key ingredient when it comes to Cretan foods.
1. Green Gold: Cretan Extra Virgin Olive Oil
If you think you know olive oil, wait until you try Crete’s extra virgin olive oil! It’s what we lovingly call “green gold,” and there’s a good reason.
What sets olive trees in Crete apart is their integral role in the island’s cultural heritage, dating back 2,000-3,000 years. Olive oil is associated with the Cretan diet and the long lifespan of Cretans.
What makes Crete’s olive oil special is its incredibly high polyphenol content (those are the good-for-you antioxidants). The combination of rich, fertile soil, mild climate conditions, and cultivation-harvesting-pressing-storage methods creates an oil that’s not just delicious but also incredibly healthy.
Did you know that olive oil is the only food subject to official regulatory evaluation by the International Olive Oil Council (IOC)?
Extra virgin olive oil is a key ingredient when it comes to Cretan foods, used in various ways. It can be drizzled raw as a dressing on salads or poured over many meze-style dishes. It’s also commonly used as a marinade for roasting meat, fish, or vegetables, and is added to traditional recipes that are cooked in a pot.
Extra virgin olive oil is an excellent olive oil to use for frying, compared to other cooking fats. The smoking point of olive oil is well above the temperature required for all but the highest-heat cooking.
The oil must reach a temperature of 350F/177 °C to 370F/188 °C before introducing food. The smoking point for extra virgin olive oil is somewhere between 380F/193 °C and 410F/210 °C.
Here’s a secret to tasting the real flavor of extra virgin olive: try drizzling some raw olive oil on your barley rusk (paximadi) with a sprinkle of oregano. Or drizzle it over “fava”, a Greek appetizer made with yellow split beans pureed and served as a meze-style dish.
And if you’re visiting Crete, don’t miss the olive oil tour and tasting experiences. Experiencing the full journey of olive oil – from the ancient groves to the traditional mills and finally to the tasting room – offers more than just a culinary adventure!
Carob syrup adds a unique depth to both sweet and savory Cretan foods.
2. The Forgotten Superfood: Carob Products
Remember that brown pod that looks like a giant bean? The carob is a unique fruit intensely cultivated in Crete. Locals used to call it “black gold” during tough times, and now we’re rediscovering why. Unlike processed chocolate, carob is naturally sweet and packed with calcium and fiber – without any caffeine!
It’s used regularly in Cretan gastronomy, both in savory and sweet recipes. Various local products are made from carob and are regularly used in cooking, such as carob syrup with vinegar, carob syrup with honey (charoupomelo) chocolates with carob, and Cretan Rusk made from carob flour. Carob flour is a great option for gluten-free recipes.
And, carob powder can substitute chocolate or cocoa because it’s a caffeine-free product. But what makes carob so special is that it’s a high-fiber natural product, that improves normal bowel movement and it’s, at the same time, a low-fat product, with important health benefits, as it reduces the levels of <<bad>> cholesterol. It’s considered a natural superfood.
Today, you’ll find carob in everything from artisanal tea to flour for baking. Carob syrup with honey drizzled over fresh mizithra cheese is a favorite pairing in Crete (but more about that cheese later!). Head to any local farmers’ market, and you’ll spot dark bottles of carob syrup – grab one! It’s a natural sweetener that adds a unique depth to both sweet and savory Cretan foods.
3. Rosemary: Not Your Regular Herb
Forget about those tiny sprigs you get at the supermarket. Cretan rosemary grows wild on Crete’s mountainsides, and its aroma is so intense it’ll stop you in your tracks! It’s been used excessively in Cretan cooking to flavor slow-cooked meat dishes.
Cretan cooking is about simplicity and clean flavors. Wild herbs are important to provide taste, along with extra virgin olive oil. Oregano, thyme, lemon thyme, rosemary, laurel, and fennel give distinct aromas in cooking. One of the core Cretan foods to try on the island is the traditional recipe with snails cooked in red wine vinegar and rosemary (chochlioi boubouristoi).
During spring and early summer, the hillsides are covered with fragrant bushes.
4. Mountain Thyme: The Secret Behind Crete’s Famous Honey
The beauty of Cretan nature lies in the infinite natural contrasts of its landscape. One may discover mountainous areas alternating with wild landscapes and terrains of dense vegetation covered with aromatic wild herbs. Thyme, lemon thyme, rosemary, and oregano are the most commonly used herbs in cooking recipes and add flavor to so many Cretan foods.
Pine-thyme honey, blossom honey, and thyme honey are the main varieties that can be found in Crete. Cretan thyme honey, which is made from wild thyme, holds a distinguished position worldwide, as it is a honey variety of superior quality due to its high nutritional value. It’s an aromatic honey of delicate and mild taste with a light golden color.
It’s all about the wild mountain thyme! Unlike cultivated varieties, Cretan thyme grows in rocky, sun-baked soil, concentrating its essential oils and creating an incredibly intense flavor. Visit any mountain village in summer, and you’ll see locals carefully gathering these tiny leaves.
5. Mizithra: The Cheese That Changes Everything
Around 14 different types of cheese varieties can be found on the island today. Fresh mizithra cheese is of soft texture, with a mild delicate flavor, when used in Cretan foods such as salads (dakos salad, Cretan salad, etc) and cheese pies (mizithropita).
This fresh, white cheese is made from either sheep’s or goat’s milk (or a combination), mizithra comes in two main varieties: fresh (sweet) and aged (sour).
The fresh version is creamy and slightly sweet – perfect for breakfast with honey or for stuffing the famous kalitsounia pastries.
The Cretan land is covered with fields full of wild herbs and endemic plants. Crete counts more than 1.600 different kinds of plants and wild herbs. Almost 170 of them are endemic, which means that they grow only in Crete. That’s the purest natural food for goats and sheep grazing freely on the mountains.
6. Skioufichta: The Pasta That Tells a Story
At the heart of Cretan gastronomy lies a humble yet extraordinary ingredient: skioufichta pasta. The traditional Cretan pasta is used as a canvas for multiple recipes. Don’t miss the chance to taste a selection of Cretan foods at the core of the local cuisine.
This type of pasta is not made by making phyllo like other types of fresh pasta. Skioufichta is a pasta made out of dough. Their name “skioufihta” or “skioufikta” comes from the verb “skioufizo“, which means “to turn” in Cretan dialect.
Its unique shape and chewy texture make it a delightful surprise especially if it’s paired with a selection of Cretan cheese varieties.
Traditionally, making skioufichta was a family affair, with everyone gathering to help prepare it for special occasions. Today, you can still find local women hand-rolling it in villages around Heraklion. Try it with creamy galomizithra cheese from Crete or shredded anthotyros cheese – pure heaven!
Check out these three delicious local recipes with skioufichta pasta!
7. Graviera: The Flagship Cheese of Crete
Last but not least, let’s talk about graviera – Crete’s king of cheeses!
Graviera belongs to the cheese varieties that melt nicely giving a creamy texture when used in cooking.
Graviera belongs to the cheese varieties that melt nicely giving a creamy texture when used in Cretan foods. A cheese of hard texture fried to perfection until crisp on the outside, served with a slice of lemon. And the melted cheese marries itself with the juices of lemon.
In Crete, a favorite pairing is to taste graviera with a fig or tomato chutney (jam). The savory flavor of this Cretan cheese pairs excellently with the sweetness of the figs and tomatoes.
In Crete, the combination of cheese with honey is a favorite. The sweetness from the goney pairs excellently with the savory flavor of this distinct Cretan cheese.
Try it fried (saganaki) or shredded over pasta – either way, you’re in for a treat! Saganaki is a classic starter dish that everyone loves and it’s recognized as the top cheesy recipe worldwide from travelers around the world surveyed by Taste Atlas.
Check out these delightful cheese recipes with Cretan graviera cheese and get to cook saganaki!
Bring Cretan Flavors to Your Kitchen
These seven ingredients are just the beginning of your Cretan culinary adventure! Want to learn more about how to use them? Check out our digital cookbook, packed with authentic recipes and cooking tips straight from the daily Cretan cuisine.
And here’s a special treat: download our free digital recipe guide featuring seven easy Cretan foods using these amazing ingredients. Happy cooking!
