When talking about Cretan cuisine and Mediterranean cuisine in general, salads are of paramount importance. They play a vital role not only by supplying you with vital nutrients at the beginning of your meal, but also they work as an appetizer for your meal in Greek and Cretan restaurants in Chania. 

We are a Cretan cuisine restaurant and especially in the summer months many of our guests who are enjoying a meal in Chania are choosing Cretan salad as their main course. After all, it’s a complete and balanced food option that can supply you with the necessary energy for your whole day while on vacation in Crete. Many Cretan restaurants are using inspiring ingredients for their Cretan Salads, and here are the top 4 ingredients to elevate the taste of your Cretan salad either at your home or in order to have it as a special request meal while on vacation in Crete.

Best Cretan Cuisine Restaurant’s favorite: Mizithra.

  Our restaurant in Platanias has a big affection for Cretan dairy products. Mizhthra soft cheese is one of them and it is commonly used by many restaurants on salads. Being lightweight and nutritional it perfectly complements and elevates the salads while adding less fat compared to other cheese. Mizithra is a soft white cheese that is traditional produced in Crete and especially in the mountainous areas that tourists on vacation in Chania love to hike. It gives all salads the necessary fats and the creamy texture all of our guest’s TripAdvisor reviews love. 

 Olives: A Cretan Cuisine favorite.

  All restaurants that specialize in Cretan cuisine are incorporating the use of olives and olive oil on their dishes. Olives are the treasure of Cretan gastronomy and it is also the main agricultural product of our island. It suffices to say that most Cretan dishes are using olive oil extensively and on a daily basis. Many variations of the Cretan salad also incorporate olives on Cretan salads. 

 Cretan Olives may be uses in various forms. Cretan cuisine restaurants are using them in raw form after they mature them in brine or in salt and can be consumed as a whole after removing the kernel. Another creative way of consuming olives on Cretan salad is in shredded form without the kernel.

This is something many of our guests who are on vacation in Chania are loving in our restaurant, as they are having no stress consuming olives in a processed manner without having any anguish or difficulty on removing the kernels.

Caper: Adding spiciness to your Cretan salad.

Caper is a plant whose seeds are used extensively in Cretan Cuisine. Both taverns and restaurants are using caper seeds in order to add flavor, color, and spiciness to many of their Cretan delicacies. Caper has a distinctive earthy texture and also a special spicy taste which most guests of the restaurants in Chania are loving. Caper is to be consumed as a whole as it contains no big seeds or kernels and it definitely compliments the taste of olive oil and mizithra which we already talked about. 

Avocado: A new addition to many Cretan restaurants near you!

It may sound strange, but avocado is now a new addition to many traditional restaurants in Crete. Even on some traditional dishes, chefs have successfully incorporated avocado into their meals.

Crete has for years now a big and viable avocado production. Acres of cultivated avocado land are now established in Crete and especially in Chania. It is then normal for Cretan cuisine restaurants in Chania to use this -now Cretan- product. The microclimate of Crete is ideal for avocado production and it also has a distinctive taste when compared to its North America counterparts.

Avocado is used on Cretan salads as well as it successfully bonds all ingredients while having a natural earthy taste. It also provides us with the necessary healthy fats that make the Mediterranean diet so famous worldwide.

All of the above ingredients belong to Cretan Cuisine  and as of every year, we welcome you to taste and discover them in our beachfront restaurant in Chania. Having a delicious meal doesn’t always have to do with the number of Cretan dishes and recipes but also with the simplicity of dinner. Cretan salad is all about, simplicity, nutritional value, and health benefits. We invite you to discover it!