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Papua New GuineaFlavors · Creta
Grape marc brandy distilled in Crete after the harvest, without anise. It has a geographical indication as Tsikoudia of Crete, is served chilled in small glasses, and accompanies Cretan hospitality from the start to the end of a meal.
Traditional drink from Creta
Also known as: Τσικουδιά, raki, ρακή, Tsikoudia of Crete, Τσικουδιά Κρήτης
Illustrative images. The pictures in this guide are illustrations based on the real place, not photographs, and may differ from it.
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Tsikoudia — Creta, Greece
Tsikoudia is made from the marc left after pressing the grapes: skins, seeds and bits of pulp. The marc ferments and is taken to the still, where it is distilled. As with other marc brandies, the distiller separates the first portion, the “head,” and the last, the “tail,” and keeps the “heart,” the middle portion. In Crete, the drink is made without anise and remains clear.
The geographical indication Tsikoudia of Crete is on the official list of Greek spirit drinks and covers the whole island. In Crete the same drink is also called raki, a name that should not be confused with Turkish rakı, which contains anise.
Distillation takes place in autumn (September to November), after the grape harvest and wine production, and runs through November. Crete’s regional tourism board describes the cauldrons steaming in the villages at this time and the protoraki, the first tsikoudia to come off the still, with very high alcohol content. Distillation days, called rakokazana or kazanemata, bring neighbors and relatives together around the still, with food and music, especially in villages of the Rethymno area.
At the table, tsikoudia is served chilled, in small glasses, with snacks. It is offered as a welcome to visitors and also appears at the end of the meal, with fruit or a sweet.
Creta
The geographical indication Tsikoudia of Crete covers the whole island; the anise‑free marc brandy accompanies Cretan hospitality across the island.
Fermented grape marc (skins, seeds and bits of pulp), distilled in a still. Without anise.
Chilled, in small glasses, sipped, accompanied by snacks such as olives, cheese, dakos or fruit. Offered on arrival and at the end of the meal.
An everyday and visit drink. Autumn distillation (September to November) brings families and neighbors together around the stills.
Your questions
A grape marc brandy made in Crete, without anise, served chilled in small glasses. It has a geographical indication as Tsikoudia of Crete.
In Crete, yes: raki is another name for tsikoudia. It is not Turkish rakı, which contains anise.
On almost any occasion: as a welcome to visitors, with snacks, and at the end of a meal, accompanied by fruit or a sweet.
Flavors of Greece
White wine flavored with Aleppo pine resin, added to the must during fermentation. The Attica Region calls it an Attica specialty, where it is made mainly with the Savatiano grape, and the name is a traditional designation reserved for wines from Greece.
Layered baked tart of thinly sliced zucchini and potato, with mizithra cheese and mint, sometimes topped with pastry. It is named for Chania, in western Crete, and is a summer dish (June to August), when zucchini are in season.
Rooster or veal slowly cooked in a tomato and wine sauce seasoned with cinnamon, bay leaf, nutmeg and other spices, served with thick pasta and grated cheese. It’s Corfu’s Sunday and festive dish, of Venetian heritage.
Thin slices of beef dredged in flour, browned and cooked in a light sauce of white wine or wine vinegar, with plenty of garlic, parsley and pepper. It is a Corfu dish of Venetian heritage, served with potatoes, rice or pasta.
Dry barley rusk, moistened and topped with grated tomato, fresh mizithra or feta cheese, olive oil and oregano, sometimes with olives and capers. It’s the best-known snack and light meal of Cretan cuisine.
Fried patties made from chopped tomato, scallion, herbs and flour, served as a snack. They are a specialty of Santorini, made with the island’s small tomato, grown without irrigation in volcanic soil.
Sweet natural white wine from Santorini, made with Assyrtiko, Aidani and Athiri grapes dried in the sun and aged for a long time in barrel. It ranges in color from amber to dark brown and is part of the Protected Designation of Origin Santorini.
Sweet white wine from southern the Peloponnese, made from grapes sun-dried and barrel-aged. It revives the wine that merchants shipped from Monemvasia to Europe in the Middle Ages, when the port was known by its Frankish name, Malvasia.
Mykonos onion pie, filled with onion, the island’s fresh cheese tyrovolia, eggs and dill, between two layers of pastry. It is noted as one of the island’s oldest and most traditional recipes.
Sweet fortified red wine from the Patras region, made mainly from the Mavrodafni grape and aged in barrels until it develops notes of raisins, coffee and dried fruit. It has a protected designation of origin and is the dessert wine most associated with the city.
Toasted sesame and honey bar with almonds, orange peel and spices, cut into diamond shapes. It is Rhodes’ sweet offered at weddings and baptisms and has a Protected Geographical Indication from the European Union.
Pomace brandy (grape marc), with or without anise, served chilled in small bottles with snacks. It has geographical indications for Thessaly and for Tyrnavos, and in Volos it gives its name to the houses where each round arrives with a meze.
Pie made with very thin pastry, open and layered, filled with semolina custard and topped with sugar and cinnamon. It is also made savory, with cheese, ground meat or spinach. In Thessaloniki it is eaten in the morning with coffee and sold in pieces cut to order.
