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Magical Cretan Culinary Vacation Greece

Experience two days of flavors, aromas, scents, and sensations while getting acquainted with the culture of Crete. Join us for a food walk away from the crowded streets of the city so you can get the real feel of the city and its flavors. Spend the next day in a local rural village, getting to know the basic nutritional elements of the world-renowned Cretan diet, while engaging in a hands-on experience with Cretan cooking. During this journey, you will have the opportunity to get to know closer the local life of the people of Crete, the food and flavors of their everyday diet and the secrets that make Cretan dietary model one of the healthiest on the planet.

Meet the instructors

Giorgos
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Highlights

  • Food tour
  • Olive oil tasting session
  • Cretan cheeses tasting session
  • Local cuisine cooking class in a village
  • Daily tasty breakfast at the hotel
  • Lunch in a village house
  • Maps and printed material for your trip provided
  • 1 night accommodation

2 days with instruction
Group size: 6-12 participants
Airport transfer available:
Heraklion International Airport (Nikos Kazantzakis Airport) (US$ 38 per person)
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Accommodation

During this retreat, you will be staying at a boutique hotel in Heraklion, just by the old Venetian port.

Program

Day 1: Arrival - The City Food Tour: An Exploration of a City and its Flavors

After arriving at Heraklion, you will get transferred to a central boutique hotel. A member of the team will meet you there to give you a more detailed explanation of the following days, plus some hints about Heraklion. You will then start the food tour at Heraklion city:

Organic fruit market

The day starts in the organic fruit market of Heraklion, in a park in the city center. Here, you will meet with local producers of fresh fruits and vegetables, you will get to know the seasonal production and discuss with them the challenges of organic farming on the island of Crete.

Chat & coffee

No walk is done properly unless it involves a stop for a chat. Therefore, next, you will stop for a quick coffee to catch your breath and discuss the island, the food traditions, and the culture surrounding its cuisine as well as the reason this cuisine has not made it into fine restaurants around the world.

Deli shops & tasting

All rested and renewed with a boost of energy from the coffee, you will move to two deli shops where you will taste cheese and other interesting local products in one of the city's most interesting squares.

Galaktoboureko at a great pastry shop

Tasting the best galaktoboureko made in the village of Anogeia at a local pastry shop. After the mini tasting and shopping, you will end up in the tasting room.

Day 2: The food culture of Crete, olive oil, cooking, and say cheese

The day starts with breakfast in your hotel. You will then get transferred to a beautiful village, 35 kilometers from Heraklion, passing through a picturesque hilly scenery with olive and vine cultivation and interesting rock formations.

There you will experience a day of flavors, aromas, scents, and sensations while getting acquainted with the culture of Crete. An experienced foodist will initiate you to the basic nutritional elements of the world-renowned Cretan Diet, one of the healthiest around the planet while engaging in a hands-on experience with Cretan Cooking.

Olive Oil Tasting

Experience olive oil and the characteristics that make it special and unique. Through this session, you will be able to experience 4 different qualities of olive oil. During this process, you will learn to identify the different characteristics of its flavor and to distinguish the different qualities available.

Cheese Tasting

Taste a variety of cheeses that exist in the daily food consumption patterns of the people of Crete. Let your pallet wander through the several textures, densities, and flavors of the Cretan cheeses. You will soon understand why the people of Crete are among the biggest consumers of cheese in the world.

Cooking Class

This experience would be incomplete without your engagement with the local cuisine together with two local Moms. Get involved in the kitchen, use the local ingredients, and make your own creations from the variety of dishes in the Cretan cuisine. Match olive oil with different flavors and learn how to use it in your daily routine.

This experience can only make sense in a proper setting. This is why you will experience this in a small village in Crete in order to come closer to the ways of the people and their everyday practices. Walk through the small aisles, experience the true local hospitality away from the mass attraction sites, and get to know the true culture of Crete through engaging with the locals.

You will experience the passion for Crete, which will unfold in front of your feet through your senses. Experience Crete with the taste of the local products, the smell of the local cuisine, the touch of the local handshake, and the sound of the Cretan nature.

Please note that the dishes you will prepare are based on seasonal products and might change from one season to the next. If there is a special product you would like to taste or get to know please inform Petassos Travel in advance.

Included excursions

The food culture of Crete, olive oil, cooking, and say cheese.

Instructors

Giorgos Maltezakis

Location

This culinary holiday takes place in Heraklion, the capital city of Crete, one of the largest islands of Greece. To maximize your culinary experience, you will visit one local village located 25 kilometers away from Heraklion for your tasting and cooking sessions.

Crete is a very mountainous island, with an extremely diversified landscape and ground relief, which makes it very interesting and endless. There, new discoveries and exploration never end. The great advantage of Crete is the possibility to visit very different areas in a very short time from the forest to the desert, from the big mountains to the fascinating sea, isolated but also cosmopolitan villages and busy cities, ancient sites with at least 6000 years of history, and modern technological centers full of institutions and universities.

Food

During this retreat, you will be served a delicious breakfast at the hotel and Cretan cuisine lunch on the workshop of day two. Please note that the dishes you will prepare are based on seasonal products and might change from one season to the next. If there is a special product you would like to taste or get to know, please inform Petassos Travel in advance.

The following meals are included:

  • Breakfast
  • Lunch
  • Drinks

The following drinks are included:

  • Water
  • Coffee
  • Alcoholic beverages

The following dietary requirement(s) are served and/or catered for:

  • Regular (typically includes meat and fish)
  • Other dietary requirements on request
If you have special dietary requirements it's a good idea to communicate it to the organiser when making a reservation

What's included

  • Food tour
  • Experienced foodist
  • Cretan cheeses and olive oil tasting session
  • Local cuisine cooking class in a village
  • Lunch in a village house
  • Alcoholic beverages
  • Maps and printed material for your trip
  • Daily tasty breakfast at the hotel
  • 1 night accommodation
  • Phone support 24 hours a day
  • Taxes
  • Third Party Liability

What's not included

  • International and internal flights
  • Heraklion Airport (HER) transfers (upon request, extra charge)
  • Transfer to the workshops (upon request, extra charge)
  • Guided tours and entrance fees to museums and organized archaeological sites, unless mentioned above
  • Tickets for national parks, buses, boats, and archaeological sites
  • Beverages (soft drinks), tips, and personal expenses
  • Personal insurance
  • Anything not mentioned above

How to get there

Recommended Airports

Airport: Heraklion International Airport (Nikos Kazantzakis Airport) Airport transfer available: Heraklion International Airport (Nikos Kazantzakis Airport) (US$ 38 per person) Additional charges may apply. You can request this in the next step.

Cancellation Policy

  • A reservation requires a deposit of 50% of the total price.
  • The deposit is non-refundable, if the booking is cancelled.
  • The rest of the payment should be paid 30 days before arrival.
2 days / 1 night
from --
Minimum group size

This trip requires a minimum of 6 participants

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