A Traditional Cretan Lunch in London
Men and women in traditional Cretan dress greet us with smiling eyes. The men hand out small glasses of fiery raki. But we are not on Crete, island of the Minoans in the Mediterranean. We are next to the river Thames, in Battersea, London, being welcomed to a traditional Cretan lunch at the hotel Rafayel on the Left Bank.
The chef, Mrs Tonya Karandinou, runs an internationally acclaimed restaurant called The Balcony, near the harbour in Sitia, eastern Crete. She has travelled to London specially, to prepare our lunch, bringing with her high quality, organic, local produce from Crete. On the menu are dishes based on fresh fruit and vegetables, grains, legumes, cheese and extra virgin olive oil: all ingredients of the Cretan Mediterranean diet, which is acknowledged to give a long and healthy life.
Tonya leaves the kitchen several times to talk to us at our tables and find out what we think of our lunch. Her passion for food and cooking is obvious, so what’s her secret? “ Love”, is her reply. Everyone around the table is impressed with the food.
I visited Crete last year. As different dishes are served, memories of enjoyable meals in places like Chania, Rethymnon and Heraklion come flooding back. My travels did not take me as far east as Sitia, where some of the best Cretan extra virgin olive oil is produced. The nearest I got was Agios Nikolaos.
Grassy green-gold, fruity olive oil is waiting for us to dip our rusks in as we sit down to our meal, with a choice of wines from the Sitia Union Winery. The red is a ripe, soft and fruity Sitia 2008 and the concentrated, dry white wine, Sitia of Crete 2008, is made from the native vilana and thrapsathiri grape varieties.
Mezedes or starters include fava, or split-pea purée, and Cretan dakos, tomatoes and cheese on barley rusks. There is also dolmades, vine leaves stuffed with rice and minced meat, served with tzatziki, a yoghurt, cucumber and garlic dip.
Next come four different main course dishes. Oven-cooked lamb is served on a bed of potatoes with artichoke hearts and Cretan wild herbs. The cuttlefish dish, dressed in a wine sauce with spinach and herbs, is unbelievably tender. How does Tonya achieve this soft, melting consistency? “I cook it for just ten minutes.” she says.
Xerotigana and kalitsounia pastries are served for dessert, with delicious Cretan yoghurt and honey, sprinkled with chopped pistachios.
When I visited the island, I asked why meals are made up of so many different courses, and why eating takes up so much time. “Well, meals are not just for eating. They are for enjoying with family and friends, and for discussions.” I was told. “Besides, you might feel hungry again and need to eat some more”.
Mrs Tonya Karandinou and lady wearing traditional Cretan dress
We take our time to savour today’s traditional Cretan lunch, enlivened by a performance of traditional dances, shared in stimulating company and spiced with lively discussion.
The Sitia wines can be ordered through Mr. Sotiris Meredidis, Director of Sitia Limited
Fax: +44 (0)208 907 2902 Mob: +44 (0)793 048 4424
Extra virgin olive oil and other Greek foods can be ordered from – www.odysea.com
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Tags: crete, cuisine, Myrisa Luke
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