For the best traditional Cretan food visitors to this beautiful sun-baked Mediterranean island like to dine in the many characteristic and quaint Tavernas. These delightful establishments are often a family run affair so the hospitality is warm and the food is wonderfully home cooked and very tasty.
Diners can enjoy Cretan food and sample the many local drinks that accompany Greek dishes so well. It is normal for the locals to dine late and meals can last a long time because it is considered a very social affair. Visitors to Crete soon fall into this wonderfully relaxed routine and appreciate the fact that Tavernas around
the island will serve meals well into the night. The lovely thing about dining in Crete is that no one is in a hurry, so diners can sit and enjoy their meals for as long as the like in a very relaxed, friendly and entertaining environment.
In Crete hospitality and laughter are synonymous with being happy with life and visitors who discover a favourite Taverna will want to share their experience with friends and family because nobody leaves these establishments without having eaten well and enjoyed themselves so much that they want to come back and the wonderful experience all over again.
Tavernas in Crete are very typical of the culture that has evolved over the centuries and the food that is served, although simple, is deliciously prepared using only the most natural ingredients mixed with plenty of aromatic fresh herbs that are so popular in Greek cuisine.
Many tourists love the ‘meze’ which is always served in all the Tavernas. Meze consists of many starters all served at the same time and is one of the most delicious combinations of tastes that simply excites the palate. These starters are hand prepared, some wrapped in vine leaves ‘dolmades’, others fried to perfection, ‘octopus’ and of course everything is prepared with the best olive oil that is so abundant in Crete. Main courses are mouth-wateringly good with menus always including well known dishes like ‘Moussaka’ or stuffed aubergines, ‘Imam Baldi’ which is probably less well known to the foreign visitor but just as good to eat.
The wine served in Tavernas in Crete is more like port and sherry to the foreign pallet but this does not mean that it isn’t some of the nicest home-brewed wine a visitor will ever have the pleasure of tasting. It accompanies the Greek dishes to perfection. Every visitor who has experienced the wonderful atmosphere and liveliness when dining in a Cretan Taverna knows that it is unique to this delightful and peacefully tranquil Mediterranean island.
Exploring the coast or driving inland in a rented car is the best way of discovering ‘off the beaten track’ places that are so typical to Crete. Visitors will come across some mountain villages that appear to have been frozen in time giving the tourists the impression that the clock has been turned back a few centuries and it is here that they will discover some true treasures when it comes to dining in a traditional Cretan Taverna.
