August 2016, Issue No. 3 www.cretepost.gr
the RETHYMNO POST Reach thousands of readers every month
your monthly independent free newspaper of Rethymno
Greek astronomer from the University of Crete in the team that captured black hole as it eats passing star
your local FREE newspaper Offering a selection of local interest articles, interviews, news and ther views from around the region of Rethymno and Western Crete
With a local services section, a range of advertisers and pages of free classfieds, Rethymno Post is an essential resource for anyone living in or just visiting this area
Your very own t-shirt
Fight on to save Med Diet from extinction
Rethymno POST
Your local free paper by FTP Publications 73, El. Venizelou str., Chania, 73100 Tel. +30 6977 295075 Owner/Publisher: FTP Publlications Web: http://www.cretepost.gr E-mail: info@ftp-publications.gr FB: http://www.facebook.com/chaniapost Twitter: @chaniapost Editors: Pandelis Giaitsis, Pandelis Spiridakis, Miltiades Markatos, Petros Marinakis, Giorgos Atsalakis, Stavros Tsihlis, Katerina Polizou. Advertising: FTP Publications 73, El. Venizelou str., Chania Tel. +30 6977295075 http://www.ftp-publications.gr DTP: FTP Publications Printed in:
Rethymno photo of the month...
Live @ Love @ Laugh
p. 2
editorial
by Pandelis Spiridakis gelamou.gr
LIVING ...is the answer to EVERY THING!
Staying Alive is another precious thing my so crazy summer guys ...Where in that Augustian Furious Sun are U??? Eh ???? Watch ou t and dont laugh ΡΕ .... Well let’s do our stuff now , no really ...LET’S !
and Believe from the First Beginning Life is Funny ...Vacation don’t Full Around ...And Great Believers ...WIN!!! The favourite island among the Greeks will be your favourite too when you come to it. Sunny beaches with crystal-clear water, national parks for a hike, Greek cuisine, traces of the Minoan civilisation…
Rethimno has the best of every Greek island. What you want for your summer holiday you are going to get in Greece’s largest island. Make your Dream Come True now and take advantage of this deal UNTIL you even reMoments here count if Only yoy think the Chance... pay antention. People that pay attention , nener regret : sign Relax & leave worries behind. that they have fully lived. So What else can you ask for? Guys RETHIMNO is this myste- Things cabe Really Simple! rious Land of Hope and DOLCE CAN we Please Coun all The ExVita! Yeah ….Rethimno is the citeful Reasons to Celebrate Auside of life , you return to play gust in Rethimno... So if you are on your favourite beach , enjoying hours sun , swimming and chilling this is Perfect , Awesome or what? Certainly Now , in the Heart of the summer ...ADMIT IT...
-whistle to the girls...at the beach! -cheers screaming to the opposite company -selfie-ing with the Bar- Girl ...staring all people ….all night! -cocktail – talking...Daquirie staff AND asking the One and Only Watermelon Piece from the Next Guy’s Glass ….Ad Vacation in Rethimno can be THE ADVETURE ...yoy want to live!
their problems for a while!
People from all over the world are visiting Rethymno with a plan : They are just good life – keepers and not life – spenders! ...and if you have listened over 10 times the next girl’s cell phone ringing and playing the ringtone ‘’No No No You don’t want me and I Know now’’...Get the passport and Proceed This is certainly Rethimno POST Acting...! So cheer up and Laugh – Time We are here , we are ready and you are Reading The BeST Sumand Fun – Time is all yours! mer STAFF People created life – breaks Guys ...Give it a Brilliant and to fulfill their batteries , forget Juicyyyyyyy Break ….Your Turn!
The ancient olive tree of Samonas which has been declared as Monumental The monumental olive tree of
Samonas has been classed as “monumental” by the Association of Cretan Olive Municipalities of Crete (SEDIK) due to its longitudinal shape, the shape of its trunk and due to its location near the ancient settlement “Kylintra” of the Late Minoan period. This olive tree is located along with other very old olive trees at the place “Lakkos” of the Municipal Department of Samonas of Armeni Municipality, it belongs to on k c li c s the inheritors of Emm. .gr re new epost for mo ttp://cret h Mavromoustakakis from 2008 and it is mastoid variety which is locally called the average diameter of 4.10 estimate of the age using the the trunk. The age of this tree is tsounati. The dimensions of the trunk 0.9 meters and the circumference method of dating trees based estimated at the order of about meters in height and especially of 12.90 meters allow a rough on the annual growth rings of 3,000 years before today.
“The Cretan”
Your very own t-shirt from Crete Cretan Greek, or the Cre- and just plain fun in mind. The tan dialect (Greek: κρητική διάλεκτος), is a variety of Modern Greek spoken in Crete and by the Cretan diaspora.
fashion with the basic line of unmistakably Cretan-themed t-shirts, with phrases taken from the island’s distinct locan culture and dialect are the favourite theme this season
p. 4
news & articles
Grammar inda? versus ti? In Standard Today the Cretan dialect is rareGreek, the interrogative pro- ly used in writing. However, Cretan Greeks usualMany Greek authors have integrated Cretan literary elements in their respective works. Among these authors were Nikos Kazantzakis who was known for his literary contributions mainly written in standard Greek. This paradigm, overall, has helped Kazantzakis to write significant works such as Zorba the Greek and thus establish for himself recognition in various international circles. His Captain Michalis – set in 19th-century Crete – is notable for using many Cretan Greek words and idioms, the book’s popularity making them widely known to other Greeks. noun ‘what?’ is ti. In most of the Aegean Islands (except at its geographical fringe: Rhodes in the south-east, Lemnos, Thasos and the Sporades in the north; and Andros in the west), it is inda as it is for Cyprus. “The Cretan” is Crete’s very own brand of apparel and accessories. All of the products are made with humor, self-sarcasm
ly communicate with each other in this dialect. Cretan is not much different from the Greek dialects or Standard Greek, and has a fairly high level of mutual intelligibility. Many organizations of Cretans aim to preserve their culture, including their dialect, and the dialect does not seem to be in danger of extinction.
The Cretan Tshirts spread in the new generation and the tourists from all over the world of course that the Cretan words are in HUGE Fashion ...cause they have sense of humour or just because younger people insist on using and living with it in their own way! “The Cretan” is Crete’s very own brand of apparel and accessories. All of the products are made with humor, self-sarcasm and just plain fun in mind. We present here our first line of unmistakably Cretan-themed t-shirts, with phrases taken from the island’s distinct locan culture and dialect.
Greek astronomer from the University of Crete in the team that captured black hole as it eats passing star Radio astronomers have used a ra-
p. 6
news & articles
dio telescope network the size of the Earth to zoom in on a unique phenomenon in a distant galaxy: a jet activated by a star being consumed by a supermassive black hole. The record-sharp observations reveal a compact and surprisingly slowly moving source of radio waves, with details published in a paper in the journal Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. The results were presented at the European Week of Astronomy and Space Science in Athens, Greece. An international team of researchers at Onsala Space Observatory in Sweden say the jet is being devoured at less than one-third of the speed of light, which is surprisingly slow when it comes to black hole emissions. Among them a Greek scientist. Dimitrios Giannios is a Professor of Physics in Purdue University. The international team, led by Jun Yang (Onsala Space Observatory, Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden), studied the new-born jet in a source known as Swift J1644+57 with the European VLBI Network (EVN), an Earth-size radio telescope array. When a star moves close to a supermassive black hole it can be disrupted violently. About half of the gas in the star is drawn towards the black hole and forms a on s click ost.gr disc around it. During this w e n re ep for mo ttp://cret process, large amounts of h gravitational energy are converted into electromagnetic radiation, creating a bright source visible at many different wavelengths.
One dramatic consequence is that some of the star’s material, stripped from the star and collected around the black hole, can be ejected in extremely narrow beams of particles at speeds approaching the speed of light. These so-called relativistic jets produce strong emission at radio wavelengths. The first known tidal disruption event that formed a relativistic jet was discovered in 2011 by the NASA satellite Swift. Initially identified by a bright flare in X-rays, the event was given the name Swift J1644+57. The source was traced to a distant galaxy, so far away that its light took around 3.9 billion years to reach Earth. Jun Yang and his colleagues used the technique of very long baseline interferometry (VLBI), where a network of detectors separated by thousands of kilometres are combined into a single observatory, to make extremely high-precision measurements of the jet from Swift J1644+57. Three years of extremely precise EVN measurements of the jet from Swift
J1644+5734 show a very compact source with no signs of motion. Lower panel: false colour contour image of the jet (the ellipse in the lower left corner shows the size of an unresolved source). “Using the EVN telescope network we were able to measure the jet’s position to a precision of 10 microarcseconds. That corresponds to the angular extent of a 2-Euro coin on the Moon as seen from Earth. These are some of the sharpest measurements ever made by radio telescopes”, says Jun Yang. Thanks to the amazing precision possible with the network of radio telescopes, the scientists were able to search for signs of motion in the jet, despite its huge distance. “We looked for motion close to the light speed in the jet, so-called superluminal motion. Over our three years of observations such movement should have been clearly detectable. But our images reveal instead very compact and steady emission – there is no apparent motion”, continues Jun Yang.
The results give important insights into what happens when a star is destroyed by a supermassive black hole, but also how newly launched jets behave in a pristine environment. Zsolt Paragi, Head of User Support at the Joint Institute for VLBI ERIC (JIVE) in Dwingeloo, Netherlands, and member of the team, explains why the jet appears to be so compact and stationary. “Newly formed relativistic ejecta decelerate quickly as they interact with the interstellar medium in the galaxy. Besides, earlier studies suggest we may be seeing the jet at a very small angle. That could contribute to the apparent compactness”, he says. The record-sharp and extremely sensitive observations would not have been possible without the full power of the many radio telescopes of different sizes which together make up the EVN, explains Tao An from the Shanghai Astronomical Observatory, P.R. China. ellines.com
Fight on to save Med diet from extinction It may be on the Unesco heritage
list, but global experts warn the Mediterranean diet, prized for its health benefits, is losing so much ground to the fast food culture that the decline may be irreversible. Rich in vegetables, fruits, cereals and extra virgin olive oil, the Mediterranean diet is based on a moderate consumption of fish, dairy products, eggs, red wine, and a small amount of meat. Found to varying degrees in all countries bordering the Mediterranean Sea, it was named in 2010 onto Unesco’s Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity list for seven countries, from Croatia to Cyprus, Greece, Italy, Morocco, Spain and Portugal. But the diet, which the United Nations also praises for promoting hospitality, neighborliness, intercultural dialogue and creativity, is going rapidly out of fashion. “In Greece, it has decreased by 70 percent over the last 30 years, in Spain 50 percent”, Lluis Serra-Majem, head of the International Foundation of Mediterranean Diet, told AFP at a recent conference in Milan. The experts, from Israel to New Zealand to Sweden, explored ways to revive the diet, from making it appealing to teenagers, to persuading people to buy fresh and sometimes costlier food in a period of economic crisis. In Spain, celebrities like actress Penelope Cruz may add some glamour with their love of Mediterranean cui-
sine, but ever fewer people are enticed. Less than 15 percent of the Spanish population still eats a Mediterranean diet, while 50 to 60 percent do so sometimes. Between 20 to 30 percent have ditched it altogether, Serra-Majem said. And it’s the same in Greece, says Antonia Trichopoulou from the Hellenic Health Foundation. Unsurprisingly, over 65-year- olds are the best at eating traditional dishes, while the youngest generations have succumbed to the lure of fast food. “The decline has various causes. We are witnessing a globalization of eating habits, with (the spread of ) the ‘Western diet’”, said Serra-Majem, pointing a finger of blame at the growth of the tourism sector in particular. It has been more marked in coastal areas, particularly in Spain or on Italy’s Adriatic coast. “Uncontrolled tourism leads to high
urbanization and… increased consumption of meat, refined flours and a reduction of the traditional diet, ” he said. The change in eating habits is having a significant impact on public health with the rise of obesity, cancer, cardiovascular disease and diabetes among populations previously known for their longevity. Seven in 10 Greek adults are now overweight or obese, and about 11 percent have diabetes, according to Trichopoulou. The Mediterranean diet combined with physical activity could prevent many diabetes cases, said Serra-Majem. While some regions are doing better at resisting fast food – such as southern Italy and northern Africa – the race is on to find a way to slow or reverse the diet’s decline, with the meeting in Milan just one such bid to save it. As well as the health fallout and associated medical costs, dropping the
diet also has an impact on the environment since “almost 25 percent of greenhouse gas emissions come from food production,” he said. It also puts at risk of extinction local skills and traditions such as harvesting, fishing, animal husbandry and conservation. Healthy eating has not fallen by the wayside completely: the Mediterranean diet is a hit with “educated people and those who belong to higher social classes” in Greece, Trichopoulou said. “It is more related to a social problem and education than money, because vegetables and fruits are relatively cheap,” she said, but people are cooking less and advertisements promote sugary or preserved products. What’s needed is to encourage initiatives in local communities and find a way of selling sustainable tourism – including a return to local food production – even in mass tourism areas, says independent expert Florence Egal. In Spain’s Balearic Islands, including the hugely popular Majorca and Ibiza, “thousands of tourists eat at buffets in large hotels”, while “in the countryside orange trees are weighed down with unpicked fruit,” which rots because imported oranges cost less. And she warns, as groves are abandoned and migration to cities increases, the Mediterranean diet takes one more step towards becoming a thing of the past.
All you have to know for water sports... but you are afraid to ask
Find Ikarus Inside You If you look for adventure and
action, take a walk on the beach of Rethymno, where you will experience the ultimate summer fun, thanks to Ikarus Water Sports. Here you will have the opportunity to try on all sports (ski sea, bananas, cubes, sofa, jet ski) and parasailing for the more adventurous... People have the best n o k place to offer you joy s clic ost.gr re new ep for mo ttp://cret – sun amd beautiful ach tivities ...totally fascinating!!! They ROCK THE Final Way Up to Your Limit Sky ! Just check and Fascinate Your Summer Version , HolidayIng means ActIng Full Extra Adress: Sofokli Venizelou, Rethymno Beach Telephone: +30 697 009 9623
p. 8
news & articles
PARASAILING Relax & Enjoy Although many people consider parasailing to be an extreme sport, it is not. Parasailing is
actually very relaxing and safe. No experience is needed and you just enjoy the view and the fresh air. Our experienced and highly trained staff in combination with a luxury and high maintained boat insures you a
pleasant and unforgettable ex- Choose through our huge Seperience. lection of Inflatable, Crazy Sofa, Crazy Ufo, Sting Ray, Conelly, JET SKI Sea Doo’s, Banana etc. Adrenaline Rush Come with your partner, your If raw horsepower is what ex- children or your friends and we
cites you then be ready for a pure adrenaline rush. Our experienced staff will show you how to operate the jet skis insure you your safety and we and will inform you for the nec- are ready to listen to your inessary safety procedures. structions. Thumbs up – Faster. Crazy Sofa, Crazy Ufo, Sting Thumbs Down – Slower. It is Ray, Conelly, Sea Doo’s, Banana that simple and it is all it takes. All ages can enjoy and have
fun. Banana boat ride Bounce around our banana boat ride and have fun with your family and friends. Join us
for an extreme ride or a slower family ride. Everyone can enjoy. Let Your Summer Get Out or Fly High Pay Attention to Your Internal IKARUS… Let it Take u Higher!!!
Αγοράστε online το εισιτήριο σας You can buy online your ticket
Kefalogiannidon Street 74100 Informations : 2831 022212 Storehouse: 2831 022659
Kydonias & Parth. Kelaidi Chania 73100 Informations : 2821 093052 Storehouse: 2821 097497
The Heart of Rethymno beats at the center...
Perama reveals the Real U! Perama is a big village which
p. 12
news & articles
provides all the comforts for a quiet and comfortable visit you will enjoy. All guests are interested in driving to Perama... because it gives the best picture for Rethymnian people and the incredibile nature with the animals. In a 7km distance is located the fishing village Panormo, with clean beaches,where you can enjoy all marine sports. In 5km is the village “Margarites” where you can n click o news post.gr e r o find ceramic products for m p://crete htt in the largest variety in Crete. In 12km is the village of Ancient Eleutherna with an archaeological area. In 4km is the traditional village Melidoni with its very famous cave. This fact proves that the heart of Rethymno is located in Perama. If you really check in the map the center of the city is
this exact place...that means the heart beats in Perama. How do you travel from Rethymno to Perama: About 25 km You can either prefer the solution of Public Buses (there are regular routes with airconditioned buses) or you can drive, following the national road
from Rethymno to Heraklion and turn in the circumvention that ends to Perama (there are clear signatures and directions) The best Cretan Festival in August is your Chance To Live The Magic... Any visitor would be lucky if he
could live all these things together... Rare Opportunity! Exhibition by the Producers, Artists and Cultural Associations of Mylopotamos The most impressive festival is this one ‘’ Land of Mylopotamos : 12-13-14 August, 6:30 pm – 11:00 pm At the Square Hall
of Perama Admission is free for everyone...
dance schools of Mylopotamos
The most interesting events are ART – CULTURE – PRODUC- the next ones that revive the TION show the amazing results traditions and the customs of a of Cretan people, workers and family in Rethυmno villagers • Friday 12/08 In addition to the basic pro- 20.00 Presentation of cretan herbs 21.00Live Real presentation of Making Traditional Cretan Shoes ‘’Stivania’’ from Mr Nikos Harissis • Saturday 13/08 19.30 Informations about collecting and processing Cretan Honey From the Beekeeping Association of Rethimno 20.30Collecting and Using ALADANOS (Famous Cretan Green: mentioned in the Bible) from the Cultural Association of Sisses • Sunday14/08 19.30 Preparing House Traditional Jams – Sweet Grabe from the Cultural Association of Aloigramm there are always music des events happenings 20.30 Stamnagathi (Famous • Friday 12/08 at 9:00pm: Cretan Green) in Cretan Table Concert with Vasilis Skoulas. from the Institute of Cretan • Saturday 13/08 at 9:00pm: Diet Concert with Alma libre “at Navagio bar”. The Heart of Rethymno beats • Sunday14/08 at 9:00pm: at the center... Music and Dance performance accompanied by the traditional Perama reveals the Real U!
Poster_Gi_Mylopotamou_final.pdf
2
21/7/16
12:15 µµ
EXHIBITION BY THE PRODUCERS, ARTISTS AND CULTURAL ASSOCIATIONS OF
MYLOPOTAMOS
of
C
M
Y
CM
MY
CY
CMY
K
12,13,14 AUGUST
2016 6:30pm - 11:00pm Square hall of Perama
PARALLEL ARTISTIC PROGRAM Friday 12/08 at 9:00pm: Concert with Vasilis Skoulas. Saturday 13/08 ώρα 9:00pm: Concert with Alma libre "at Navagio bar". Sunday14/08 ώρα 9:00pm: Music and Dance performance accompanied by the traditional dance schools of Mylopotamos. Admission: FREE
ART • CULTURE • PRODUCTION
ORGANISED: CULTURAL AND EDUCATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF PERAMA CO ORGANIZERS
MEDIA SPONSORS
#Vivliothiki
The best breakfast in town! Breakfast
p. 14
news & articles
in Rethymno becomes a delicious ritual. In the central street of the beautiful city of Rethymno you will find a cute coffee shop where the warm environment and the scent of freshly roasted coffee will draw you in. The most important meal of the day is served daily from 7:00 am. The little n click o news tepost.gr e r o shop of am/cre for m http:/ brosial breakfast will make sure to awaken your taste buds with its wonderful flavors. What will you find there? Russian fritters, pancakes, French and
American breakfast, red beans, omelets, cakes, healthy breakfast choices, scrambled eggs, bagels, energizing smoothies,
cereal bars and many Greek breakfast dishes. The little warm corner inside the shop will pull your interest as it hosts
a small exchange library which inspired the name of the coffee shop (Vivliothiki = Library). There you can exchange any book with another of your choice. The unique flavors, the beautiful environment and the service staff will give you the perfect start to your day and more! Vivliothiki is available for Breakfast, Brunch & Lunch. It serves mostly Greek desserts and refreshes you with Greek cold beers daily from 7:00am until 11:00pm. #Kountourioti Street n. 127 – Tel. +30 28310 50650
All you need to know if you visit... Panormos Panormos
p. 16
news & articles
is a small fishing village and beach resort on the north coast of Crete some 22 kilometers east of Rethimnon. In Roman times Panormos was a port and had the name of Axos. Still little developed it is slowly becoming a tourist resort of its own in, but it still retains some of its old village character and it is a nice place to wander around for a bit and spend some time on the beach or in one of the many fish taverns. Panomos. While we were there (2003) we saw a big church (still in concrete) being constructed, likely to attract more visitors in the future (in 2008 it was finished but still in concrete, so progress is slow). There are three small beaches in Panormos. One beach is in the harbour, which is topped by a nice church on a steep rock. It’s a sand beach. Two others beaches are on the other side of the village. One of them has many umbrellas on it, the other small beach is a little bit less comon s click mercial. This may change re new tepost.gr o m r e fo r c / soon. http:/ The beaches at Panormos are shallow and so they are suitable for small children. As you walk from one part of the village to the other there are nice views
over the sea and the rocks. Panormos is cosy though with plenty of shops for your daily needs, mini-markets and a bakery. Behind the village are the remains of the the Agia Sophia Basilica which dates from the 6th century. Overlooking the beach and close to
the beautiful Panormos church with its wall paintings are the remains of the Milopotamos Castle (from the times of Genova) of which not much is left. In the small and quiet cobbled streets the old houses blend in with the new.
A little bit more about the village of Panormos in Crete The surrounding area of Panormos is nice for making walks into the countryside. Panormos also has a regular bus service to Rethimnon and to the capital
still want some life in the evening and have a choice of a few nice bars, than Panormos may be a good option for you. It is still pretty authentic and it has lots of charming picturesque streets, good restaurants (especially sea food)
There are flowers in pots in front of the houses and because Panormos is set away a little bit from the national road there is no passing traffic and you will not see so many cars in the village. Along the beach and in the streets you have a good choice for tavernas and small cafés.
Heraklion. The bus ride from Heraklion to Panormos takes about 50 to 60 minutes and to Rethimnon it takes a little over half an hour. If you want to escape the overcrowded places like Chersonissos and Malia and if you prefer authentic Greek life and old style Greek buildings, yet you
and different beaches to choose from. It’s peaceful and quiet in its’ own way and there is not much traffic. Still there are things to do and there are things to have a look at. As far as I am concerned one of the nicer villages on the north coast of Crete. There is nothing really bad to be said about Panormos.
Cretan cuisine is just... unique and magical
Crete stands free of mainland
Greece, complex and proud with wild, mountainous terrain and a strong traditional culture. Cretan cuisine is renowned both in Greece and internationally for its unique ingredients and flavours. Based on simple techniques, it’s the variety of local produce that distinguishes the dishes: mountain herbs and greens, bulbs, unique cheeses, fresh fish, the famous Cretan oil, and raki a bracing grape brandy. Don’t leave Crete without trying... Cretan Cheese It seems that almost every Cretan village has its own signature cheese. They are usually made from sheep or goat’s milk, or a combination of both and each cheese variety has its local interpretation. Of the legion of delicious cheeses, look for graviera, a harder cheese that’s sweeter when new, but nutty and flavourful after aging. Soft, creamy cheeses, abound like pichtogalo Chanion, which has AOC protection, or myzithra, a young whey cheese with a lovely mild taste.
p. 20
food & wine
n click o news tepost.gr e r o /cre for m http:/
Dakos The ever-popular dakos is known by regional names throughout Crete…some call it koukouvagia (literally ‘owl’); in the east they call itkouloukopsomo (literally ‘puppy bread’). What is it? A fantastic Greekmeze or salad reminiscent of bruschetta, but based on barley rusks orpaximadi, not on bread. The rusks are lightly soaked in water or olive oil to soften them, and then they are topped with grated fresh tomato andmyzithra, the creamy sheep or goat’s milk cheese. They are then drizzled with Cretan virgin olive oil and dusted with salt, oregano, pepper. Fried snails (Chochlioi boubouristi) It’s not only the French who treat snails as a delicacy. In fact, snails have been eaten for millennia. In the Cretan dialect chochlios means snail, and in this dish they are fried with flour and hot olive oil in a pan, then doused with wine (or vinegar), and voila, ready to serve. Some like to add a dash of wild rosemary. Locally, women collect the snails by hand and the creatures are cooked up live.
Cretan Cheese Pies (Kaltsounia) These small pies may look like the multitude of cheese pies you’ll encounter throughout Greece, but these are unique! To start, handmade pastry dough is a must, usually shaped into tiny cups. The fillings vary – every region and often each household has its favourite. They tend toward the sweet, and count on any number of those luscious Cretan cheeses, like myzithra or malaka, but not feta. We like the ones that incorporate a hint of rosewater. The final touch is Cretan honey on the top, making the pies a heady combination of sweet and savoury. Lamb with stamnagathi As with most Greek foods, Cretans have their own take on lamb. Their version incorporates stamnagathi, a wild green that has become trendy of late, and features on many top-end restaurant menus. The Cretan lamb is sautéed in hot olive oil and oregano accompanied with thestamnagathi green and the well-known avgolemono (egg and lemon-based) sauce, or, more simply, a squeeze of fresh lemon. Gamopilafo As the name hints (gamos
means ‘wedding’ in Greek) this rice dish is offered at traditional Cretan weddings. These days you will find it not only when the whole village is celebrating nuptials in the town square, but also in many Cretan tavernas. Like a deluxe risotto, it is prepared in a rich meat broth that you make from a lengthy simmering of goat, lamb or rooster. Then you incorporate a dash of lemon juice and liberal amounts of stakovoutiro - this is a butter created from the creamy skin that forms on the top of boiled fresh goat’s milk and is turned into a roux. It is the crème de la crème!
culent smoked pork, is made in a multi-day process. First, strips of pork are marinated in vinegar for several days. Then a fire is made using local herbs - sage, bay, rosemary - and the meat is hung above it to smoke. The smoke is continuously stoked to keep the herby aroma infusing the meat. The final product tastes of the fresh herbs and can be served later, cold, in thin slices. Sfakian pies (Sfakianes pites) These yummy pies hale from southern Crete, from a mountainous coastal region called Sfakia. At a glance, these treats look like pancakes, but beyond the flour, the dough contains, local olive oil, and the infamous Cretan liquor, raki. Then, any number of the various Cretan fresh, soft, white goat or sheep’s milk cheeses like myzithra or pichtogalo Chanion are incorporated into the centre of the pie. Fried with only a light brushing of olive oil, they are eaten with a drizzling of thyme or heather honey.
Mountain Bulbs (Askordoulakous) Part of the magic of Cretan food are the ingredients gathered from hillsides and around villages.Askordoulakous are the bulbs of a wild green, and Cretans gather bulbs and eat them as a fresh salad, dressed with oil and vinegar or lemon. They also pickle them, or stew them with local olive oil, vinegar and flour. The delicate white blossoms of the green are also Cretan Brandy (Raki or Tsikedible, simply boiled or used in oudia) other dishes. In the fall, after the grape harvest, you will find villagers all Smoked Pork (Hirina apakia) around Crete carefully tending Not an easy one to recreate out- open fires under copper stills. side of Greece, this dish of suc- They are making raki, the welcome pomace brandy distilled from grapes, which you will find served in every Cretan taverna and kafeneio (coffee house). The local version of tsipouro (which you find throughout the rest of Greece), raki is called tsikoudia in parts of Crete, and is drunk from shot glasses, with no water added. Not to be confused with ouzo, raki has no anise or any other herbs. People usually pair their raki with mezes, olives or barley rusks and drink it neat (sketo)!