CRETE FOR THE EPICUREANS AND THE BON VIVANTS

Get to know Crete, the villages and the cities of the island, through an interesting and different approach, through the Cretan products and the culinary particularities of the local cuisine and the diet. This is not an easy task, as this is not a tour just for foodies. This is an attempt to dive in to the history of the island through the culinary history of Crete, the influence of the conquerors over the years, the organic products the spices and endemic herbs of Crete…

This is a combination of the best local taverns on Crete, the places that the locals would go, the wineries, the coffee shops, the traditional restaurants. This experience will not be just a food tour, but a historical approach of the culinary development of the Cretan Cuisine over the years.

The Cretan Diet is famous, and some say miraculous! It is the original Mediterranean diet culture, history and geography have helped create a combination of foods and lifestyle which provides a unique diet that is highly nutritious, prolonging life and helping to prevent many of the modern diseases that shorten the lives of millions of people every year in the West. Western eating habits are the source of much debate at the moment, with concerns over the growing obesity levels in Europe, North America, and all the so called affluent western nations. Finding the ideal diet is becoming increasingly important for people who want to improve health and reduce weight. Fortunately, there is a diet that is healthy, natural, tasty – and proven to prolong life!

The Cretan Diet is both simple and wholesome. It features plenty of fruits and vegetables, beans, pulses and grains in abundance, olive oil as the principal fat, moderate drinking of wine and raki, herbal teas like Greek Mountain Tea said to be a “cure all” or Dittany of Crete/dictamus , one of the endemic species of the island. Honey and yoghurt, occasional use of lean red meat, and low to moderate consumption of dairy foods, fish and poultry.

It’s no secret that the Cretan cuisine is based on simple fresh food, locally produced. The locals still have access to a small garden or to a local flea market to get the products directly from the producers, in low prices.

A major feature of the Cretan Diet is its simplicity. There are no fancy sauces or tricky soufflés. There are no difficult combinations or strange exotic ingredients. All you will need is a basic store cupboard of ingredients and then simply get in what you need for each individual recipe. Another feature of the Cretan Diet is the freshness and quality of the ingredients. For example, artichokes grow wild here and are picked, prepared and eaten the same day. Always try to get local produce, in season. This is the tastiest and the healthiest of foods. Produce that has travelled round the world in refrigerated containers always loses some of its nutrition and taste. It’s not natural to eat non-local food, and it’s so important to consider the environmental impact of continuing to develop a taste for foods that have to travel round the world before they finally find their way onto someone’s dining table.

Choose one of our tours as a private tour and explore the local cuisine, in restaurants and taverns the locals would go. Do not miss the opportunity to feel the warmth of a Cretan family as expressed in every day attempt of the mother, to cook and create something unique for the family, with fresh ingredients from their garden… We invite you for a lunch, so come and eat like a Cretan.

We organize this tour upon request and we hope that you will have the time available, more than just few hours, to explore as much as possible.

The tour includes:

• All snacks and tastings during the tour (in the wineries, taverns or places that we will visit).
• Bottle of water per person.
• Maps and plans of the cities.
• Transportation with our company car or van.
• The services of a qualified professional guide and the local sommelier or cook that will provide additional information.
• Pick up and Drop off from the port of Heraklion (or your hotel in the area of Heraklion).
• Any fuel and parking costs, all taxes and VAT 24%, invoice will be provided by our travel agency.
• Liability insurance by Interamerican.

The tours do not include:

• No personal expenses.