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The blessed Cretan land gives birth to a wealth of edible herbs unique to the Mediterranean area, and especially from February to May, where the land is highlighted by its colors, fragrances and strong flavors.


For the Cretan people, stamnagathi is the lord of the wild greens and grows mainly in coastal areas. It grows in these areas in the winter season as it is very resistant to low temperatures. It belongs to the category of radishes and for this reason the Cretans also call it ‘gialoradiko’, that is, it grows near the ‘gialos’ (the sea). It has a slightly bitter taste and is why it is also called bitter.
In my village in the old days where there were no agricultural vehicles, women and men in groups, with knives, small sticks and reed baskets, from the early hours went down to the village beach and other inaccessible seaside areas to collect wild greens, bent over the fragrant soil. But this is also a key element of the Cretan diet and traditional way of gathering wild greens from nature, consuming what the earth produces naturally, and I think they knew very well how to prepare and combine them with other foods.
It is difficult to collect because of the thorn that covers it and must be removed so that only the green radish is cleaned.
Its taste and the Cretan habit of consuming it first appears to be what drives them to seek out the places where each rare species grows and offers many beneficial properties for the human body. We learned from our mothers and grandmothers how to make stamnagathi in many ways. Raw with a bit of olive oil is the best appetizer for raki. We combined it with other foods and even made pies or cooked in a pot, with lamb or goat. Because there are enough free range eggs at this time, I say to combine them and make an omelet.

Ingredients:
1kg of stamnagathi (or other green leaf vegetable)
10 eggs
100ml olive oil
Salt & pepper

Method:
Clean and wash the stamnagathi.
In a large frying pan pour the oil and let it warm. Put the greens in and sauté on a medium heat. (The secret to this omelet is to sauté the stamnagathi very well, so the bitterness will go away.)
Beat the eggs with a little salt, pour the mixture over the stamnagathi and lift the greens for the egg to get under it, let it cook for a while and turn the omelet over with a fork or spatula.
When ready, add some pepper.
Good luck!!!

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