Cretan nutrition and its productsFor Cretans, the secret of longevity is very simple. They eat anything that their rich soil produces! They consume a lot of fruit, vegetables, greens, fresh produce, legumes, cheese and bread.
Cretans use herbs to add flavour to their meals; they make sweets cakes with natural sweeteners, honey and grape-juice syrup while the excellent Cretan wine is an indispensable accompaniment to their meals.
Cretans do not eat meat or, rather, they did not eat meat until a few decades ago. Meat has always had a ritual quality in Crete, and generally in Greece. In antiquity, Cretans consumed only the meat offered to the gods on the altar of sacrifice. In modern times, they consumed meat only a few times a year, i.e. during festivities or, if wealthy enough, every Sunday. In other words, the dietary code of Cretans has deep cultural and historical roots.
This, however, should not be considered as a limiting, or even a coercive practice that could undermine the richness of taste. On the contrary, the ingenuity of Cretans exploited fully the entire spectrum of ingredient combinations, which resulted in volumes of recipes for meals and deserts. Snails, for example, are cooked in 40 different ways! Pure olive oil is the sine qua non for all preparations! Fresh produce grown under the most suitable climatic conditions has a prominent place on dinner tables.
Cretans do not require doctors orders to consume large amounts of fruit and vegetables. Grapes, raisins, oranges, etc. are a way of life. Even on days strictly associated with meat-eating, such as the Easter Day, Cretans do not eat only meat. On the contrary, they cook meat with artichokes, wild greens or vegetables a delicious choice!
By the end of 1950 s, when American nutrition experts came to Crete to investigate the causes that were responsible for the longevity of Cretans, they could not believe their eyes! "My God, how much oil do you use!" ,exclaimed Dr. Ancel Keys, as he was looking at a plate of green salad virtually floating in olive oil. In fact, Dr. A. Keys observation was subsequent to similar remarks/observations made centuries earlier by travelers from other regions of the world who were also interested in scrutinizing the daily life and habits of Cretans. Even a Greek writer, Chourmouzis-Vyzantios, who lived in Crete ca. 1830, remarked about the extraordinary application and consumption of olive oil by the inhabitants of the island.
Today it is believed that the secret for a long and healthy life lies in olive oil, the principal ingredient of Cretan diet. Past and present research conducted in the USA and Europe supports the view that olive oil not only shields the human heart from diseases, but also increases the good operation of other organs or protects the human organism from a long range of diseases. For one thing, it reduces cholesterol it has excellent antioxidant properties and wards off all forms of cancer in addition, it supports the operation of liver and is ideal for those people suffering from diabetes and other diseases! No other fatty substance is used in Crete. Seed-oils are virtually banned from Cretan households. No animal fat or other similar fatty substances are used in pastries and sweets.
One of the most important exhibits in the Archaeological Museum of Heraklion, a museum that houses most of the secrets of the famous Minoan civilization, is an exquisite gold piece of jewellery representing two bees flanking a round portion of honeycomb. This exhibit is the most eloquent witness of the relationship between Cretans and bees. It is the same copper-coloured bee-mentioned by ancient authors- whose delicious, velvety product befits the dinner table of gods; the bee that nested inside the sacred cave, the birth-place of Zeus.
Honey, this exceptionally natural sweetener, contains precious substances and can be consumed even by people suffering from diabetes! It is also rich in vitamins and anti-oxidants. Vitamin E, the basic vitamin in honey, along with other substances, removes harmful substances from the body that either originate from the body itself or are the result of human activities, e.g. smoking, radiation, and consumption of processed food that is usually incriminated for tumour growths.
The honey of Crete is completely natural and is produced in regions of endemic vegetation. The bio-system of Crete is rich in endemic plants, particularly herbs. This vegetation and herbs are the favourite source of food for bees. A tour of the bee-keeping areas of Crete is enough for visitors to understand why Crete produces the most aromatic honey in the world: the beehives are amidst a variegated landscape scented by aromatic bushes and herbs, most of them endemic to Crete.
Since snow covers only the highest mountain peaks, albeit for a few months a year, and owing to the protracted summer season, wild vegetation is always available to bees for foraging.
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