It is estimated that for every single inhabitant on the island there are 60 olive trees and when cooking in Crete, only the very best oil will do. There is a variety of delicious cheeses that are a speciality in Crete and locals are proud of the fact that visitors often buy the finest olive oil and best cheeses to take home with them after their holidays. It is their way of taking a little bit of Crete back with them which will remind them of all the wonderful memories they have of their visit to the island.

As soon as a tourist arrives in the island, they are greeted with the wonderful aromatic scent of all the herbs that grow in abundance all over the island. Herbs play an important role in all traditional dishes in Crete and are favoured with the locals as many have medicinal properties. This knowledge of herbs has been passed down to them over the ages by the many ancient civilisations that lived in Crete and who favoured herbs so much.

The production of honey in Crete has been an important industry for thousands of years and mixed with the herb, thyme, it is truly delicious.

You can understand why the Egyptians revered the honey that came from Crete so very long ago. Every visitor will appreciate the quality of meat on the island, particularly the lamb and goat. Animals reared on Crete are free of all intensive farming methods making the meat here as good as it was decades ago in Europe.

Tourists will really love the way meat is prepared in restaurants and they will never taste anything better anywhere else.

The popular drink with many locals is called ‘raki’ or ‘tsikoudia’ and is made out of the pulp of grapes that have been pressed. Many families in Crete have their own stills and make their own ‘raki’. When this has been distilled it is a time for celebration and families with their friends and neighbours get together for to honour this important event. It is very strong, 37% proof but visitors to Crete have come to love drinking real ‘raki’ produced by locals and always take some home with them when they can.

Wine in Crete is home-made and very potent, 13-14% proof. Unlike other wines in the world it is a golden brown colour and tastes rather like port or sherry. It can be an acquired taste and as with other home-made wines from around the world, there are some very good ones and some very bad ones too. Dining and drinking in Crete is a unique experience that blends well with the atmosphere of the island. It is easy and simple but truly delicious.

Next, we have the main dishes for our traditional Cretan meal. The second part of our article about the top Cretan cuisine specialties and the favorite dishes of the locals.

So try one of the following dishes: If you love meat, order some pork chops or lamp chops or roast lamp. All Greeks love them! You could also order the famous mousaka dish, roast goat (really famous and loved in Sfakia) or “pilafi”. All above dishes taste delicious and you will only see how good they are once you try them. There are also the Cretan Kaltsounia, or Kalitsounia, for which there has been another article several weeks ago.

Don’t forget to try some of the famous Cretan drinks, such as Tsikoudia, Raki (pronounced rakee) and the Greek wine, which everbody loves so much.

Last but not least, try some of the delicious Greek desserts, like “baklava”  and “Galaktompoureko”. Enjoy!