CRETE, GREECE Culinary history Saki once said, “The people of Crete unfortunately make more history than they can consume locally” — and the Victorian novelist made a good point, which is why consumable history is usually a great idea. Especially in the case of the Minoans — a Cretan people widely credited as Europe’s first recorded civilisation — who are believed to have brought olive oil production to the continent around 4,500 years ago. Cretan cuisine still drips in the stuff — see for yourself on a cookery experience with Minoan Tastes, where you’ll devour food inspired by recipes as old as Crete’s mythical palace of Knossos. The Olive Tree Museum in Vouves not only dives into the history of the industry but is also home to an olive tree at least 2,000 years old, possibly even up to 4,000 — it’s touted as the world’s oldest. One of Crete’s most ubiquitous traditional dishes


is dakos saláta (dakos salad), which scooped the number one spot on Taste Atlas’s list of the world’s best salads in 2023. In this dish, the briny tang of olives and capers meets the robust flavours of ripe tomato and heady oregano; this is then combined with feta or mizithra cheese and chunks of barley rusk, or sometimes, carob rusk. The carob tree, whose fruit produces a malty and almost chocolatey flour (among other products), is an icon of Crete, which is why some locals are campaigning for it to be inscribed on UNESCO’s list of Intangible Cultural Heritage. Crete is home to large populations of wild carob trees — during periods of war, particularly the Second World War, and subsequent food scarcity, Cretans relied heavily on carob fruit for survival. As such, its presence on the island is one deeply tied to locals’ cultural identity. If you’re hungry for more history, there are


ancient sites spilling from every corner of Crete. Take a trip to Heraklion’s Archaeological Museum, which holds one of the world’s most important collections of Minoan art. minoantastes.com abea.gr heraklionmuseum.gr HOW TO DO IT: Fly to Heraklion from the UK on multiple airlines. The Domus Renier Boutique Hotel is located in Chania’s Old Town, with decor to match the Renaissance building. historichotels.org


NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC TRAVELLER – ISLANDS COLLECTION 27


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64  |  Page 65  |  Page 66  |  Page 67  |  Page 68  |  Page 69  |  Page 70  |  Page 71  |  Page 72  |  Page 73  |  Page 74  |  Page 75  |  Page 76  |  Page 77  |  Page 78  |  Page 79  |  Page 80  |  Page 81  |  Page 82  |  Page 83  |  Page 84  |  Page 85  |  Page 86  |  Page 87  |  Page 88  |  Page 89  |  Page 90  |  Page 91  |  Page 92  |  Page 93  |  Page 94  |  Page 95  |  Page 96  |  Page 97  |  Page 98  |  Page 99  |  Page 100  |  Page 101  |  Page 102  |  Page 103  |  Page 104  |  Page 105  |  Page 106  |  Page 107  |  Page 108