The Cretan Breakfast
The mythical magic of Crete is felt in every step on Greece’s largest island.
Cretan gastronomy, internationally recognized as the Cretan Diet, has its roots in the dietary habits of the ancient Minoans including olive oil, wheat, wine, honey, herbs, sheep and goats.
Crete produces olive oil, which is considered one of the healthiest in the world, as well as delicious green and black olives.
The Greek Breakfast of Crete is a celebration of local specialties that are so special they are named after a locale. There is the famous bougatsa of Heraklion, filo dough with either cheese or sweet custard filling topped with sugar and cinnamon and the equally famous bougatsa of Chania with a filling of slightly sour Chaniot myzithra. The pie of Sfakia, a crepe filled with myzithra, Anevala of Sitia, stuffed breads with the soft Cretan cheese and the famous Cretan Graviera (PDO) , smoked pork and sausage in vinegar are just a taste of the Cretan gastronomic heritage.
Cretan Rusk called “paximadi”, the island’s traditional, double-baked, barley rusk and one of the secrets to Cretan longevity, represents the island’s incredibly simple yet incredibly nutritious gastronomic heritage.
