Crete is one of the places where we expected some real culinary wonders. We dreamed of creamy feta cheese, ripe tomatoes, crispy calamares fritos (fried squid), saganaki with shrimps baked in tomato sauce, mussels in white wine or even simple Greek salad – the real, uncomplicated one, tasty and scented with summer.

However, the food on Crete is not always nice and easy. You can easily get caught into a tourist trap and find yourself in a place where you will pay a lot and the food won’t be as good as expected. We got caught in such traps 2 or 3 times in the beginning when we wanted to eat something quickly, or find a place with a kids’ corner for Maks. Forunately we also managed to find some places that we would love to come back to a few times a week. We will write about specific spots soon, while now we will tell you what you must try on Crete. Most of the following specialties are also available in other parts of Greece.

 

FOR STARTERS:

 

1)      GREEK SALAD

Crete, Greece, Greek cuisine, Greek salad, feta cheese

a healthy lunch

 

When you’re in Greece or on Crete, original Greek salad is an absolute must. Especially in a 35 or 40 degrees heat! What’s best in this salad is the simplicity: tomatoes, cucumbers, capsicum, onions, olives and a large piece of feta cheese sprinkled with dried herbs. Pour some olive oil over it and you’re set!

 

2)      GRILLED FETA CHEESE / FETA SAGANAKI

Crete, Greece, Greek cuisine, feta cheese

grilled feta cheese

Another meal that’s as simple as it gets. Feta cheese, tomatoes, green capsicum, all baked together with olive oil and herbs. Goes great with bread!

 

3)      SAGANAKI WITH SHRIMPS

Crete, Greece, Greek cuisine, shrimps

shrimps, feta cheese and a plate to lick

 

Maks’ favourite dish 🙂 Well, he eats out the shrimps, and I get the delicious tomato sauce with feta cheese. If saganaki is made properly, the sauce is so good, that you just have to lick the place clean! Or you can soak it up with bread in order to look decent in a restaurant.

 

4)      SAGANAKI WITH MUSSELS

saganaki, mussels, Greece, Crete, Greek cuisine, what to eat in crete

saganaki and mussels

A mussel version. Łukasz loves mussels like Maks loves shrimps. And the to-die-for sauce again. You can try it even if you don’t like seafood as most restaurants serve it with feta or some other type of cheese. Remember to order it!

 

5)      DAKOS

Greece, Crete, Greek cuisine, what to eat in crete, starters, dakos

tomatoes, olive oil, feta cheese and crispy toasts – an ideal combination

 

One of my favourites, even though I discovered it a bit late. It ‘s a bit like my favourite Catalan pan con tomate, only Greek version. Crispy rye toasts with tomato, olive oil and onion spread, sprinkled with crushed feta cheese and dried herbs. A delicious starter or a snack on a hot day. It also inspires you to make Dakos at home.

 

6)      SNAILS

snails, Plakias, Greece, Crete, Greek cuisine, what to eat in crete

snails for dinner in Plakias

 

Snails with butter, wine and rosemary. For those who like a bit of madness on their menu. Like Łukasz does. Where to find them? I.e. in Plakias, right next to the beach, in Gio-ma taverna.

 

MAIN COURSES:

 

1)      CALAMARES

calamari, Greece, Crete, Greek cuisine

fried, fresh calamari in Chania harbour

My absolute number one! Every time is good for fried calamari. I love them in Spain, Italy and on Crete. Crispy, with delicate, golden skin. A symbol of vacation, summer and dinners eaten with waves heard crushing in the background. Best memories.

 

2)      OCTOPUS

octopus, Greece, Crete, Greek cuisine

for a hot day

 

Octopus on Crete may not be such flagship like in Spanish Galicia where everybody eats pulpo a la gallega with potatoes and hot pepper powder. However, Cretan octopus in olive oil, red vinagre, capers and sundried tomatoes was also very good.

 

3)      MUSSELS

Greece, Crete, Greek cuisine, mussels

a sight that always makes me happy

 

When it comes to mussels, Łukasz is the biggest fan on our team. I love them in Belgium, where they’re served with large, crispy fires. Here, I prefer calamari. But Łukasz couldn’t keep himself from mussels for longer than one day! Mussels served in white wine, eaten in the harbour in Chania or Rhethymno is always a good idea for summer!

 

4)      SOUVLAKI

souvlaki, Greece, Crete, Greek cuisine, shashlik

chicken souvlaki – one of Maks’ favourite lunches

 

Souvlaki is a Greek version of shashliks. We usually order pork or chicken ones, because these are Maks’ favourites. Delicate, juicy, with tzatziki. Chicken souvlaki meat is perfect for a little child.

 

5) LAMB

lamb, fine dining, Greece, Crete, Greek cuisine

lamb fine dining style

Crete is obviously not only about seafood and fish. Meateaters will also find something for them – lamb for instance, available from a barbecue in ordinary tavernas or served in a more sophisticated way in fine dining restaurants.

 

What else should you try in Crete? BREAD AND OLIVE OIL

Seems trivial, but olive oil on Crete is one of the best. The quality of bread varies – it can be better or worse. I loved toasts with fresh herbs and olive oil the most. Let me show you how good local olive oil is: before, Maks never wanted any bread with olive oil. Here, he started asking for it!

To go with bread:

1)      TZATZIKI

Greece, Crete, Greek cuisine, tzatziki, starter

a traditional Greek start – tzatziki

 

Yoghurt with garlic and cucumber that everybody knows. Again, it tastes best here! Served as an individual starter to go with bread or as a side for meat. A no.1 for Łukasz, he couldn’t eat anything without tzatziki in Greece.

 

2)      FAVA

Fava is a peas puree. Yellow and creamy paste. You can spread it on bread or treat it as a dip to go with vegetables. It often pops up as a mezze ingredient. It may not be my personal favourite, but combined with grilled octopus, tomatoes and cucumbers similar to our own fermented ones in Raki Ba Raki in Rhethymno, it tasted quite good.

Greece, Crete, Greek cuisine, starter, fava

fava with octopus and some other ingredients

 

3)      TARAMOSALATA

taramosalata, Greece, Crete, Greek cuisine, starter, Raki Ba Raki

taramosalata

 

Taramosalata is a dip made from fish roe. Another traditional Greek dish. It’s also served both as a starter or as a bread side. We tried it along with fava in Raki Ba Raki. It was served with anchovies and rye toasts. Good starter, but mainly for fish lovers. A traditional meal on the first day of Great Lent.

How about the dessert, you will ask. Greek yoghurt with honey and nuts or sfakia pie (sfakianopites) – thin and crispy pastry stuffed with cheese, served with honey and nuts.

, Greece, Crete, Greek cuisine, starter, Greek yoghurt, dessert

Greek yoghurt, honey and nuts

 

Keeping it short: eating on Crete is pure pleasure, if you only find some good spots. A big Greek feast! It’s a pity that today’s dinner is our last on Crete 🙁 From now on, we will surely keep a close eye on Greek cuisine in Warsaw and Poland too 🙂

 

PS. Greek cuisine is obviously also keftedes, moussaka, pastitio and a whole bunch of meat. But as you know, we’re rather fisheaters and cheeseeaters than meat lovers. That’s why this guide is like this! Anyway, a moussaka seems like a much too heavy thing to eat in 30-40 degrees het. Feta cheese and calamari are something different 🙂