One of the highlights of Greece is the cuisine! The food is marvelous, the ambience of every restaurant is quaint and the presentation and hospitality is authentic. Depending on which islands and regions you visit, the delicacies and local flavor can vary.

For example, on the island of Crete, we discovered a different kind of Greek salad. The usual Greek salads are called horiatiki salata: country (style) salad. But in Crete, they feature the Dakos salad. This was incredible!! The main difference was the crouton-bread on top! This salad was so filling and satisfying, that many times we filled up just on this delicious salad for a “light” lunch and feasted more at night on a bigger dinner. When we came back to America, after the trip, we tried to copy the Dakos salad by finding the big crouton style bread or drying out bread ourselves to add to the salad. It was close—but the major ingredient lacking was the Cretan vibe, the ocean breeze and the vacation feeling of being in Greece! A Dakos Salad recipe I use combined from various recipes:

• 1 loaf rustic bread, cut into chunks
• 1 cup Greek olive oil
• Salt and freshly ground pepper
• capers (optional)
• dill, oregano or parsley (optional)
• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
• 1 red onion thinly sliced
• 1-2 English cucumbers diced 2  tomatoes,
• diced 12 ounces creamy (or French style) feta cheese, crumbled