Authentic Cretan Diet Recipes

Authentic Cretan diet recipes are simple home dishes built on olive oil, vegetables, pulses and herbs, with a little meat, fish or cheese. This page collects our favourite recipes, each with an ingredients list and numbered steps, and links to the recipes that have their own pages.

The Cretan way of eating became famous through research into heart health. The Seven Countries Study followed groups of men in 7 countries from the late 1950s and describes the diet of its Cretan villagers as very high in olive oil. Our guide to the traditional Cretan diet explains the background.

Cretan Diet Recipe Index

The recipe index lists every recipe in our Cretan diet collection. Recipes further down this page jump to their section, and the others open their own page.

Meat Dishes

• Beef Stifado
• Lamb Kleftiko
• Village Chicken
• Meat with Aubergines
• Chickpeas with Beef or Pork
• Souvlaki
• Stuffed Aubergines
• Pork with Courgettes

Fish, Salad and Vegetable Dishes

• Baked Fish
• Salmon with Roasted Vegetables
• Greek Salad
• Cretan Salad
• Beetroot Salad
• Greek Lemon Potatoes
• Baked Cabbage and Carrots
• Roasted Tomatoes

Cooking Tips for These Recipes

Cretan recipes depend on fresh, seasonal vegetables, good olive oil and fragrant herbs, cooked simply and without hurry. Use generous amounts of olive oil, and give slow-cooked dishes the full cooking time.

Most of these dishes need only 1 or 2 fresh ingredients on top of a few basics. Our list of Cretan store cupboard ingredients covers the basics, and you can buy the fresh produce near where you live.

Cretans eat dishes with lamb, beef, pork and chicken, but beans, pulses and vegetables make up a large part of their meals. The simple cooking methods let each ingredient keep its own flavour.

The Basic Rules of the Cretan Diet

The Cretan Diet rests on olive oil, plant foods and only small amounts of meat. These 7 rules describe how Cretans traditionally eat:

• Use olive oil as the main fat, in place of all other fats and oils for frying and dressings.
• Drink a moderate amount of wine, normally with the evening meal: 1 to 2 glasses a day for men and 1 glass a day for women.
• Eat fresh fruit as the everyday dessert, and keep sugary, fatty sweets for occasional treats.
• Eat plenty of plant foods, including fruit, vegetables, bread, grains, beans, nuts and seeds.
• Eat low to moderate amounts of cheese and yoghurt each day.
• Eat low to moderate amounts of fish and poultry each week, and no more than 4 eggs a week.
• Eat red meat rarely, perhaps once a week.

Classic Cretan Meat Recipes

These Cretan meat dishes are slow-cooked in olive oil with onions, tomatoes and simple spices. Each one feeds a family and tastes even better the next day.

Beef Stifado

Beef stifado is a classic Greek dish of slow-cooked beef in a rich, spiced sauce full of onions.

The ingredients for beef stifado are:

• 1 kilo of beef
• 8 tbsp olive oil
• 3 large onions, chopped
• 2 cloves of garlic, crushed
• 3–4 bay leaves
• 225 ml red wine
• 2 tbsp vinegar
• 3 large tomatoes, chopped
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1 cinnamon stick
• Salt and pepper

1. Heat the oil in a large ovenproof pot.
2. Cut the beef into fairly large chunks and brown them all over in the oil.
3. Take the meat out and brown the onions in the same pot.
4. Add the bay leaves and garlic and stir for a few minutes.
5. Return the meat, pour in the wine and vinegar, then add the tomatoes, cumin, cinnamon stick, salt and pepper.
6. Cover with a tight lid and cook very slowly in a low oven (140°C) for 3 to 4 hours, until almost all the liquid has evaporated and the meat is very tender. Check it occasionally.

Meat with Aubergines

Meat with aubergines is a Cretan stew of beef or pork simmered in wine and tomato, with salted aubergine chunks added at the end.

The ingredients for meat with aubergines are:

• 1 kilo of beef or pork
• 8 tbsp olive oil
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 kilo of aubergines
• 100 ml white wine
• 2 tbsp vinegar
• 2–3 large tomatoes, chopped
• 2–3 cloves of garlic, chopped
• 1 cinnamon stick
• Salt and pepper

1. Cut the meat into chunks.
2. Heat the oil in a large pot and brown the meat, then take it out and brown the onion.
3. Return the meat and pour the wine and vinegar into the hot pot.
4. After a few minutes, add the tomatoes, garlic, cinnamon stick and about 400 ml of water.
5. Bring to the boil and simmer for 1½ to 2 hours, checking that it does not dry out.
6. Meanwhile, cut the aubergines into chunks, sprinkle them with salt and leave them in a colander for about an hour so the bitter juice drains out.
7. When the meat is cooked, add the aubergines and simmer for another 10 minutes or so.

Chickpeas with Beef or Pork

Cretan chickpea stew is chickpeas slow-cooked until tender in a meat and tomato sauce. Serve it with crusty bread, a drizzle of olive oil and a glass of local wine.

The ingredients for chickpeas with meat are:

• 1 kilo of beef or pork
• 1 kilo of chickpeas, soaked overnight in water
• 8 tbsp olive oil
• 2 large onions, chopped
• 2–3 large tomatoes, chopped
• Salt and pepper

1. Cut the meat into chunks and brown it all over in hot oil.
2. Take out the meat and brown the onions.
3. Return the meat, add the tomatoes and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes.
4. Add the drained chickpeas and enough water to cover everything.
5. Season with salt and pepper and simmer until cooked, about 1½ hours.

Souvlaki

Souvlaki is the classic Greek dish of marinated pork grilled on skewers. Use good-quality pork that is free of fat and gristle.

The ingredients for souvlaki are:

• 350 g pork tenderloin, cut into 2 cm (1 inch) cubes
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• Lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
• 3 cloves of garlic, crushed
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 medium onion, cut into 2 cm (1 inch) pieces
• 1 green pepper, cut into 2 cm (1 inch) pieces

1. Mix the lemon juice, olive oil, vinegar, oregano and garlic in a large bowl.
2. Add the pork, onion and green pepper and stir to coat.
3. Cover and refrigerate for 2 to 3 hours.
4. Preheat the grill to medium-high heat.
5. Thread the pork, pepper and onion onto skewers and lay them in a lightly oiled roasting tin.
6. Grill for 10 to 15 minutes, turning the skewers often so they cook evenly.

Serve souvlaki with a green salad dressed with olive oil and lemon juice.

Cretan Salad and Vegetable Recipes

Cretan salads and vegetable dishes depend on fresh, seasonal produce and good olive oil. They work as light meals or as sides for the meat dishes.

Cretan Salad

Cretan salad uses soft goat's cheese instead of salty feta, with more fresh vegetables and herbs than a Greek salad. Tavernas all over Crete serve it as an alternative to the Greek salad. Its success depends on very fresh salad vegetables, soft goat's cheese and good olive oil.

The ingredients for Cretan salad are:

• A handful of salad greens, such as lettuce and rocket
• 1 medium carrot, finely grated
• A handful of finely chopped or grated cabbage
• 1 medium tomato, finely chopped
• ½ small cucumber, chopped small
• 1 tablespoon fresh dill
• 1 tablespoon fresh parsley
• Olive oil
• Lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
• 100 g soft goat's cheese
• 2 dried figs, chopped (optional)
• Salt and pepper

1. Finely chop the salad greens and put them in a large bowl.
2. Add the carrot, cabbage, tomato, cucumber, dill and parsley and mix together.
3. Sprinkle generously with olive oil, then add the lemon juice, balsamic vinegar and figs if using.
4. Season with salt and pepper and toss gently.
5. Turn the salad onto a serving dish and sprinkle with the crumbled goat's cheese.

Beetroot Salad

Cretan beetroot salad combines sweet boiled beetroot with Greek yoghurt, walnuts and raw garlic, which gives it a sharp bite.

The ingredients for beetroot salad are:

• 1 kilo of beetroots
• 3–4 garlic cloves, crushed
• 300 g Greek yoghurt
• 50 g walnuts, roughly chopped
• 8 tbsp olive oil
• 3 tbsp vinegar
• Salt

1. Trim the beetroots, leaving about 1 inch of stalk so you can handle them without staining your fingers.
2. Boil them whole for 20 to 30 minutes, depending on size.
3. Let them cool, then peel them, wearing plastic gloves or food bags on your hands.
4. Dice the beetroots and place them in a bowl.
5. Mix all the other ingredients in a second bowl, pour the mixture over the beetroot and stir well.
6. Cover and chill the salad in the refrigerator for 1 to 2 hours before serving.

Baked Cabbage and Carrots

Baked cabbage and carrots is a simple vegetarian side dish for a Greek stew such as stifado or lamb kleftiko. It bakes in foil in the same low oven as the stew.

The ingredients for baked cabbage and carrots are:

• 8 small to medium carrots
• 1 small head of cabbage
• Olive oil to drizzle
• Salt and pepper

1. Peel the carrots but leave them whole, cutting very thick ones lengthwise, and double-wrap them in foil.
2. Cut the cabbage into quarters, allowing a quarter of an average cabbage per person.
3. Place the cabbage on foil, season with salt and pepper, drizzle with olive oil and seal the foil.
4. Bake the carrots and cabbage alongside a stew or roast in a low oven for about 2 hours.