1. The Cretan Perish T
The Greek isle of Crete lies in the Mediterranean, 200 a long way south of Athens and 160 a long
way North of Libya. It is the largest from the Greek islandshaving a land size of 3216 square miles.
The Cretan diet plan forms the basis from the Mediterranean Dietand is also said to be one of the
best in the world.
Based on The Sevennations Study which came about during 1958 in order to 1970, it was found that
the control band of 700 rural Cretan men had extremely low death costs from heart disease,despite
moderate to high intake of extra fat , and lived with a ripe old age.
The type of extra fat was olive oil as well as the beneficial healthoutcomes are due to the oil’s high
content of monounsaturated fatty acids along with antioxidants.
The Cretan people were mainly land owners, maqui berry farmers , and ruralfarming workers.
Traditionally residing off the land, get together wild herbs along with fruits, growing their very own
vegetables and elevating animals for various meats – particularly hen chickens , lambs and goat's.
Food was often fresh, never highly processed , and mostly house produced. Meat has been rarely
eaten, perhaps once a week at most, along with was mainly restricted to special occasions.
Note: One aspect of the authentic study which created the Cretan diet plan phenomenon which is
rarely mentioned is the significance that physical exercisepossibly played in the original study group.
These were active men engaged in uncertain labour; farmers toiling their land.
The following foods form the basis of the wholesome Cretan Diet along with were eaten in abundance
;
Olive Oil
Extra virgin essential olive oil is used in just about every Cretan meal. Soups, stews along with
vegetables are cooked with plenty of essential olive oil and salads are very generously dressed
together with oil.
Mountain Herbs and Greens
On the Cretan hillside grow plentiful wild herbs including thyme, oregano, sage and rosemary. Many
wild mountain greens also grow throughout Crete.. Known as ‘horta’. There are various types of horta
such as ‘vlita’ along with ‘stamnagathi’. The greens are boiled and then served smothered together
with olive oil and orange. These mountain greens form an integral part of your Cretan diet, and still
widely eaten during the entire island today.
Vegetable Dishes
The following locally produced vegetables are used frequently , usually boiled in the tomato and
essential olive oil sauce with additional herbs. Each meal is a meal on its own , served with newly
baked bread along with salad.
Green beans / runner beans, courgettes/zuccinni, aubergines, artichokes
Other veggie dishes include 'briam' (courgette, myzithra mozzarella dairy product and potato curry ),
'yemista' (whole tomato plants and green peppers stuffed with rice along with herbs, oven baked ,
and 'dolmades' (vine leaves stuffed with almond and herbs, range baked).

2. Beans and Pulses
Bean soup, Lentil soups , Chick pea stew
Fish
Grilled seafood , sardines, fish soup
8oz white harricot beans
3 carrots - peeled and chopped
1 large onion : chopped
1 stay of celery : chopped
1 tablespoons of parsley - sliced
1 tbsp oregano
1 cup of olive oil
1 tbsp tomato puree / paste
salt and pepperone particular tbsp vinegar
Place the beans in the pan and fill over boiling drinking water to cover. Leave in order to soak
overnight or for 8 hours.
After soaking, drain your beans and include fresh water to cover. Give the boil and then simmer
gently with regard to 40 minutes. Atart exercising. The carrots, pears , parsley and oregano to the
beans. Fry the onion in the little olive oil along with add this for the beans. Simmer for any further 20
minutes or until the carrots along with beans are cooked (tender). Finally include the olive oil, tomato
puree, vinegar plus salt and spice up to taste. Simmer for a further 10 mins.
Serve hot together with fresh bread along with feta cheese.
Note: Don't scrimp on the olive oil in this formula , it really is important for your flavour.
Salads
There are a pair of popular salads – one a winter months and one a summer salad, using the in-
season vegetables.
Summer Salad or ancient greek Salad – tomato, cucumber, green spice up , onions, olives,
dressed with olive oil along with vinegar. Often topped with feta mozzarella dairy product or the local
rich and creamy myzithra cheese.
Winter Salad – chopped lettuce, shredded cabbage, grated carrot and spring onion , dressed with
essential olive oil and vinegar.
Fruit
Again whichever is growing locally, throughout season
Oranges, apples , pears and figs in winter.
Melon, watermelon along with grapes are summer favourites, all produced on the island.
Nuts
Almonds, walnuts, hazelnuts and chestnuts all grow throughout Crete.
Yoghurt
Fresh yoghurt made from sheep, goat or cow's milk.
Honey

3. Thyme, flower and pine honey are all produced upon Crete.
Other foods, which were eaten in moderation in the authentic Cretan diet:
Chicken
Eggs
Lamb
Goat
Snails ( high in calcium)
Goats milk
Home made cheeses
Wine
A moderate glass or two of home made, village, burgandy or merlot wine was usually taken daily.
The Cretan Diet along with Crete Today
All of the above foods are still comsumed throughout Crete today, together with olive oil, vegetable
food and salads still playing a large portion in the diets of Cretans. However there is now also a larger
prevelence of fast foods including pizza, hamburgers along with gyros souvlaki (a new Greek snack
of pitta bread, various meats , chips, tomato & yoghurt), as well as highly processed and ready foods
available in supermarkets. Added to this the Cretans currently consume greater amounts of fatty
meats along with fried foods.
In today's modern the island , with the majority of ladies with families trying to help support them ,
there is little time for the old traditions of growing and growing fresh foods or for the daily prep and
cooking of such foods every a treat.
- the very first pressing of the oil produces extra virgin mobile olive oil, the most genuine.
- Extra virgin mobile olive oil from the island is green throughout colour, rather than discolored.
- A tbsp of olive oil contains 120 energy , 14 grams of fat, and no ldl cholesterol.
- Olive oil is at its peak in just a year of creation. Newly pressed essential olive oil tastes bitter along
with takes 2 to 6 months to 'mature'.
- Greece is the world's largest manufacturer of extra virgin olive oil
- Greece takes in the most olive oil for each capita in the world, as well as the Cretans consume the
many in Greece!
Dark wine grapes are generally pressed to make conventional Cretan Village burgandy or merlot
wine.
In late september and September your grape harvest begins in earnest, so does the traditional
pressing from the grapes. Many villagers produce their own do-it-yourself wine by filling stone troughs
using the grapes and treading them barefoot in order to extract the veggie juice.
The must along with grape skins are generally then used to make the local firewater, Raki, also
known locally because tsikoudia. The grape skins are boiled and distilled in the 'kazani' or central
heating boiler to produce this strong alcoholic drink.

4. Kalitsounia : small cheese pies, usually served scorching and drizzled together with honey.
Kochlous : Snails cooked together with onions and do-it-yourself tomato sauce or fried and
simmered in vinegar along with rosemary.
Rabbit stifado - Rabbit cooked with onions along with tomatoes.
Staka - hot cooked smooth goats cheese.
Dakos - Rusk bread coated with essential olive oil , grated fresh tomato and creamy mizythra
cheese.
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