Cretan Cuisine Festival

The Cretan Cuisine Festival, based in the village of Apostoli, Pediada, operates as a non-profit organisation, deriving its essence and vitality from the folk tradition and everyday people of our country.

Since its establishment in 2013, our association's goal has been to celebrate the flavour memories and nutritional culture of our country by documenting recipes from every corner of Crete.

Our recipes are accompanied by customs, traditions, as well as historical, cultural, and folklore elements.

Cuisine represents culture; it embodies the heritage of each locale.

Behind every recipe, there's a story—a cherished connection, a useful utensil, an ingredient, a memory, or more.

This culinary tradition has endured through the centuries, passed down from grandmothers to daughters and then from daughters to granddaughters.

In challenging times, these women applied their creativity to craft new recipes, caring for their families with simple ingredients found in their homes and utilising the seasonal offerings of nature to create the most delicious and healthy dishes.

These women, who measured by handfuls and intuition, who kneaded, seasoned, and nurtured, cooking their meals with the same care as they showed their children, and possessing a magical ability to turn necessity into tradition and celebration, are my heroines.

This is the culture we aim to share and pass down to future generations, particularly our children, fostering an appreciation for the customs and traditions that connect them to the rich cultural heritage of Crete and its roots.

Therefore, in 2018, the Cooking Guide was published—a book crafted by many skillful hands, showcasing the culinary expertise of Cretan housewives. The intention behind this endeavour was to allocate all proceeds from the book's distribution to acquiring equipment for the Haematology/Oncology clinic for children and adolescents in Crete, as well as the Oncology Clinic of the University General Hospital of Heraklion (PAGNI).

We persist in documenting recipes from every corner of Crete, and we are on the verge of publishing the second edition of the Cooking Guide.

Lena Igoumenaki

President of the Cretan Cuisine Festival Association