Wild Crete presents…
The Traditional Cuisine of Crete
September 4 to 12, 2010
The Traditional Cuisine of Crete
September 4 to 12, 2010
Traditional Cuisine, Aromatic Herbs and the Culture of Crete
the incredible local connections, the vast knowledge of
Crete—its culture, its people, its history—to bring
an experience to novices that none of us could have done
on our own. To by-pass most of the tourists and experience
Crete as it was meant to be experienced has been
a journey of wonderful bliss and relaxation.
Shirley Silberman, Virginia 2008
The tour begins Saturday morning, 4 September, 2010 at the airport in Iraklion, Crete,
and ends after breakfast Sunday, 12 September, 2010 at your hotel in Hania.
For three nights, the rhythm of life in rural eastern Crete will surround you as the guest
of a small family-run inn in Kritsa: a traditional mountain village inhabited continuously for over 4,000 years overlooking the Bay of Mirabello.
With Kritsa as our base, each day we’ll travel by car or on
foot into the surrounding countryside to visit village gardens, talk to home cooks &
bakers, collect herbs, tour archaeological sites, and, of course, feast
on Cretan cuisine. Each day of the trip, we’ll present a series of short, informal seminars to help you understand and appreciate the local culture, cuisine and landscape.
From Kritsa, we’ll travel to the high mountains of Lasithi. A thriving example of sustainable rural Cretan farming, the Lasithi Plateau that has been inhabited and cultivated since at least the 12th Century BCE.
You’ll meet our family friends who have farmed and raised
sheep in the area for generations. We’ll visit several farms and talk to local growers, wine makers and shepherds. Our stay in Lasithi culminates with a traditional feast prepared just for our group using the region’s best ingredients.
Traveling on to the lush mountains of western Crete, we arrive at the eco-village of Milia. We’ll settle into charming stone cottages for three nights to savor this nature sanctuary’s quiet and beauty. Milia is 700 year old restored working village, a solar and wind-powered organic farm and one of the first eco-retreats of its kind in Europe.
You’ll spend the last day and night of the tour in Hania, the spiritual capital of Crete. Venetian and Turkish architectural gems, narrow cobblestone alley ways and a thriving community of artists give Hania its unique flavor that will linger in your memory forever.
In Hania you’ll have time to browse shops and galleries, and enjoy a modern spin on traditional cuisine.
Activities:
• A day in the high mountains above Kritsa in the agricultural settlement of Katharo, a hike through fields and orchards of herbs and wildflowers and a traditional farmer’s lunch. This is a remarkable example of community-owned agriculture in action. Farmed continuously using sustainable methods for 8,000 years, the well-tended soil of Katharo still provides most of the food for the people of Kritsa. We’ll meet with local residents who farm and raise sheep in the area.
• Time to explore the picturesque seaside town
of Aghios Nikolaos (where we’ll take you
to meet our favorite herb and spice vendors) and,
if you like, enjoy a swim at one of our favorite beaches. While in Aghios Nikolaos we’ll tour a unique museum dedicated to the traditional uses
of the aromatic plants of Crete.
• Hike through village gardens to Lato, an Iron
Age site (700-200 BCE) just two miles from Kritsa, where our local archaeological guide will help you to understand why this stunning windswept settlement is one of the most significant excavations in Greece.
• A day on the Plateau of Lasithi learning its intriguing history, visiting several small farms and meeting the first woman on Crete to establish a certified organic farm. While exploring the circle of tiny villages, we’ll stop at a Greek Orthodox monastery that features an unusual natural history display. In the late afternoon we’ll taste several local wines and cheeses. Our day ends with a sumptuous meal at a beautifully preserved traditional restaurant that features a friend’s family recipes, home-made cheese, wine and other locally produced ingredients.
• Guided tour of the organic farm at the village of Milia, with its unique terraced fields and groves of chestnut, olive and fruit trees.
• Plant hike in the lush mountains surrounding Milia while learning about wild herbs and foods.
• A day exploring Hania, including a visit to the rambling Saturday market and browsing specialty shops that offer woven goods, traditional Cretan knives, artisan jewelry and clothes.
• Cooking demonstrations to learn to make several classic Cretan dishes.
As a guest on this tour you will learn to appreciate:
• The key elements of the Traditional Mediterranean Diet.
• The distinctive culinary styles of Crete, including the use of wild foods and herbs.
• Native plants and their uses as medicines, foods, dyes and more.
• Greek wine, cheese and olive oil (tastings throughout the tour.)
• Cooking traditional Cretan dishes.
