Meat
CRETANS USED TO EAT MORE SHEEP AND GOAT MEAT THAN BEEF OR PORK.
Small-scale livestock farming and the particular relief of the island called for flocks of smaller animals, usually grazing in mountain pastures. Traditional livestock farming would be nothing special if it weren’t for the abundance and nutritional value of the indigenous herbs on which the flocks feed. That’s what makes their milk and meat so tasty, and their owners so proud. Andikristo is a quite remarkable tradition of roasting lamb and goat meat, mostly followed in mainland Crete and rooted in the shepherds’ roasting methods while they resided at the mitata.
White meat is as popular in Cretan cuisine as sheep and goat, coming mostly from domestic animals, such as rabbits and chickens.
