Cretan Villager’s Salad

There are a lot of different recipes for potato salads but this is the best I ever ate.

In my childhood I grew up with Swabian potato salad, just containing potatoes, onions, different spices and oil. Since I moved to Crete more than two decades ago, I honestly prefer this one below. Especially on hot summer days the Cretan villager’s salad is the best thing you can have for lunch.

My husband told me, that when he grew up and he and his family went for harvesting Sultana raisins, as at this time Crete was famous for the dried grapes, his mother made this kind of salad for them and their harvest workers.

I am not giving any quantities of the ingredients as it depends for how many persons you will make this salad. In general I count (depending of the size) 1-2 pieces of each vegetable per person, as well as appr. one egg per person.

The secret of the good taste of this salad is the amount of salt, vinegar and olive oil you add. My tip for you: don’t be shy – or better – this salad may not be for people how try to minimize their consumption of salt or fats! When you add salt, vinegar and olive oil try the taste after stirring on a potato! They suck up a lot of the vinegar and salt. And be really generous on the olive oil, as this is giving the final taste.

If by chance purslane  (Portulaca oleracea, also known as verdolaga, red root or pursley, in Greek it is called “glistrida” [γλιστίδα]) is growing in your garden, I recommend to collect it and use it in this salad. Maybe you will find it in your local grocery store or in the market. The stems, leaves and  flower buds are edible, it has a slightly sour and salty taste and fits very well in this salad. On Crete, we use it also in the famous Greek Salad, mainly around the month of September.

Fun fact: there is a saying on Crete that a person who is talking a lots ate too much glistrida.

What you need:

Boiled and peeled potatoes
Cucumber
Tomatoes
Onions
Green bell pepper (optional)
Boiled eggs
Red vinegar
Olive oil
Salt
Pepper

How to prepare:

Cut the boiled and peeled potatoes, the bell peppers and the tomatoes into bite-sized pieces.

Peel the cucumbers and cut into bite-sized pieces. Peel the onions and cut in stripes.

Peel the eggs and cut into four.

Combine everything in a large bowl and add salt, pepper, vinegar and olive oil to taste. Stir well.