Food Drink

Cretan cuisine is widely considered the finest expression of the Mediterranean diet, and there is genuine substance behind that reputation. Local olive oil is central to almost every dish — Crete produces around 30% of Greece's total olive oil output, and much of it is exceptional. Produce is largely grown locally: the tomatoes, courgettes and aubergines that appear on most taverna menus come from village gardens rather than distant suppliers.

Cheese is important in the Cretan kitchen. Graviera — firm, mild and slightly sweet — and mizithra, a soft fresh cheese similar to ricotta, are the two most common Cretan varieties. Dakos, a barley rusk softened with olive oil and topped with grated tomato and cheese, is the quintessential Cretan snack. Kalitsounia, small pastry pies filled with mizithra or wild greens, appear in every bakery on the island.

Wine culture has revived significantly over the past two decades. Crete has five designated wine regions, with the Heraklion plateau and Sitia in the east producing the most interesting bottles. Kotsifali and Mandilari are the main red varieties; Vidiano and Assyrtiko produce characterful whites. Most good tavernas now carry local bottles rather than mainland Greek or imported wines.