ώπα! Greek food!
I have many wonderful memories of the food in Greece from past trips…particularly the grilled sardines on the island of Ithaki (Ιθάκη)! It was such an unbelievable experience and I’m sure I will never forget. They definitely are unlike any canned sardines you can get in Canada! I wasn’t disappointed with the food in Greece this year either. Following are some of my favourites.
Heraklion, Crete
Fabrica Espresso Bar is a popular hangout and has great coffee and sandwiches. I had the falafel sandwich and it lasted for breakfast and lunch! Follow the rooster!🐔
Ippokampos Seafood served a delicious Cretan salad and grilled squid that was exquisite. The lemon and herb seasoning on the seafood was incredible and paired well with the Kazanisto Ouzo! ώπα! The servings were too large for one person, but they happily packed up the salad to go, and I took the half full bottle of ouzo with me.
Il Mattino at Leof. Kalokerinou 94, Iraklio, serves one of the best lattes I’ve ever had. I highly recommend trying out this bakery/cafe.☕
Athens
I was craving soup, and no one seemed to be serving it. Then we happened across this new Chinese Restaurant (less than 2 years old) on our walk back from the stoa. It was called Wok Dragon Express (Mitropoleos 51, 51Athens, Athina), and seemed quite busy. We went in and I ordered a meal for one that included hot and sour soup (that was delicious) and even had jasmine tea (with real blossoms). It was an unexpected surprise, but we had a great meal. The service was also wonderful. I would definitely be tempted to eat there again.
You may be thinking why I chose a Chinese restaurant in Greece. I had been eating Greek food for most of my meals, and just wanted a change of pace. I’m glad we stopped in!
Corinth
Maze - around the corner from the KTEL bus station. I had seasonal greens and kalamaraki that was wonderfully fresh and perfectly cooked.
In the village of Ancient Korinth I shared a dinner with some of the people from the American School of Classical Studies in Athens (ASCSA) based in Corinth. We ate at Farafella, which is a fairly new restaurant serving both Italian and Greek cuisine. We even had some Tsipouro after dinner. I had the Ntakos (salad).
The best salad I had in Greece was the Greek Salad at Gamprou (ΤΟ ΤΑΒΕΡΝΑΚΙ ΤΟΥ ΓΑΜΠΡΟΥ) which overlooks the archaeological site of Αρχαία Κόρινθος. This restaurant had great service, great prices and excellent food. The vegetables were fresh and the feta was delicious!⭐⭐⭐⭐
Snacks
Missing: A bag of Oregano flavoured chips (of course I ate them too fast and forgot to take a photo)! And yes, I did have some amazing baklava! 😋
Tea
In Heraklion, we came across this wonderful tea shop, Tea Palace - Το παλάτι του τσαγιού (Chandakos 25, Iraklio) that had an amazing selection of herbal teas. I bought Dictamus, Mountain Tea and Sarantabotano.
The label on the package of Dictamus reads: “It is one of the most important medicinal plants, known in Minoan Crete and Ancient Greece. Dictamus is antiseptic, tonic, and antispaspodic (sic). Used for wound healing, as soothing the digestive system, cold and flu.” It did help with the digestive issues I was having in Heraklion from drinking the tap water.
Mountain Tea - I bought and enjoyed this tea back in 2008 when working on the Knossos project. So, I was looking forward to getting some more. “The European Medical Agency recognizes the Sideritis species as a natural treatment from gastrointestinal problems, colds with coughs, and any inflammation, and Cretan people have used this Mountain Tea for generations for these reasons. The word ‘Malotira’ itself originates from the Latin words ‘male’ and ‘tirare’, which means pushing away illness, proving just how powerful these small plants were considered to be.”[1]
Sarantabotano - “A secret from the mountains of Crete has been preserved from generation to generation and is now in your hands. Sarantavotano is a traditional recipe with forty pure ingredients that encapsulates the healing wisdom of nature and the primordial power of the earth to soothe body and spirit. Ideal for hot drinks and for washing your face/body.” [2]
Coffee
Coffee can be found everywhere in Greece, along with millions of bakeries. However, I couldn’t find a single one that served a proper, traditional Greek coffee. I had one in Corinth, but it wasn’t something to write home about. This makes me sad, as I remember the days when you could get a real cup of coffee. Afer Starbucks moved in to Greece, it seems much easier to find Frappuccinos then a true Greek coffee. I did write about this issue before - see my blog post Worldwide Loss of Traditional Knowledge and Culture.
Cretan coffee - Dandali ☕
I did buy this package of Cretan coffee at a grocery store and brewed it up - it was delicious!🤎
[1] Tofillo (2019) What is Malotira? The Cretan Mountain Tea. Posted online January 21, 2019. https://tofillo.com/en/malotira-the-mountain-tea-of-crete/
[2] Description of Sarantabotano from https://the-grocery-store.com/product/sarantabotano-ancient-recipe-cretan-herbal-tea-with-40-herbs-30gr
