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Crete is perhaps the most famous part in Greece for its separate cuisine. Cretans with the passage of the years developed a great production of agricultural products, which constituted also basic components of their diet. The balanced diet of Cretans has become repeatedly object of researches, being the reason of their excellent health condition and the low mortality. In a Cretan dinner you will always see, vegetables, pies, fruits, legumes, dairy, bread, olives. Of course, meat is also an element of Cretan alimentation in little quantity, as well as fresh fishes and seafood. Basic element of Cretan cuisine is also the olive oil. Cretan olive oil is of excellent quality, makes good to the health and is exported to the entire world. The Cretan dinner always include wine or raki, the strong local alcoholic drink. Some of the delicacies that you can try in Rethymno are the following:

* Chochlious: snails cooked with grasses or fried in olive oil. It is a very tasty traditional dish.
* Dakos: is a snack including vinegar and water-soaked barley bread, which is accompanied by small pieces of tomato, garlic, onion and cheese feta.
* Apaki: smoked meat, usually lamb.
* Ofto: meat cooked in a ceramic dish and fried potatoes with the peel.
* Cheeses: local mizithra and anthotiro.
* Kaltsounia: sweet snack with Cretan honey of excellent quality.

Dakos: Cretan Meze

A traditional meze or light meal on the island of Crete, dakos (also called "koukouvayia") is often called "Greek bruschetta," and is easy to make with few ingredients and no cooking. You can find rusks at online Greek food shops, make your own, or use a thick slice of grilled or toasted crusty country bread (without the water).

INGREDIENTS:
* 1/2 of a large round barley rusk (about 5 inches diameter)
* 1 large or 2 small ripe tomatoes, coarsely grated (discard skin)
* 2-3 heaping tablespoons of feta cheese or aged myzithra, crumbled or grated
* extra virgin olive oil
* freshly ground pepper
* Greek oregano (rigani)

PREPARATION:
Run the rusk under a spray of water (about 4-6 tablespoons) to moisten. Grate the tomato with a vegetable grater (or the large grate on a multi-grater) into a strainer over a bowl so most of the liquid drains off.

Spread the grated tomato on the rusk and top with cheese.

Small Dakos me Ouzo

Small Cretan Barley Rusks with Ouzo
Barley rusks (dakos) are a specialty on the island of Crete and are served in a variety of ways. This recipe is a favorite appetizer or meze that goes well with drinks and beverages, and is a favorite with beer. While dakos are more traditionally made with feta cheese, this recipe calls for myzithra to go with the ouzo in the tomato mixture.
INGREDIENTS:
* 8 small barley rusks
* 1/4 cup of Ouzo
* 1 large ripe tomato
* 1/4 cup of olive oil
* Greek oregano
* sea salt
* freshly ground pepper
* 8 ounces of hard myzithra cheese, grated (xynomyzithra)

PREPARATION:
Peel the tomato and chop in food processor bowl. Add salt, pepper, olive oil, oregano, and a couple of drops of ouzo and blend. Let sit for 30 minutes.
Run rusks briefly under running cold water to dampen, without letting them get soggy.
Sprinkle rusks with remaining ouzo, spoon over tomato mixture and top with grated cheese.