Unsurprisingly, seafood features heavily in the Cretan diet
Last updated: 07 July, 2024
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Seasonal, local, and traditional, Cretan food is phenomenally fresh and tasty. With its balmy climate and diverse landscape, the island produces a vast range of amazing produce, from olive oil, honey, wine, and cheese, to more atypical crops such as avocadoes, bananas, and mangoes.
Grilled, roast, or stewed meat is much loved by locals, particularly goat and lamb, which is often free-range. There’s less of a fishing industry than on smaller islands.
Cretans are generous hosts. Portions are generally huge, and you’ll be offered shots of raki (local grappa) wherever you go.
What to try
Raki, the local spirit of choice (see above), goes well with nubbly graviera cheese, wrinkly olives, and apaki (smoked pork).
A summer staple, dakos is the Cretan version of Greek salad: grated tomato, crumbled feta, olives and capers heaped onto a crunchy barley rusk and doused In plenty of olive oil. Stamnagathi (wilted bitter greens), fried snails, kaltsounia (turnovers stuffed with cheese or spinach), and sfakiani pitta (cheese-filled dough drizzled in honey) are also Cretan delicacies.
With a terrace overlooking the sea, a wood-fired oven, and meat and cheese from the owner’s own flock of goats and sheep, this lovely taverna on Marmara beach is as authentically Cretan as it gets. Order braised lamb tsigaristo, boureki (baked, layered vegetables with feta), dakos, and loukoumades (honey-drenched donuts) for dessert.
Good for age: 18+
Logistics
Price: Free
Minimum age: 0
Age suitable: 18+
When: All year around
Duration: -
Who to go with: organised tours
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Our selection of the best Viator tours of this attraction or activity
It must have been the Daily Telegraph that a couple of years ago mentioned a reason to visit each Greek island. For Crete, the main reason was the food. Locals couldn't agree more, as 90% of the Greek islands might have unparalleled beauty, but Crete offers the best quality of food on top of that as well. For this reason, a food tour in town would have been the very best idea.
This experience is going to give you the opportunity to taste an abundance of local products, from the greatest Cretan producers. From the classic Raki / Tsikoudia, to Cretan Bougatsa, the local varieties of local Cheese, olives, and even the very best sweets.
In order to make this tour unique, we have added a visit to a local herbs and products store, (which, among locals, is considered the most secret gem) and also a visit to the best traditional manufacturer of Cretan knives.
In a few words, if someone is in Crete in order to experience its authenticity, this tour is exactly what they need.
Live a unique experience on a Semi Private tour, up to 6 guests/vehicle-guide with lunch. Only local guides, driving 7 seater Luxury 4wd, full A/C, vehicles , will allow you to explore on really comfortable conditions a part from the mainland of Crete which compatible vehicles, buses or mini buses, can’t offer.
It's not just a tour for tastings, driving you from one to another winery/olive mill, but it is an adventurous Semi Private exploring tour, with lunch time and not only snacks and beverages.
At Anoskeli's olive mill and winery the Sommeliers and Wine-Olive Oil producers, as more professional in their sector, will inform you about the wine and olive oil when they serve you 2 olive oils and 5 wine.
Driving on rough roads you will enjoy the view from Topolia or Samaria gorge, depending from which from the restaurants will be open at the time, for your lunch time.
During the tour the guest's privacy is in priority and you have information about the culture and the local history.
Live a unique experience on a Semi Private tour, up to 6 guests/vehicle-guide with lunch.
It's not just a tour for tastings, driving you from one to another winery/olive mill, but it is an adventurous Semi Private exploring tour, with lunch time and not just alcoholic beverages.
Will allow you to explore in really comfortable conditions a part from the mainland of Crete which compatible vehicles, buses or mini buses, can’t offer.
At Anoskeli's olive mill and winery the Sommeliers and Wine-Olive Oil producers, as more professional in their sector, will inform you about the wine and olive oil when they serve you.
You will visit the Milia Mountain Retreat,one of the top 50 worldwide choices of National Geographic magazine, concerning eco-tourism and agro-tourism. The food at Milia's restaurant reaches our company's specifications.
During the tour the guest's privacy is in priority. The local drivers/guides will give you basic culture and historical information.
Join us, be a traveller!
Enjoy an exclusively private experience - no other guests included - fully guided by a local certified Sommelier. Venture into the countryside by SUV and visit two award-winning Cretan Wineries and a 500+ year old wine press. Your tour includes tasting of 12 selected premium wines paired with traditional local snacks and culminates with a delicious 3-course Cretan meal in the middle of the vineyards.