FOOD AND DRINK

Crete is a culinary delight of regional specialities combined with the best of Greek traditional dishes. For those not enthusiastic about 'foreign food', there are the ubiquitous fast-food and hamburger outlets but, really, it .is worth being a little adventurous.To enjoy an evening with a truly Greek flavour in every sense of the word, start out early in the eveningwith a visit to an ouzerie -the traditional place in which to whet the appetite for the main meal.

Here you may enjoy a glass of ouzo with a small selection of hors d'oevres such as olives, feta cheese, shrimps, tzatziki, accompanied by fresh bread. In Greece,wine and aperitifs like ouzo are regarded as stimulants to whet the appetite and aid digestion -it is rare to find a Greek over-indulging in alcohol.

One of the delights of Crete is the variety of cheeses made from cow's, sheep's and goat's milk. The sweet cheese pies that are made from mezithra', a delicious creamed cheese, as well as the savoury cheese pies are compulsive eating. A speciality is a sheep's milk  creamed cheese called' anthogala' -flower of the milk. Yoghurt is very popular and very delicious, varying from place to place. Served in a large bowl with honey and nuts, it is a favourite breakfast. Many places allover the island offer fresh fruit juices, iced cold and all sorts of combinations.

Among the classics of Greek cookery are the dishes made with aubergine -the all-time favourite, moussaka, and aubergine stuffed with mincemeat, topped with becham~1 sauce -called 'little shoes'(papoutsakia). Stuffed tomatoes and peppers, delicately seasoned, are also summer-time favourites. A speciality of Crete is lamb baked in yoghurt.

No Greek table would be complete without a bowl or two of fresh salads in summer -ripe red tomatoes with basil and olives or sliced cucumber or the many variations of Horiatiki salata (Peasant Salad) –a mixed salad served with chunks of feta cheese. Olive oil, vinegar or lemon juice are used as dressing and salads are usually seasoned with 'rigani' -oreganum -

which grows wild in the olive groves. Lemon is used a great deal both as seasoning and to counterbalance the richness of oil and meatfats. It is liberally squeezed onto potatoes, fish, calamari, spinach, lamb -even feta cheese.

One of the joys of eating out in Crete is the opportunity to wander into the kitchen and choose your selection of dishes from the array prepared. The custom of eating simultaneously from several little assorted dishes from which everyone helps him- or herself is a congenial and relaxed alternative to the usual European habit of eating one's single selection off one's own plate. There is the added advantage of being able to sample a range of different dishes at once.

(Download an English to Greek dictionary,for greek food)

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Fish

There are few nicer summer treats than a plate of crisp-fried fresh calamari served with lemon wedges, tzatziki (cucumber and yoghurt dip) and a mixed salad.

Since ancient times, the Greeks have been well documented as lovers of seafood. There are accounts from the days of Alexander the Great of lobster, shrimps and prawns, mussels, oysters and sea urchins being cooked in honey and seasoned with mint and parsley.

Though times and recipes have changed, fish is as popular as ever amongst the locals as much as the visitors,

Don't miss an opportunity to eat in one of the little traditional souvlaki shops. Selling takeaway souvlaki either on sticks or in pita bread with salad, you can also have a very reasonably-priced sit-down meal of souvlaki, chips and salad. Habituated by the locals, they

offer real value for money as well as loads of character. For the genuine article, avoid places sited on main tourist streets and squares and duck down the side streets instead.

Follow up your meal with a plate or paper twist of hot fried doughnuts sprinkled with honey and nuts or cinnamon from one of the little specialist shops that pop the dough into the sizzling hot oil on demand.

Then with a few fresh-roasted almonds in one hand and a fat juicy peach (locally-grown of course), in the other, you can plan your next foray into the Cretan good life.

Undoubtedly, the good life would be incomplete without sampling some of the excellent Cretan wines -so have a look at the next  page for more information

THE WINES OF CRETE

The ancient vineyards of Crete are protected from the hot winds of Africa by the mountain ranges which act as a

barrier between north and south. Crete has the most traditional European vineyards, planted with varieties

whose origins are lost in antiquity: These vineyards produce red and white wines, sultanas and the Rasaki table grapes.

In the extreme eastern corner of the island lie the Sitia vineyards which produce a robust red wine as well as

a liqueur wine. This variety is also found around the hilly area of Daphnes and is the descendent of the famous noble variety which makes Malmsey wine.

According to legend, malmsey was made in huge jars in the palace of Minos from a recipe given to the king

by the Delphic Oracle, and was supposed to symbolise wisdom.Further to the west is the region of Iraklion, with

its ancient towns of Knossos, Gortys and Phaistos –the cradle of European civilisation -and fitting as such that

it should have enjoyed a flourishing wine trade.

The grape variety here, Kotsifali, produces two" Appellation d'Origine" wines -Archanes and Peza. A visit to the

vineyards in the hilly and very unspoiled country villages outside Iraklion is a worthwhile experience -especially around the villages of Archanes, Peza, Kounavi and Ag. Paraskies.

About Greek wine in general:

Greek wines, which represent 3.5 per cent of the total EEC harvest, fall under three major categories.

a) "Vins de marque" and "Branded Wines" which do not necessarily indicate grape variety or geographical

origin;

b) "Typical" wines characteristic of their region, marketed under an" Appellation d'Origine"

and bearing a numbered band across the cork; and

c) "Vins de Pays", local wines in wooden casks.

What is Retsina??

Made in the same way as dry table wine, retsina is wine to which pine resin is added during fermentation

then removed at a later stage. Only Greece, according to EEC regulations, may produce retsina, which has been

given the rare EEC designation" Appellation Traditionelle". The practice of resination began in antiquity as a means of preserving wine in amphorae and preventing seepage during transportation. The influence of the resin on the flavour of the wine has become so popular that today, retsina forms nearly 38% of the total wine production in Greece.