Join us to learn the secrets of cooking our dishes inspired by the Cretan diet and using the finest local ingredients. This is your chance to take your place in the Avli kitchen, in a truly hands-on cooking masterclass.
Using the extraordinary raw ingredients produced by Crete’s finest artisanal producers - from mountain cheesemakers to small farm producers who have tilled their land for generations - learning to cook the Cretan way is a journey of discovery. Join our celebration of nature’s harvest and master age-old techniques (and some new ones) to create your own gourmet Cretan dishes.
The experience
Our cookery classes start in the courtyard. Beginning with an introduction to Cretan culture, history, and gastronomy, it’s here we share our customs, and the many words we use to describe our food, all the while sipping on a favourite Cretan wine.
To begin, we start by sharing the secrets to making a perfect Cretan-inspired appetiser. Then it’s time to get in the kitchen, and with your sleeves rolled up, begin to prepare your own main dish or dessert creation.
Chef will talk you through making a selection of classic Cretan dishes - including ones our yiayias (grandmothers) passed down to us - as well as exciting modern interpretations of traditional recipes. Once the fruits of your labours are ready, it’s time to sit, share stories and get to know each other, as you sample your culinary masterpieces over a five-course dinner by candlelight. Of course, it wouldn’t be a typical Cretan meal without a shot of raki to conclude proceedings and toast your newly found skills.
With one of the largest cellars of any restaurant in Greece, Avli’s wine tasting sessions are not to be missed, offering an opportunity to savour Greece and Crete’s most exceptional wines. With expert knowledge on hand to help you delve into the varieties being tasted, and the techniques used to produce the wines, an Avli tasting offers a unique opportunity to find out more about Greek and Cretan viniculture.
Each participant receives a glass and we accompany our wine tastings with rusks, cheese, olives, local delicacies and sparkling water. We also provide the participants with notes regarding the wine-activity of our country, the wines and the wineries. Additionally, we can present a horizontal wine tasting (the presentation of variety per regions) or present a vertical wine-tasting (the development of wine in time), if is wish so.
Pairing wine and food is is one of our favourite things to do. Don't miss the chance to match the uniquely cooking class with the expert wine tatsing! Our Enoteca (traditional wine cellar) provides the perfect spot to savour Avli’s delicious dishes with well-curated wines from Crete, Greece and beyond.
Discover the olive oil, maybe the most important ingredient of the Cretan diet, the pinnacle of the, so-called, Mediterranean diet, in an authentic, interactive and educational workshop. Follow us on the art of selecting, tasting and appreciating the Greek liquid gold: the Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO). Learn all its secrets, how to distinguish the fresh, extra virgin olive oil & the Greek olive varieties and how to store it properly. A unique, tasty and soulful experience which will teach you how to evaluate and select the highest quality olive oil for your cooking and dinner table. In addition, this seminar will introduce you the famous Cretan Diet.
Activity Description
Our journey in the special world of olive oil starts from the very routes of its production to the bottle and all the way to your taste buds. You will learn under the guidance of our accredited olive oil expert chef, how to smell and taste in order to discover the incredible flavors of fine Greek Extra Virgin Olive Oils. You will participate in a sensory evaluation procedure (used by professionals to categorize olive oil), that will help you understand the meaning of “extra virgin” as well as how to describe an olive oil correctly with terms such as “fruity”, “bitter” and “spicy”. You will discover how to recognize a defective olive oil from a good one as well as how to correctly combine specific olive oils with different foods in order to transform a simple dish into something extraordinary, simply by using the right olive oil. Finally, you will discover all the benefits of Greek olive oil for your health, beauty and well-being.
The activity is well combined with the Cooking Class and the 5 courses dinner at AVLI.
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