E23: Tasting traditional Cretan dishes.

Hello and welcome to my channel 👋

are travelling around Europe, we try to explore the local cuisine of every country we visit. At the moment we are in Greece. The food variety in Greece is so big. There is traditional food served in Taverna’s and grilled food which is more like fast food eaten on the go.
I’m going to do a little series to show the places we visit and the foods we try. Hope you enjoy it 😊

If you would like to visit Μανδαλενάκης - Μαγειρευτό Φαγητό buffet type restaurant you can find their location here:
Μανδαλενάκης - Μαγειρευτό Φαγητό
[phone]

Μανδαλενάκης - Μαγειρευτό Φαγητό offers wide variety of traditional Greek dishes. The food is cooked fresh daily. Lunch meal for two would cost between €10-€15. It’s a lovely and cosy restaurant with a beautiful interior. I highly recommend to visit this lovely restaurant in Heraklion.

Dinner at the Petoúsēs traditional Cretan food restaurant.

We tried Apaki, a smoked pork Cretan dish. It comes from the times when people needed to find a way to store meat without the use of refrigerators.
The meat is firstly seasoned with salt, pepper and local herbs like thyme, oregano, sage, etc. Then it is marinated in a good quality wine vinegar for at least 24 hours. After it is brought into a smokehouse where the meat is smoked using various branches of wood and aromatic plants. The meat is then can be eaten cold or reheated, or used in an omelette.

At Petoúsēs we tried Apaki in a caramelised cherry tomato sauce. The smoky flavour of the meat joint with the sweetness of the tomato sauce was a perfect combination. 10/10

Snails are a delicacy in Crete. The most traditional way of cooking snails is to cook them in a sauce using salt, rosemary, olive oil and vinegar. They are often enjoyed as an appetiser in a restaurant or over an important celebration. 5/10

Cooked snails are removed from their shells using a toothpick or a small fork and the bread is usually used to dip into a delicious sauce.

Antikristo meaning across the fire is a traditional way of cooking meat in Crete. The meat (usually young lamb) is placed on large skewers in the circle around the fire. Depending on the direction of the wind and the fire intensity the meat is cooked slowly, the whole process taking around 6 hours. This way the meat cooks in its fat and salt, with the heat coming from the flames instead of the coals. Previously this unique technique of cooking meat was popular in the mountain villages. Nowadays it can be found anywhere around the island. 5/10

Green salad. Bread basket. Complimentary desserts, semolina halvas and fresh fruits and raki.

If you would like to visit Petoúsēs you can find their location here:
Petoúsēs
[phone]

Thank you for watching if you have any suggestions the food places that we should try in Crete. Leave the name of the place in the comments and I will make sure to try it out 😉

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