Tag Archives: Crete

Crete Needs to Restore its Gastronomic Heritage

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? Destination Stewardship Report – Summer 2020 ?

Culinary expert Nikki Rose says Crete has wandered far from its roots as the “Garden of Greece,” losing traditional farms, villages, and cuisine in the process. Mass tourism has been partly responsible, and sustainable tourism could help reverse the trend, restoring Crete’s traditional, organic, more ecologically suitable agricultural methods. Consumer demand for health and gastronomy is on the rise. Catering to it could help Crete restore its 4,000-year-old agricultural heritage and once-robust ecosystem. The approach called “agro-ecology” shows the way.

Tourism in Crete can thrive anew with the farming ways of old

by Nikki Rose

Horiatiki, traditional Greek salad, on the coast of Crete. Photo: Nikki Rose.

People relying on tourism for their livelihood can make their industry more vibrant and progressive by forming alliances with organic farmers and agroecology programs. Both residents and visitors will benefit.

In March 2020, the Greek Ministry of Tourism and the Global Sustainable Tourism Council signed a Cooperation Agreement to harmonize the Greek tourism industry with international standards for sustainable tourism. Greek Minister of Tourism, Harry Theoharis, said “Our major goal is the restart of Greek tourism sector after the pandemic, capitalizing on sustainable tourism thematics, such as diving tourism, gastronomy tourism and mountain tourism….”

Travelers interested in these themes, especially gastronomy, are typically well informed supporters of organic food production and conservation. Consumer demand for organic food is increasing around the world. Data from 2018 reports the global organic market at over USD100 billion and growing. There are 2.8 million organic producers worldwide.

Agroecology entails more than producing food without toxins. It integrates conservation of indigenous traditional knowledge and food self-sufficiency. Agroecological farming has been shown to increase ecological resilience, improve health and nutrition, conserve biodiversity and natural resources, improve economic stability, and mitigate the effects of climate change. Agroecology aligned with sustainable tourism can also help us achieve several UN Sustainable Development Goals.

As tourism begins to recover from the conoravirus crisis, there’s an opportunity for residents of Greece to incorporate the concept of agroecology in the process. The island of Crete provides an excellent example of lessons learned and ignored.

Crete, the “Garden of Greece”

Crete’s Minoan history, mythology, and agricultural and culinary artifacts can teach us about our future. Four millenniums ago, the Minoans showed respect for nature, living in harmony with it. In the ancient city of Knossos, a sign reads: Pasi Theis Meli– Honey is Offered to All Gods. Around the world today, our bees and other pollinators are being killed by pesticides. This is a serious threat to our food supply, farmers’ livelihoods, and traditional cuisine. The notion of promoting “gastronomy tourism” is moot until we protect our pollinators.

Beekeeper, eastern Crete. “The notion of promoting gastronomy tourism is moot until we protect our pollinators.”  Photo: Nikki Rose

The traditional Mediterranean Diet is on UNESCO’s Intangible Heritage list. Studies conducted in Crete before the introduction of industrial farming noted a primarily vegetarian diet based on wild sources and traditional organic cultivation. Today, only six percent of land in Greece is farmed using sustainable organic methods.

Crete is known as “The Garden of Greece,” but most commercial agriculture today is subsidized industrial monoculture and greenhouse farming. Small-scale organic farmers cannot compete in this “Big Ag” system. Yet this system has not worked well for years. Boreholes have depleted natural aquifers, causing desertification, biodiversity and soil depletion. Production decreases as climate crises increase, impacting all farmers and beekeepers. Amid archaeological sites dating back thousands of years you can find recently abandoned villages. All of the small-scale farmers and artisans are gone, along with their resilient communities.

Large tourist resorts can encroach on communities, increasing the cost of living and doing business. All-inclusive resorts import the majority of their food and stifle local business by their “no need to leave our compound” model. These resorts also extract large amounts of Crete’s natural resources, including fresh water, and erode biodiversity.

The Value of a Holistic Approach

Greece has a unique opportunity to support Community-Based Sustainable Tourism (CBST) and Agroecology, because some rural communities still exist and there are many organic farmers still struggling to make a living amid numerous barriers. There are well-established agricultural cooperatives producing organic food and beverages. There is a high percentage of organic-biodynamic vintners in Crete and other regions of Greece.

A CBST agroecology approach covers every section of the Global Sustainable Tourism Council Criteria:
A) Sustainable management, stakeholder engagement;
B) Socio-economic stability, social wellbeing;
C) Cultural sustainability, protecting cultural heritage;
D) Environmental sustainability, conservation of natural heritage.
That includes several aspects in particular:

Community benefits: Greece can collaborate with appropriate experts to support organic producers by providing incentives, training, and establishing sales and distribution structures that rely not just on tourism or exports but every avenue of opportunity, such as schools, hospitals, museums, and events. CBST initiatives in collaboration with neighbors involved in the arts, artisan food production, natural medicine, ecology, history, education, and small-scale accommodation will help to sustain resilient societies, better able to withstand tourism crises like coronavirus.

Youth: Greece’s financial crisis has triggered a “brain drain” of young, well-educated Greeks emigrating to seek a better life. One priority for Greece is to create opportunities for the youth to earn a real living at home. Rather than emigrating, many young Greeks have returned to their family’s villages to open small businesses, including organic farmer cooperatives. They are striving to sustain the life they cherish, which also appeals to many visitors. European Commissioner for Health and Food Safety, Stella Kyriakides said, “…without prospering farmers, we will not ensure food security. Without a healthy planet, farmers will have nowhere to farm.”

To promote Greece’s cultural heritage and gastronomy, we need to support our suppliers first

Fisheries: The small-scale fisheries industry, nostalgically depicted on postcards, is near extinction. Large-scale illegal operations throughout the Mediterranean, overfishing, and water pollution are depleting precious seafood supplies and poisoning aquatic species. Greece’s current 24% value-added tax rate is pushing small-scale traditional tradespeople out of business, including taverna owners. In order to promote Greece’s cultural heritage and gastronomy, we need to support our suppliers first.

Heritage plants: Local heirloom seeds provide the foundation for our extraordinary traditional cuisine. Policies that support industrial farming threaten their extinction. The Global Movement for Seed Freedom is growing, including the well-established Peliti in Greece.

Peliti Heirloom Seed Festival, Paranesti, Crete. Photo: Nikki Rose

Agronomist Stella Hatzigeorgiou, co-founder of Melitakes agricultural cooperative and heirloom seed festival in Pirgos, Crete, said: “Heirloom seeds contain multiple genotypes that give them strength to adapt to external changes, such as climate changes. Their resilience increases good harvests, and farmers have their own seeds for the next season. Plants from local seeds are well adapted to local climatic and soil conditions and external enemies (insects, fungi, bacteria). And rich natural biodiversity is crucial for all healthy cultivation.”

The Time Is Now

On May 20, 2020 the European Commission adopted a “Biodiversity Strategy and a Farm to Fork Strategy for a fair, healthy and environmentally friendly food system. The two strategies are mutually reinforcing, bringing together nature, farmers, business and consumers for jointly working towards a competitively sustainable future.” These strategies require support of the EU Common Agricultural Policy/Green Deal, Member States, and farmers, but it’s a positive start, which includes:

  • Reducing dependency on pesticides and antimicrobials, reducing excess fertilisation, increasing organic farming, improving animal welfare, and reversing biodiversity loss.
  • Protecting and restoring well-functioning ecosystems to boost resilience and prevent the emergence and spread of future diseases.

Agroecology should not be marginally connected with tourism, whether we call it agritourism, wine tourism, or gastronomy tourism. Real, safe food should be embedded into everyday life wherever we live or travel. Agroecology programs can increase the number of visitors supporting conservation programs. If we collaborate with our organic farmers and their communities, we can help leave a legacy of a healthier planet and food system for generations to come.

Appendix: For More on Agroecology
Content as provided by Nikki Rose

Agronomist Dr. Vassilis Gkisakis, at the Hellenic Mediterranean University, Agroecology Greece, and Agroecology Europe said, “A major initiative of Agroecology Greece/Europe is the education of agronomists and training of farmers, not just in sustainable farming practices but also in a holistic, systemic approach to agriculture.” For further research, see:

Olive Oil Bread, Mint Lemonade, and Camaraderie

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[Above: Archanes from atop Mount Youchtas. All images by Olivia Locascio ]

“How about some olive oil bread and fresh squeezed lemonade?” I looked up from the wind-ruffled pages of the book I was reading. Sunlight gleamed from the beads of condensation on the icy carafe that Athena, the owner of the Troullos apartments where we were staying, had carried over on a tray, accompanied by a loaf of fresh bread.

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Mint Lemonade

I had been sitting beneath a bit of shade in Athena’s stone courtyard in the village of Archanes in northern Crete, reading about traditional Cretan cooking – learning about the centrality of olive oil, the healing power of wild greens, and the importance of taking time to share a meal with family and friends. This was the second afternoon in a row that Athena, who had left Athens to come to this small village with her husband, had come out to offer us refreshments. Swishing the cool, minty lemonade in my mouth, I pondered the deep generosity of this woman. There was something special about the way she wanted to share her food with us.

I stood, stretched and ambled around the courtyard where a few of the other students enrolled in my study abroad program were also relaxing. Gazing out towards the shadowed base of Mount Ida, Zeus’s birthplace, I searched for the olive trees and grape vines that are so important to this region. I marveled at this place, hardly believing that I was here – and that I would be here, on this magnificent island, for another two weeks.

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The Courtyard of Troullos

Archanes, once the summer residence of Minoan kings, is now lined with narrow, sloping streets. Colorful homes are snuggled in close together and no space is left unused. Fresh cucumbers, tomatoes, and zucchini flowers fill the wooden bins of tiny markets. A small cheese shop boasts glass-faced refrigerators, crowded with rounds of myzithra and other local cheeses. Every morning and late afternoon, conversation and laughter can be heard from the open doors and windows, as passers-by stop to say hello and catch up on the day’s news.

One of my favorite shops was Bakaliko, a restaurant along the edge of the town square, where the 20 other students from the University of Wisconsin who were taking part in Nikki Rose’s program, “Crete’s Culinary Sanctuaries,” ate almost every meal, chattering to each other and to the owners, talking about what went into rusk salad and stuffed grape leaves, and slowly sipping our glasses of wine until, around 10 p.m., darkness finally fell.

Inside Bakaliko.

Inside Bakaliko.

Then, as the clock approached midnight, we would head back home to Troullos, our eyes drooping and our stomachs full. But we were never the last to leave. No matter how late we thought we’d stayed, the restaurant’s outdoor tables were always crowded with locals and tourists, not yet half done with their meals.

One night, we, too, found ourselves lingering over our evening meal and telling stories over small glasses of raki, a popular drink made from twice-distilled grapes. Suddenly, our group leader stood up and said she was so proud of us – so proud that we were finally enjoying a meal like Cretans do. It was the first time on our trip that we, a group of hyper, busy-busy-busy Americans had relaxed at the table, unhurriedly enjoying each other’s company and our beautiful food. None of my readings had prepared me for this.

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Fresh baked bread

None of them had instructed me how to see even the simplest meal as a feast, how to partake in it as much for the companionship as for the food. I had to learn simply by doing that meals on Greece’s largest island are about living life together over food traditions that date back thousands of years. Cretans live each day for their family and friendships rather than for themselves. When Athena handed me her homemade bread and lemonade, she handed me friendship as well. You simply can’t eat home-made bread and drink lemonade someone had just taken the time to squeeze for you, hurriedly, or alone.

Development Endangers Med Diet Foods

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Above: Manolis Beehives in Crete. Photo by Nikki Rose

Everyone knows that the Mediterranean Diet is good for you. We can see that in the fine health of people who have spent their lives eating this way, and esteemed doctors have backed that up with data. But this wholesome way of life is at risk in the place where it began.

The premise of the Mediterranean Diet originated in Crete shortly after World War II, resulting in “The Seven Countries Study.” The basic findings were that some people in Crete lived long, healthy lives because of what they ate (and did not eat) during those hard times. There was no laboratory food, chemical agriculture or mass tourism yet. The only option was fresh and local food, which I call Real and Safe Food (RSF). But things have changed.

Mass Tourism Endangers Mediterranean Diet Foods

When I moved to my grandmother’s homeland of Crete 16 years ago, some communities were importing the Worst of the West at warp speed. Generic forms of holiday making (mass tourism) swept through entire regions, leaving virtually no trace of local life. It didn’t happen gradually enough for residents to determine how to stop the heritage bulldozers. Many people anticipated a better future. But mass tourism affected the way most of my neighbors wanted to live and eat.

Crete's Culinary Sanctuaries Study Tour. Photo by Nikki Rose

Mass Tourism, Malia, Crete, Greece.

Society was moving from subsistence farming/bartering to a world created by multinational corporations and public agencies that served them. Young Greeks wanted what the tourists had – vacations abroad, pizza and beer. The older Greeks wanted their children to have a better education, because their traditional lifestyle was no longer viable. So my neighbors bought into this fast-track system (unwittingly or not) in exchange for their pristine environment and what it provided – RSF.

Crete’s RSF is at risk, and so is the population’s health: the rates of diabetes and heart disease are rising because residents have accepted corporate laboratory food from seed to table. Greek farmers and artisan food producers are rarely invited to speak in international forums, but the truth cannot be told without their voices.

My first concern is, who is thinking about what Crete really needs right now? We need to hear from the people who actually know and are implementing solutions. For more than half a century, public agencies have been appeasing industries that have not served citizens well. Their promotion of Crete’s cuisine or tourism in the countryside is not comforting unless agencies and industries have a plan to protect it first.

Now we have another heritage invader: All-inclusive hotels are on the rise, causing sudden death to local businesses. These compounds typically import 90% of their products, including food. The hoteliers’ excuse is that there is no consistency in local products. Are delectable local tomatoes too good for their customers?

On the ground in Crete, I work with many specialists in organic farming, viticulture, heirloom seed saving, traditional cuisine, botany-ecology, ecotourism, archaeology. Their stories tell about the lack of support for producers of RSF, the lack of protection of biodiversity where our precious wild greens and medicinal plants (horta) comes from.

Crete's Culinary Sanctuaries Study Tour. Photo by Nikki Rose

Chef Mavrakis, Collecting Horta, Crete

Now that our cuisine and nature is “news,” we have the threat of mass tourism operators infiltrating our countryside with caravans of tourists in jeeps or 50 pax buses (they don’t call them people) on their programs entitled, “Authentic Crete.” It’s just the decades-old destructive system invading our priceless heritage.

Crete's Culinary Sanctuaries Study Tour. Photo by Nikki Rose

Chef Dimitris Mavrakis Preparing Horta (Wild Greens)

So when it was time for me to share my knowledge about Cretan Cuisine at a recent conference, I began by sharing my favorite recipe: conservation. Conservation of our priceless ingredients is what we need now more than ever.

Both the local and global community benefit from RSF. UNESCO declared the Mediterranean Diet an “intangible cultural heritage.” While that is admirable, protecting the source of life of all species on Earth cannot be “intangible.” It must be Real. People accomplished this for thousands of years before the advent of chemical agriculture and mass tourism. There are still many people who know how to accomplish this today.

Ask the Producers Themselves What They Need

Instead of the mindset that we are supporting our RSF providers, let’s consider accepting their support. Let’s ask our RSF providers how we can make it easier for them to:

  • Train and support more sustainable organic farmers, vintners, small-scale fishers, and artisan food producers
  • Break down the barriers to success – fixed pricing, taxes, distribution, export laws
  • Create incentives (real living wages and training) to produce and distribute high-quality sustainable organic and sustainably harvested products
  • Collaborate with lodgers, restaurateurs, chefs and cooks supporting those above
  • Sustain and create more bona fide eco-agritourism initiatives (not just a place to stay in the middle of nowhere)
  • Collaborate with archaeologists striving to protect our heritage and share their knowledge about lessons learned and ignored
  • Collaborate with ecologists and support conservation initiatives

Once we accomplish the above, we can honestly celebrate our priceless “Mediterranean Cuisine.”

Related Video presentation by Nikki Rose on Crete trends in tourism, food, and farming, at the National Hellenic Museum, Chicago, 2013

Related Article “What’s the Mediterranean Diet…and who is on it anyway?

More info about Crete’s Culinary Sanctuaries