Learn About the Ancient Art of Making Cheese and Bread in a 300 Year Old Olive Grove

What to Expect

This class is for those who want to explore the history of cheese and bread making and learn how to re-create Greek historical recipes and methods from 5th century BC to early Ottoman years. 

It takes place in a 300 year old olive grove, 5 km from the city of Chania. It may be available on request - when time permits

The class explores the history of cheese making and learns how to make rennet, vinegar and plant juice based cheese curds and re-create an ancient Greek goat and sheep cheese recipe.
It is then taken through the many aspects involved in creating different types of period breads- from making sourdough to kneading and from baking to using the bread as an ingredient in various dishes- using period cookbooks, archaeological data and other primary sources. The breads are baked on hot stones, in a replica of a 5th century pnigeus (portable earthenware oven), on a replica of a Byzantine portable grill and in the heat of a traditional wood fired oven. 

Menu

Taste a variety of rusks and traditional Cretan cheese  and Cretan herbal tea

Learn how to make:

• Sourdough
• Sheep cheese with vinegar rennet. 
• Goat cheese with fig rennet. 
• Neolithic style bread baked on hot stones. 
• Ancient Greek bread baked in a replica of a 5th century B.C. portable oven. 
• Byzantine style flatbread baked in hot ash. 
• Byzantine stuffed flatbread baked on a clay grill. 
• Traditional flatbread topped with vegetables and cheese. It is baked in a wood-fired oven.

''Lazy woman's'' cheese pie

A light historic meal follows the lesson.

The lesson is also available on request, when time permits.

Schedule

• 10:00 am: Welcome, Introduction to the lesson and cheese and rusk tasting.
• 10:20 am: Learn how to make different kinds of sourdough
• 10:30 am: Introduction to cheese history and rennet.
• 10:45 am: Make sheep cheese using vinegar rennet and goat cheese with fig rennet.
• 11:15 am: Short lecture on the history of bread.
• 11:30 am: Make and decorate a number of historical and traditional breads. Learn how to bake in ash, on hot stones, using replicas of ancient ovens and a traditional wood- fired oven.
• 12:30 pm: Learn how to make a 'Lazy woman's cheese pie.
• 1:00 pm: Enjoy a light historic meal.