Wine and flavours
Wine & Flavours
From the Vineyard to cooking
The traces of vine growing in Crete are lost in the depths of time, when the Minoans produced big quantities of wine, which they sold in big clay jars. However, except for the winemaking of the grapes or the immediate consumption of the delicious and nutritious fruits, the grape by-products allow us to enjoy fine flavors and they are used in confectionery and cooking, maintaining their beneficial advantages.
Cretan raisin
Famous for its blond color, fine taste and rich aroma, the Cretan raisin comes from the Sultana variety. It has great nutritional value and it is an excellent snack, especially with yogurt or nuts.
In cooking, it offers its sweetness to raisin bread, cakes, turkey stuffing or stuffed vegetables, salads, even sausages!
Must
The juice which is produced when grapes are crushed is called must and it constitutes the first stage of winemaking.
Also it is used in cooking after a special treatment which interrupts the fermentation. The most well-known dishes produced from must are: moustalevria (must jelly) – in various forms depending on its place of origin – and moustokouloura (must cookies).
Petimezi
Petimezi (must syrup) is produced by boiling and concentration of the must; it is a dark-colored syrup which is used in Greece as a sweetener since the antiquity, long before the discovery of sugar or the widespread extent of apiculture; it has been called “honey of the poor people”.
Today it is used as syrup in pancakes and honey puffs, in salad sauces and meat sauces, in marinades, etc. while its high nutritional value gradually brings it back to contemporary kitchens.
Tsikoudia
Tsikoudia, the precious grape-based distillate of Crete, closely associated with the Cretan tradition and hospitality, is produced from pomace and it is synonymous to raki. It has been designated a PDO (Protected Designation of Origin) product and the cauldrons for the preparation of raki are opened during the autumn (October – November) for a few days in a festive ambience which brings closer producers, locals and guests at a table next to the cauldron, filled with all sorts of goodies of the genuine Cretan gastronomy .
Tsikoudia is stored in glass or stainless steel containers and it is served cool. It is found in every Cretan home and it is the most popular treat.
Vinegar
Vinegar made from the must of certain grape varieties perhaps is the most widespread kind of vinegar, which gives a characteristic flavor to Mediterranean cuisine dishes and salads. This by-product of the wine was used since the antiquity and it is well known both for its beneficial health properties as well as for its cleaning-disinfectant properties.
Respectively, balsamic vinegar, which is darker and more concentrated, matures in oak barrels and it is well known for its strong flavor.
Vine leaves
Finally, we must not forget the tender and aromatic vine leaves, mainly of the sultana variety, which are used to make dolmadakia (stuffed vine leaves).
Also, the vine tendrils used by the vine to climb can be eaten as snacks, raw or as pickles.