I would like to share with you the recipe that I brought from the Cretan city Rethymno. You know the tastiest food in the world, as strange as it may sound, is historically the food of the poor. Ratatouille, bouillabaisse, spaghetti carbonara, ossobuco, pizza, oysters, fondue – the list is endless.
I would like to share with you the recipe that I brought from the Cretan city Rethymno. You know the tastiest food in the world, as strange as it may sound, is historically the food of the poor. Ratatouille, bouillabaisse, spaghetti carbonara, ossobuco, pizza, oysters, fondue – the list is endless.The Greek paximadia or barley rusk was created as a way to preserve bread for a long time. Bread was rarely baked – heating ovens in the hot Mediterranean climate is not easy. It was the staple food for the Greek poor, shepherds, sailors, and warriors. The shelf life of paximadia is at least 6 months (can you imagine?).
All you need to do before using it is to soak it a little in water, oil or wine. And if you put other ingredients on such a rusk, ingredients without which it is impossible to imagine Greek cuisine, you will get a delicious Greek appetizer dakos.
- Prep time: 5 minutes
- Cook time: 10 minutes
- Serves: 1
- Difficulty: easy
- Course: appetizer
- Cookware: grater
- Cuisine: Greek / Cretan
Ingredients
- 1 Cretan barley rusk or rye toast
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 medium tomato
- 30 g feta
- 6-8 Kalamata olives
- dry oregano
- salt
- freshly ground black pepper
Cooking method
Step 1
Heat the oven to 180˚С. Dry the bread in the oven to a rusk.
Step 2
Sprinkle the dried bread with plenty of olive oil and salt. Cut the tomato in half and grate directly on the bread. Then grate feta cheese. Pit the olives. Garnish the dakos with olives, sprinkle with dry oregano and black pepper.
My tips and tricks:
Imagine a world without love. Boring, right? A world without good tomatoes? Not only boring, but also tasteless, right? Full of sun, juicy, and sweet, real seasonal tomatoes. What if it’s not the tomato season? There is a little trick. Add a pinch of sugar and a couple of drops of balsamic vinegar to the tomatoes. This will enhance their natural sweetness and make tastier any tomato dish you eat.
Konstantin Vidoborenko’s wine recommendations:
Tomato is not an easy ally for wine. Therefore, I would recommend dry rosé wine for dakos. And if you manage to find a Greek rose, for example, from the local variety Xinomavro, then you’ll have a perfect authentic duet. But don’t be discouraged if you can’t find it, it’s not an easy task. A pink dry from Spain is a great alternative.
- 1 Cretan barley rusk or rye toast
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 medium tomato
- 30 g feta
- 6-8 Kalamata olives
- dry oregano
- salt
- freshly ground black pepper
- Heat the oven to 180˚С. Dry the bread in the oven to a rusk.
- Sprinkle the dried bread with plenty of olive oil and salt. Cut the tomato in half and grate directly on the bread. Then grate feta cheese. Pit the olives. Garnish the dakos with olives, sprinkle with dry oregano and black pepper.