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This Cretan dakos recipe is for a traditional salad from the island of Crete. Super simple to make it consists of a Cretan barley rusk topped with juicy tomatoes, cheese and olive oil. A guaranteed crowd pleaser, all you need is a few great quality ingredients for delicious Greek Mediterranean flavors.
Table of Contents
What Are Cretan Dakos or Ntakos?
Cretan dakos, also known as ntakos, is a much loved traditional Greek Cretan salad. It is often served as a salad, light meal or in bite-sized appetizers called meze.
The base of this dakos salad is a dry barley rusk known as paximadia in Greek. The rusk is topped with the freshest ingredients.
Starting with juicy local tomatoes, high-quality extra virgin olive oil, and Greek mizithra cheese. A sprinkling in dried oregano and Kalamata olives bring out the bright and delightful flavors.
What is Barley Rusk or Cretan Rusk?
Barley rusk is the same as a Cretan rusk and it literally means twice-baked-bread made of barley flour.
With no refrigeration or preservatives, making rusk was a way of keeping bread for as long as possible.
The bread is typically baked twice until all the moisture has been absorbed. In Crete, barley flour is the traditional flour used for Cretan dakos.
The dry barley rusks used to prepare Cretan dakos are as hard as nails. You have to be careful not to break your teeth.
Before eating them, the ntakos need to be softened up. This is typically done by wetting the rusk with water.
Barley flour is rich in fiber, packed with vitamins and nutrients. It helps with better intestinal and liver function and contains less gluten than wheat.
Where to Buy Barley Rusk
In Crete, barley rusk or paximedia is available at every bakery, grocery store or supermarket.
To bring a taste of the Mediterranean and Crete home, you can buy barley rusk on Amazon and have them delivered to your home.
Alternatively, if there is a specialty food store near your area, you may be able to find barley rusk.
Keep in mind Cretan rusk are dark in color and made entirely with barley. For authentic flavors, choose the rusk made with 100% barley flour.
Discovering Dakos in Crete
Of all the different foods we tried in Crete, one we loved and kept coming back to was the Cretan salad or dakos.
What we loved the most about it was the simplicity, fresh ingredients and incredible flavors.
Cretans are known for their friendliness and hospitality and our Airbnb host was no exception. When we arrived in Chania, the first thing we were welcomed with was a plate of delicious Cretan dakos.
Almost every restaurant menu has Cretan dakos listed amongst their appetizers. We also enjoyed a few dakos salads from restaurants as well as when gathering with locals.
Each time we had a Cretan salad we were continually amazed by its simplicity and juicy flavors.
READ MORE: How To Make the Best Authentic Boureki From Chania, Crete
History of Cretan Dakos
Rusk, also known as paximadia in Greek have been around since antiquity. They can be found in all parts of Greece.
What makes the Cretan rusk unique is the fact that they are made with whole-grain barley flour. And, in Crete, the dakos salad is topped with the traditional local cheese known as mizithra.
Cretan dakos are also referred to as Koukouvagia or owl in Greek. They take the name from the resemblance of an owl when looked at from above.
The black olive in the center of the dakos resembles the eye of an owl. And,it is even more pronounced when two dakos are placed side by side.
The name “Koukouvagia” is linked to many local tales. One story attributes it to the name of a bar owner near the town of Rethymno in the 1950s.
This tavern allowed men the forbidden pleasures of tobacco, gambling and women.
To keep the customers happy, the owner, Koukouvagia, served dakos and the name remained associated with him.
Others link the name to the many owls that were seen around the tavern every night.
Tips to Make a Cretan Salad At Home
Cretan dakos is one of the simplest and easiest things to make. They can be fantastically delicious if you use fresh high quality ingredients.
The secret behind perfect nkatos is to use fresh and juicy tomatoes, as they are key to bringing this dish to life.
To garnish the dakos salad use high quality extra virgin olive oil, Cretan or Greek recommended.
Ever since we discovered extra virgin olive oil from Terra Creta, Crete’s largest olive oil producer, it’s become our preferred oil.
The olive oil brings the perfect touch to the traditional Cretan rusks with tomatoes and mizithra cheese.
- Greek Mizithra cheese
- 4 Barley Rusk
- 2 Large Tomatoes
- High quality extra virgin olive oil
- Dried Oregano
- Black Kalamata Greek olives
- Salt to taste
- Optional – fresh oregano
READ MORE: Cooking with Olive Oil – Cretan Olive Oil with Terra Creta
Cretan Mizithra Cheese and Substitutes
Mizithra cheese is one of the most prominent traditional Cretan cheeses. It is a soft white cheese with a pleasant slightly sour taste.
For this traditional Cretan dakos recipe, we recommend using mizithra cheese.
You can find mizithra cheese at the cheese section of a specialty store near you, or have it delivered to your home from Amazon.
Otherwise, you can also use authentic Greek Feta cheese instead.
Grating Tomatoes For Your Cretan Salad
To make the tomato sauce as they do in Crete, you want to grate the tomatoes. Slice your fresh juicy tomatoes in half and grate them using the medium holes to release the bright and fresh flavors.
Scrape each sliced tomato back and forth until the skin flattens. Set the grater onto a plate or large bowl to catch the juices that inevitably run onto the counter.

Cretan Dakos Recipe
This Cretan dakos recipe is for a traditional salad from the island of Crete. Super simple to make it consists of a Cretan barley rusk topped with juicy tomatoes, cheese, and olive oil. A guaranteed crowd-pleaser, all you need is a few great quality ingredients for delicious Greek Mediterranean flavors.
Ingredients
- Greek Mizithra cheese, 4.4 oz or 120 grams
- 4 Barley Rusk - round slices
- 3 Large Tomatoes
- ⅓ cup of high quality extra virgin olive oil, preferably Cretan or Greek
- Dried Oregano
- Black Kalamata Greek olives
- Salt to taste
- Optional - chopped up pieces of fresh oregano
Instructions
- Slice the tomatoes in half and grate them using the medium size holes of your gratebox.
- Grate down as close to the skin as possible. Do not grate the skin. Place your coarsely grated tomato juice in a bowl or plate.
- Wet each rusk under cold running water and shake off any excess water and place on a plate. Cretan rusks are very hard but you do not want to soften them too much as you do not want soggy dakos. The dakos should still be crunchy but easily breakable.
- Repeat the process for all the pieces of barley rusk
- Pour one tablespoon of high-quality extra virgin olive oil on each piece of rusk, spreading it around with a spoon
- Next, take a spoonful of tomato juice and spread it all around each piece of rusk
- Sprinkle a little salt and dried oregano on each rusk
- Using your hands, break up the mizithra cheese and sprinkle it on top of each rusk
- Sprinkle a little bit of oregano on the rusk
- Drizzle a little bit of extra virgin olive oil on the rusk and decorate with black kalamata olives
- Serve immediately
Notes
- Feel free to add as much or as little extra virgin olive oil as you like
- If you have fresh oregano available, chop up a little for even more delightful flavors
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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 4 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 829Total Fat: 65gSaturated Fat: 13gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 49gCholesterol: 32mgSodium: 365mgCarbohydrates: 53gFiber: 8gSugar: 4gProtein: 12g
Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. This information is generated by an online API and makes calculations based on serving sizes. These figures are only estimates and results may vary.
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Rosemary, ex-marketing and advertising strategist, is a digital nomad and content creator at Authentic Food Quest. Since 2015, with her partner, Claire, they travel the world in search of the best local food experiences. Their mission is to help you enjoy the best local specialties on your travels or via recipes in your home kitchen. Favorite country for food: Peru. Favorite local dish: Bacalhau. Favorite way to keep fit: Running. Rosemary is the chief content writer and strategist on Authentic Food Quest. She is also co-author of Authentic Food Quest Argentina and Authentic Food Quest Peru, available on Amazon.
This looks lovely and I’m betting I can find barley rusk and the international market very close to my house. This will be so perfect this summer when the tomatoes ripen!
The best ingredients matter, and juicy tomatoes in season are worth waiting for. Can’t wait for you to try dakos soon. Cheers.
I love when food transports you somewhere else and I can imagine being in Crete when eating this.
Indeed, Michelle, the “transformative” power of food. Can’t wait for you to make this recipe 🙂 Cheers.
Yum! This looks so delicious and very tasty! I can’t wait to give this a try! So excited to give this a try!
Great to hear Beth. And, do let us know what you think after you make it. Cheers.
One recipe that I haven’t made at home yet. But I definitely should – it looks amazing and I bet extra yum, too 🙂
Great to hear, Mahy. Excited for you to try this simple and delicious recipe. Cheers.
The salad looks incredibly delicious and healthy! I’d love to give it a shot! Thanks for sharing the recipe with us!
You are most welcome, Ana. Can’t wait for you to try it soon. Cheers.
This looks amazing, but I’d have to take off the olives. I am not a fan of olives. Everything else looks delish!
Lol…absolutely Amber, you can remove the olives and still enjoy the tasty flavors. Cheers.
I have to admit I’ve not heard of these foods, these sound absolutely amazing! Definitely something I would love to try.
Great to hear Sarah. So simple to make and with fresh tasty flavors. Can’t wait for you to make it soon. Cheers.
This sandwich looks so yummy. I will be making this one soon.
This is a new dish to me, but it looks amazing! I’ll have to look for the ingredients at my store.
This look delicious! and Barley rusk sounds so much better for my stomach. I need to go search for some at the international grocery stores near me.
Thank, Monica. Yes, barley rusk is also healthier than bread. Let us know if you find some at your local grocery store. Cheers.
This looks really yummy. I can’t wait to give this a try.
I love the ingredients you used here. I’m sure it’s tasty.
I love the ingredients you used here. I’m sure it’s tasty.
This is such a yummy dish. I do love this type of food, especially over the summer.
You are right Melanie, whenever you can get your hands on fresh tomatoes, definitely make the dakos 🙂 Cheers
These look really tasty! I would love to try this salad out.
I love a good salad for lunch. That looks delish and it’s making me hungry. 🙂
These Cretan Salad looks yummy nutty base with cheese and olive oil so yumm .
Whoa! This Cretan dakos salad looks so healthy and yummy 😍 My husband loves eating salads, so gotta make this salad for him soon!
Great to hear. Please do let us know what he thinks of it. Cheers.
Oh wow! That grated tomato looks great, and I really want to try that greek cheese!
This sounds like an awesome combination of flavors. I love olives and that cheese would be amazing too.
Thank you. It is quite easy and tasty. Give it a try when you can. 🙂 Cheers
This looks so yummy! I have to save this to try it.
These Greek flavors sound mouthwatering. I appreciate the steps and explanations!
Thanks for sharing — loved learning about the dish and can’t wait to try it soon!
In always up for a good meze platter and this is my new addition! Thank you for great recipe, delish!
Great to hear, Julia. Indeed, dakos are a popular meze in Greece. Cheers.
I’ve got to make this recipe ASAP – it is something I’ve been craving for such a long time now!
Wonderful, Dionne, and you will enjoy every bite. Cheers.
This looks so good! I’m excited to try it because I already have a few of the ingredients!
Great to hear, Chenee, excited for you to try dakos. Cheers.