For centuries, records and anecdotes have shed light on the culinary habits and dietary practices of the Cretans during the Venetian occupation from 1211 to 1669. Depictions in Cretan comedies portray characters who are portrayed as gluttonous and always craving food, offering insights into the abundance of goods available on the island and the variety of dishes prepared for both daily sustenance and special occasions. Additionally, the account of a Cretan refugee who settled in Italy following the end of the Cretan War and the Ottoman conquest provides further details on the cuisine of the era. These sources highlight the diverse range of foods cooked using both simple and elaborate methods, often featuring ingredients sourced from the bountiful soil of Crete. Wines were also mentioned as accompaniments to these meals, along with mentions of sweets and fruits. While some dishes, whether native to Crete or borrowed from foreign cuisines, continue to be prepared across the island, others have faded into obscurity over time. Nevertheless, certain culinary traditions have endured, albeit with modifications in preparation techniques, ensuring a continuity of flavours and culinary heritage in the region.

Bread was a staple on the tables of the islanders, with various types catering to different preferences and occasions. Wheat bread was favoured by the wealthy, while barley bread was more common among the less affluent. Whether fresh or in the form of rusks, bread was a constant presence. During Lent, raisin bread made with Muscat grapes was a popular choice. Festive occasions called for special varieties of bread, such as Christmas bread adorned with crosses, seeds, and decorations, as well as Easter bread, often shaped into braids with whole eggs baked within.

The staple diet consisted of milk and cheese, which they used to create pies, such as mizithra pies, made from mizithra produced from sheep's milk and cream.

Legumes, including broad beans, grass peas, peas, chickpeas, split peas, beans, and lentils, were a valuable protein source, often enjoyed stewed or in salads, particularly during fasting periods.

In their gardens, the Cretans cultivated various vegetables such as cauliflower, lettuce, and cabbage. These vegetables were typically consumed boiled with generous amounts of olive oil or eaten raw in salads. Additionally, they also relished wild greens such as white mustard leaves and asparagus, boiled and dressed with olive oil.

They also enjoyed fresh mushrooms, consuming Ferula mushrooms in winter and king trumpet mushrooms in summer. Additionally, they relished artichokes, which were either dipped in oil and vinegar or grilled whole with oil, pepper, and salt.

They prepared pasta by kneading it, similar to the way skioufichta is made today. However, they enhanced the pasta by adding cheese and saffron to impart flavour and colour.

Rice, a dietary staple in Venice, was scarcely utilised in Cretan cuisine due to its status as an imported and costly commodity. It was typically consumed boiled or, exclusively during Carnival, cooked with cream or milk and seasoned with sugar and cinnamon.

‘White and beautiful rice, with sugar in abundance, 

How many times, recalling it, did I drool?’ 

declares a hearty eater, a character in the comedy ‘Katzourbos’ by Georgios Chortatsis.

They also prepared rice with beans. However, bean rice, a recipe originating from Venice, was viewed by the Cretans as a dish for the aristocrats, given that rice was considered a luxury item at the time.

The people of Crete enjoyed a rich consumption of meat, including sheep, goats, cows or oxen, piglets, as well as poultry such as hens, cocks, ducks, and geese. They prepared meat in various ways, either cooked in pots, baked in the oven, or roasted on a spit. Pigs were traditionally slaughtered on the day of the Ten Saints (23rd December) and their meat was consumed from Christmas until the Epiphany. In addition to the meat, they also utilised the fat, that is, the lard, which was preserved in jars and eaten raw or used in cooking (for instance, 'lardomageria' referred to food cooked with pork fat). Moreover, they made a meat broth jelly known as 'pichti' or ‘tsiladia’ from the head and meat cut into small pieces.

Naturally, they also consumed the offal of the slaughtered animal, including the liver, which they either fried or cooked in a pot, and the belly, which they used to make tripe soup.

To preserve meat throughout the year, they produced a variety of preserved meats, including cold cuts such as sausages and mortadella, as well as stuffed offal. Additionally, they prepared cured meat known as 'syglino,' 'apochti' (salted meat dried in the sun), and ham, which could be either smoked or salted.

In the comedy ‘Stathis’, a slave vividly depicts the meat processing methods:

How often are sausages and apakia hung,

 and marvellously fragrant saltitsounia, 

and hams smoked on the ground and in the air, 

My eyes witness in grand estates.

Fine dining, essential for formal occasions, often featured game meat. Partridges and song thrushes were highly prized, either baked or preserved through salting. Eurasian golden orioles were also sought after. Quails were esteemed delicacies, enjoyed fresh or preserved through salting. Turtledoves and hares were cooked in wine or vinegar and spices, or dried either in the sun or in the oven, creating exquisite dishes.

The Cretans also relished snails, prepared grilled, fried, or boiled, and often dipped in vinegar and oil.

They also indulged in fresh fish from the island's seas, as well as salted and smoked fish imported from Constantinople and Alexandria. Additionally, they crafted fish broth jelly using fish heads.

Certainly, the Cretan table was never without wine, renowned in the markets of Northern Europe and the Mediterranean. Whether consumed undiluted or mixed with water, white or red, varieties such as Muscat, Malvasia, Cotsifali, and Robola were savoured. Additionally, vinegared wine was enjoyed. The Cretans delighted in drinking wine on every occasion. Equally enjoyed was the traditional raki, as attested by a slave in the comedy ‘Fortunatos’.

Finally, let's not overlook the desserts and fruits that concluded a proper meal. Texts from the Venetian era mention the renowned Cretan honey used to make pasteli (a sweet made from sesame and honey), as well as quince preserves and various sweets and biscuits crafted to entertain guests. Additionally, there were mentions of grapes, dates, oranges, melons, watermelons, figs, and delightful aromatic pears.

For the Board of Directors of the Cretan Cuisine Festival Association

The President

Lena Igoumenaki

* The survey was introduced during the World Council of Cretans held in Heraklion in August 2019, attended by representatives of Cretan expatriates from around the world and co-organised by the Region of Crete. The event was dedicated to the literary and poetic masterpiece ‘Erotokritos’.

Photo: Region of Crete