For the creation of all the RAGiF (Routaki’s Audio Guide info Files) an enormous amount of research was done. This resulted in up to 300.000 words of information divided into several subjects. One of these subjects are the culinary matters. So on this page you find in the diversity of categories the links to the pages were you can read the whole (or basic) story for the information that is given to you in audio form when you drive one of the routes of Routaki.
The Crete cuisine does not deviate much from the Greek, but has a little bit more variation, especially by adding a lot of traditional herbs. A traditional Cretan meal contains a lot of meat. You’d better go to a tavern to experience this.
Read more about Cretan food and the most favourite dishes.
The Greek coffee, pronounced kaphès, is actually the same as Turkish coffee; of course you should never say this out loud. It is served in very small cups and it is prepared in a small saucepan on a gas burner.
After the wine process is done, the left over peels and juices are used to make the local raki. The leftovers are into bags to ferment for about 40 days. After that, the mush is distilled until a very strong alcoholic beverage is formed.
The Greek national drink is called ‘Ouzo’. This drink tastes like anise. You can compare it to the Pernod from France. It is served with a glass of water. ‘Raki’ is the traditional drink of the Cretans.
In the whole of Crete the spring water from the village of Zaros is mostly known as drinking water. Maybe you have even drunk it yourself. The springs themselves are called the Votomos and the Mati springs.
Out of the bay of Mirabello, the bay east of Agios Nicolaos you’ll see a lot of almond-trees. Parts of the almond tree are used to create a syrup called ‘Soumada’.
Read more about the local drink created from the almond tree.
‘Kafeneon’ is the Greek word for coffee shop. You can find them in every village. We should say ‘kafeneons’, because even though the village is very small, there are always two kafeneons. This has got to do with the political preference of the inhabitants.
The majority of the hot-houses on the island is used for the cultivation of tomatoes and cucumbers, about 80%. In peak season the harvest mainly stays on the island for there are 2 million tourists to feed. In the winter months the harvest is exported.
Besides the Paximadi islands there is also Paximadi bread on Crete. This is genuine Cretan bread and comes from the time where each village only had one communal oven and therefore there was no time to bake fresh bread daily. A part of the bread was baked extra hard, to prolong the live span.
The Phiti vases date from the Minoan age and are known for there enormous measurements. In the past they were used for storage, nowadays however they are made and bought as decoration.
Read more about the phiti vases and how they are used on Creta.
Just under half of the working population is employed in agriculture. Stil a huge important sector for the island’s economy.
Read more about the agricultural sector in Crete.
There is one special day of the year that almost everybody has a BBQ at their house, even at their work place! It’s the second Thursday before Carnival day, also known as Tsiknopempti, when everybody grills on his/her BBQ.
Available itinrary where food related items are mentioend:
Route 48 nicknamed; Matala
In the VoiceMap app you’ll find this route under the name:
The Wonders of Gortyna, Phaistos, and Matala: A Drive through Cretan Beauty
