Irini Tzortzoglou, who won the 2019 outing of UK Masterchef and published Under the Olive Tree: Recipes from My Greek Kitchen a year later, has highlighted the one European island she thinks foodies should visit
A MasterChef winner has urged food lovers to visit one particular European destination.
Irini Tzortzoglou is no stranger to a good dinner. The Greek cooked her way to the 2019 MasterChef UK title, wowing the judges with a red mullet with a squid risotto and griddled rosemary lamb chops with trahanas puree.
Her first book Under the Olive Tree: Recipes from My Greek Kitchen was published a year later, highlighting her pedigree as a cook of Greek cuisine. Irini was born and raised in a small village on the island of Crete, and learned to whip up delicious dishes there before moving to the UK.
Now she has shared her top culinary tips for those heading to Heraklion – a destination that has been internationally recognised for its traditional, flavourful food, and becoming a UNESCO City of Gastronomy in 2023.
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Irini advised: “Go for bougatsa (cheese pie topped with sugar and cinnamon) in Kirkor by the Lions Square, enjoy a traditional meal at the awarded Peskesi restaurant, or for great fish, go to any of the seafood tavernas in the suburb of Alikarnassos.
“Wherever you eat in Crete, try the dakos (barley rusk topped with tomato and feta cheese) and fava (split yellow bean puree drizzled with great extra virgin olive oil).”
A new study by Saga Holidays placed Heraklion in Crete first as Europe’s best food destination with fewer crowds. The study analysed 5,000 restaurants across 125 European cities using Google review data to track where diners praised food as ‘authentic’. This was combined with tourist volume data to reveal the hidden hotspots boasting traditional, timeless food.
With 92% of Brits seeking authentic food abroad yet only a quarter able to find traditional spots, Saga Holidays’ ranking is a good checklist for experiencing Europe’s culinary culture.
“I believe that there are certainly markers that the offering is not authentic; overloaded menu, tourist clichés (Greek salad, moussaka, souvlaki, etc), generic descriptors, stock photos, etc. A menu that lists horta, fava, dakos, gigantes, kokoretsi alongside familiar dishes like moussaka is more authentic than one that just gives tourists what they expect,” Irini added.
She also shared her recommendations of what to try in the study’s top Greek locations:
Athens: “Seek out old restaurants full of character and authentic dishes such as Diporto near the main Athens market or very modern establishments run by well-known chefs like Iodio.”
Piraeus: “Piraeus has to be great for seafood and fish (grilled octopus, kakavia fish soup, fried whitebait).”
Kalamata: “Don’t leave Kalamata without trying their hortopites (pies filled with wild greens) or their twisted fried pastry sticks called Lalagia.”
Saga’s list of the most authentic foodie destinations in Europe can be found on its website.
