The heart of the world mini-soccer is beating these days in Rethymno, where more than two thousand visitors from thirty-five countries are participating in the TUI SOCCA Champions League 2025. Among them, the CEO of the tourism giant TUI, Sebastian Ebel, who is in Crete to watch the event and experience authentic Cretan hospitality firsthand.
On the evening of Friday, October 17, the TUI strongman will sit at the most atmospheric table on the island, at AgrecoFarm, the jewel of Grecotel, for a dinner that sums up the entire “from field to fork” philosophy. Grecotel, a strategic partner of TUI and ambassador of Greek tourism, is preparing an evening of high symbolism, where Cretan Nutrition, sustainability and local production become protagonists.
The exquisite Cretan delicacies
The dinner will begin with a typical Cretan welcome: homemade breads kneaded with AgrecoFarm pure olive oil, “tsikisti” green olives and black olive “throompes”, along with a glass of tsikoudia produced by the estate itself. Then, the table will be filled with aromas of traditional homemade pies with carob and cheese, as well as others with wild herbs hand-picked from the surrounding mountains.
Of course, the most emblematic dish of Cretan Nutrition could not be missing, the Cretan Dakos, which has been named by Food Atlas as the No. 1 salad in the world. Crispy rusk, organic grated tomato, soured cheese PDO, fresh oregano and AgrecoFarm olive oil compose the taste that has become an international symbol of the Mediterranean diet.
This is followed by a fine selection of local cheeses from small producers, including the Graviera of Crete PDO Gasparakis, aged for twelve months, the fresh Myzithra of Govatzidakis, the Graviera of Amari with four peppers and the Goat Cheese of Tzourbakis. The menu continues with organic vegetables stuffed with rice and herbs, accompanied by AgrecoFarm sheep’s yogurt, a dish that captures the freshness and purity of the Cretan land.
The main course of the evening is a free-range lamb from the Cretan mountains, served with the famous Minoan “Palikaria” – a healthy mix of cereals, pomegranate and raisins. The balance between tradition, healthy eating and gastronomic finesse is impressive. Next to it, the refreshing AgrecoFarm Salad, with ripe tomatoes, cucumber, peppers, capers, Kalamata olives, feta cheese and plenty of olive oil from the estate, brings to the table the golden balance of the Mediterranean lifestyle.
The finale of the dinner is, as one would expect, completely Cretan. The Sfakian pie with local cheese is served with a quince and pine nut spoon dessert, an imaginative version of a traditional dessert that marries land and season. The coffee, of course, is Greek, accompanied by small bites of mustalevria – a mousse made from grape must with walnuts and sesame seeds – and a glass of AgrecoFarm metrorakis, for the end.
Cretan organic wine
The menu is accompanied by AgrecoFarm’s organic wines, including the white Vidiano, also known as “the Diva of Cretan varieties”, and the ros? AgrecoFarm, cool and aromatic, ideal for autumn Rethymno.
With this dinner, Grecotel is not only honoring the strongest representative of European tourism, but also demonstrating its philosophy in practice: sustainability, locality and authenticity.
