Food.....

It is possible, in the tourist areas here in Crete to find any food you want. Over the past few weeks we have taken the trouble to try local specialities and we have not been disappointed! As vegetarians, we have found it simple to eat here - when it comes to fruit and vegetables Crete is a cornucopia.

Thanks to the ubiquitous use of greens, grains and olive oil, Cretan cuisine is, apparently, the healthiest in the world!

Exemplifying this cuisine is "dhakos", the Cretan national dish, which is barley rusks soaked in olive oil and smothered with tomato pulp, eaten as a starter: the equal of the best "bruschetta".

For the most part, the dishes we have eaten in tavernas here are the same as those served throughout Greece. The diner is often invited to enter the kitchen and inspect what is on offer. More often than not, the dishes will be served luke-warm as the general opinion is that tepid food is better for the digestion than hot!! Food without olive oil is unimaginable to the Greeks (and to us!). The Greeks believe that it aids digestion and that it is a laxative.

Carnivores can enjoy mutton, lamb, goat, kid or rabbit. These are actually prepared as "stifadho" (a stew) cooked with onions, tomatoes, cinnamon, cloves and bay leaves. Whilst we have not sampled this dish during our visit we visited Cyprus some years back (in our meat-eating days!), and can vouch for it's tenderness and tastiness.

Disappointingly for us, fish is much rarer than you might expect. The Med appears to be "fished out". When it has been available, some of the most popular fish are mullet (we enjoyed some very nice red mullet), swordfish, tuna, white bream and common sea bream. But, best of all is "sargos" or parrot fish, known as the "cow of the sea", it is a tasty white meaty fish.
Octopus is also invariably available with grilled octopus being served as a starter. Octopus and tomatoes stewed with red wine is a popular dish but not one we have tried. An expensive and unusual starter is sea-urchin salad, which is made from the ovaries of these spiny creatures - needless to say, we have avoided this one!

One thing that surprised us was that snails from Crete are much prized and are even exported to France!

As vegetarians we have had great pleasure in the "horta" - these are wild greens which are collected in the mountains, especially in spring and autumn. They are boiled and served luke-warm or cold after being lavishly dressed with oil and vinegar or lemon.
The fields are also rich with herbs: dittany (also known as stone mint), which is indigenous to Crete, and more familiar herbs such as dill, oregano, thyme and sage.

Desserts other than fruit or yoghurt are rarely served in tavernas.