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The Cretan diet is rooted deeply in antiquity. It survived difficult conditions during the island’s conquest by the Arabs, the Venetians and the Turks. Crete maintained its dietary traditions even during the Hellenistic period when the Romans changed the eating habits of the entire Mediterranean.
More than 4,000 years ago the ancient Cretans, the Minoans, consumed the products that today are the basis for the Cretan diet. All of the international research supports the view that the Cretan diet is the best and most characteristic case of the Mediterranean diet. Modern nutritional science indicates that the Mediterranean diet provides for a long life and good health.
Dairy products, primarily cheeses, hold an important place in Cretan cuisine in which snails are one of the favourite dishes. Cretan bread usually includes two kinds of flour grain, wheat and barley, while paximadi is a daily pleasure. Spices and aromatic herbs are included in the food but are used with discretion. Cretans are nourished by the products of their land: horticultural products like greens, vegetables, legumes and fruit. They accompany their food with wine from the vineyards and use vast quantities of the elixir of a healthy life, olive oil, from Crete’s golden fruit. Today, Crete enjoys one of the world’s most ancient, delicious and healthy cuisines…
Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) and Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) products:
| Product | Designation of Origin or Geographical indication | Prefecture |
| Olive oil | Viannos (PDO) | Heraklion |
| Olive oil | Peza (PDO) | Heraklion |
| Olive oil | Acharnes (PDO) | Heraklion |
| Olive oil | Thrapsano (PDO) | Heraklion |
| Olive oil | Messara (PDO) | Heraklion |
| Olive oil | North Milopotamos (PDO) | Rethymno |
| Olive oil | Chania (PGI) | Chania |
| Olive oil | Kolimvari (PDO) | Chania |
| Olive oil | Apokoronas (PDO) | Chania |
| Olive oil | Selino (PDO) | Chania |
| Olive oil | Sitia (PDO) | Lasithi |
| Fruits, vegetables, dried nuts | Oranges of Maleme (PDO) | Chania |
| Fruits, vegetables, dried nuts | Soultanina raisins (PDO) | Chania, Lasithi, Rethymno, Heraklion |
| Olives | Throumba of Ambadia (PDO) | Rethymno |
| Cheese | Graviera of Crete (PDO) | Chania, Lasithi, Rethymno, Heraklion |
| Cheese | Xinomizithra of Crete (PDO) | Chania, Lasithi, Rethymno, Heraklion |
| Cheese | Pichtogalo (PDO) | Chania |
| Cheese | Xigalo (PDO) | Lasithi |
| Bakery | Cretan paximadi (PDO) | Chania, Lasithi, Rethymno, Heraklion |
| Honey | Cretan Thyme & Pine honey (PDO) | Chania, Lasithi, Rethymno, Heraklion |
| Wine | Archanes (PDO) | Heraklion |
| Wine | Daphnes (PDO) | Heraklion |
| Wine | Peza (PDO) | Heraklion |
| Wine | Sitia and Malvazia of Sitia (PDO) | Lasithi |
| Wine | Chandakas, Candia & Malvazia Chandakas, Candia (PDO) | Heraklion |
| Wine | Crete (PGI) | Crete |
| Wine | Lasithi (PDO) | Crete |
| Wine | Heraklion (PDO) | Heraklion |
| Wine | Rethymno (PDO) | Rethymno |
| Wine | Chania (PDO) | Chania |
| Wine | Kissamos (PDO) | Chania |
