- Winter–spring
- Wild greens (horta, stamnagathi), snails
- Spring
- Artichokes, broad beans, Easter lamb
- Summer
- Gemista, briam, courgette flowers
- Autumn
- Chestnuts, new raki, mushrooms
Winter and spring
Wild greens are central to Cretan food: boiled horta with oil and lemon, stamnagathi (spiny chicory) with lamb or on its own, and greens pies. Snails (chochlioi) are fried with rosemary and vinegar (boubouristi) or cooked with greens.
Easter
Lent brings vegan 'nistisima' dishes. After Easter, lamb and goat are cooked with artichokes and broad beans, or roasted, often in wood ovens.
Summer
Tomatoes, courgettes, aubergines and peppers fill the menus: gemista (stuffed vegetables), briam (roasted vegetables), courgette flowers stuffed with rice, and dakos with ripe tomato.
Autumn
Chestnuts from western Crete, mushrooms after the first rains, and the raki-distilling season in October and November. Ask whether the kitchen has a 'dish of the day' (fagito imeras).
Questions before you go
What is stamnagathi?
A wild spiny chicory, eaten boiled or cooked with lamb.
What are nistisima dishes?
Fasting dishes without meat or dairy, common during Lent.
How do I find seasonal food in Crete?
Ask for the dish of the day or what is in season.
