Traveling to Greece: Crete & its special dakos

I can't say enough about this magnificent island (even if I do usually write to you about Chios!). I recommend flying into Chania for a change from the capital city of Heraklion. Chania's Venetian harbor & lighthouse, proximity to unique beaches like Balos (pictured above), Elafonissi, and Falasarna, and nearby spectacular mountain scenery have something for everyone. 

Of course, you know I'll rave about the food - get ready to gain a few pounds while there! I love kalitsounia-in Chania we find the salty kalitsounia, stuffed with cheese, or various herbs from the Crete, and the sweet kalitsounia, also stuffed with cheese and drizzled with pure Cretan honey-, or sfakianópita-another traditional honey and cheese pie, made of very thin dough layers and soft cheese-. These two pies make the perfect breakfast!And of course, the rich gamopílafo for special dinners (this "wedding rice" is heavy on all kinds of meat, so the vegetarians in your group will want to stick with the fantastic wild greens that are on every Cretan menu).

Of course, you don’t have to go to Greece to taste its delicious food! Try making your own Cretan dakos for lunch with our Easy Recipe below!

Cretan Dakos Recipe 

Ingredients for Cretan Dakos

1 barley rusk or 1-2 slices of dried, toasted French bread

1 tomato

1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese (or more if you like cheese)

2 tbsp of Tragano Greek Organics EVOO

5 or more Tragano Greek Organics Pitted Kalamata Olives (whole or chopped)

1 pinch of Sparoza’s 15 Greek Herbs and Seeds blend

a sprig of Tragano Greek Organics Sea fennel to garnish

Prepare your Cretan Dakos

Quickly pass your barley rusk under running water. Skip that step if you are using your dried bread.

Chop the tomatoes and keep the juices.

Put your rusk or bread at the bottom of a plate or salad bowl.

Top with half the olive oil.

Top with the chopped tomatoes and spread evenly so that the juices will be absorbed by the bread or rusk.

Top with the feta cheese, the herbs, the rest of the olive oil and garnish with a sprig of sea fennel.  Enjoy!

NOTES:

Let your dákos sit for a little, the more the juices penetrate the bread the more tasty it becomes. For an extra touch of color, garnish with a sprig of sea fennel.

As an alternative, break up your rusk or dried bread and put the pieces at the bottom of your salad bowl when you make a Real Greek Salad. Then enjoy all the concentrated flavor in every bite of that bread!

Buy the artisanal products to make dakos

Find Ballos Beach on a map