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You might find octopus under the fish
section of most Cretan menus, but it is not in fact a fish. Its name comes from
the greek okto (eight) and podi (feet). An octopus has eight tentacles, and it
is a very popular dish on Crete. You can have it grilled, fried or boiled.
The
taste of an octopus is subject to some debate. Some tourists find octopus boring
and tasteless, complaining that the meat is like rubber - others love to eat it.
The appearance of octopus may also take some
getting used to - some holidaymakers believe they have an extraterrestrial on
their plate! There’s only one way to find out if you like it or not, and that’s
by trying it. Generally octopus is served with chips and some salad. If you
order it as a starter, it’ll be served atop a leaf of lettuce.
Octopus is a healthy choice, and is low on
calories and price. You can expect to pay between €6-9 for a big plate. Cretans
traditionally eat octopus during lent (between carnival and Easter). We ate a
great octopus dish in the Market Chania in
early 2024 for only around 7 Euro.
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