Traditional Cretan Raki Guide

Traditional Cretan Raki Guide: An Introduction

Raki, also known as tsikoudia, is a strong, clear spirit that Cretans distil from the grape skins, seeds and stems left over after wine making. Many families make their own raki for their own use each autumn, after the grape harvest, on a still of their own or one they share with their extended family.

Raki is central to Cretan hospitality. Cretans serve it with small plates of food, such as feta cheese, tomatoes and olives, and offer it to friends and visitors alike.

Raki and the Grape Harvest

Cretans have always made use of everything the vineyard gives them. The vines provide wood for the fire and leaves for cooking, and the grapes are eaten fresh, dried as sultanas or fermented into wine.

Some of the grape must is cooked down into a dark, syrupy molasses called petimezi, a store-cupboard staple used in Greek pastries. The crushed grape skins, seeds, pulp and stems left after pressing are distilled into tsikoudia, or raki. Raki is colourless and usually around 45% alcohol, and some homemade batches are stronger.

The Distillation Process: A Time to Celebrate

Raki making is a social event as well as a craft. The distillation takes around 3 hours, and family and friends gather, bring food and taste the raki as it comes off the still.

Some makers add wild herbs such as thyme or rosemary for extra flavour. Others mix raki with honey to make rakomelo, a sweet, golden drink often served warm in winter.

Drinking Raki: A Cretan Ritual

Raki is a drink to enjoy in moderation, and visitors who call it firewater or moonshine soon learn why, because too much leads to a severe hangover. It comes in small decanters or carafes with shot glasses, always with food: small plates of feta cheese, tomatoes, olives and cucumber, or cooked beans and rice dishes.

Similar spirits exist throughout the Near and Middle East under different names. Cyprus has its own version, zivania, and other regions call theirs araka, araki or ariki. During the Turkish occupation of Crete, the name raki came into common use for tsikoudia because the two drinks were so alike. Mournoraki is a version distilled from mulberries.

Cretan raki is not the same as ouzo or tsipouro. Ouzo has a strong aniseed flavour, and Cretan raki has none. Tsipouro, made in other regions of Greece, is a pomace spirit closer in style to raki.

Traditional Uses of Raki

Cretans have traditionally used raki for more than drinking. Families dabbed it on cuts and wounds on people and animals, and on insect stings, especially mosquito bites.

Many Cretans believe a glass of raki after a meal helps digestion and that a daily glass contributes to a long life. These are folk beliefs, not proven effects.

How to Enjoy Raki: Tips for Visitors

Raki is easy to find all over Crete, in tavernas, kafeneions and meze bars. In traditional kafeneions, small plates of meze often come free with each carafe, as our guide to eating out in Crete describes. These 3 tavernas are known for their raki and meze:

• Mavro Provato, Chania Town: a meze taverna in Chania Town that serves traditional meze with raki.
• Raki Meze, Sitia: a Cretan taverna in Sitia serving raki with grilled meats and meze.
• Inodion, Sitia: a rakadiko, or raki-and-meze taverna, on the Sitia waterfront, open since 2005.

Cretan meze dishes suit the strong taste of raki. These 3 pairings are traditional:

• Olives and barley rusks: simple staples that go with any raki.
• Cretan cheeses: graviera or xynomizithra contrast with the strength of the spirit.
• Grilled meat and seafood: both suit a carafe of raki.

Raki drinking follows a few social customs. Keep these 3 in mind:

• Share it: raki is a drink for company, sipped slowly while the conversation flows.
• Drink it cold: raki is traditionally served chilled, often straight from the freezer in the hottest summer weather.
• Pace yourself: raki is very strong, so drink it slowly and always with food.

So, when in Crete, raise a glass and toast to tradition. Yammas!