biographies

Wild greens
One important feature of the Cretan diet is the consumption of wild greens. Cretans use many of the different plant species yielded by the island's soil in salads and pies, and as spices with which to prepare food.

Purslain numbers among the most celebrated of all wild vegetables. A succulent green, it can be eaten raw as salad, or cooked with fish or other dishes. One of the best antioxidants for the human body, it is regarded as remarkable for the fact that it supplements the polyunsaturated acids not present in olive oil .





Purslain, a wild green prized for its medicinal properties
Elderly woman paring wild greens in front of her house
Wild greens: 1. Glystrida (purslain) 2. Agrioprasso (wild leek) 3. Vrouva (wild mustard) 4. Papoula (wild fava bean leaves) 5. Radikia (wild chicory )
Wild artichokes cooked with meat, 2004 (photograph: Multimedia Lab)
Omelette with wild greens, 2004 (photograph: Multimedia Lab)
Pies stuffed with wild greens, a traditional accompaniment to raki, 2004 (photograph: Multimedia Lab)