Dakos: The Salad That Always Brings Me Home
From Crete to Helsinki, one bite at a time.
TasteAtlas just ranked dakos the number one salad in the world.
Even higher than the classic Greek salad.
And honestly? I’m not surprised.
If you ask me, dakos has always been number one.
But what’s wild is that just over a decade ago, dakos wasn’t even widely known in the rest of Greece, let alone internationally. When I was studying in Thessaloniki, I couldn’t even get the ingredients for it. In Greece.
That’s how regional Cretan food was back then.
Luckily, in Greece, it’s normal for parents to send their student kids packages full of food to survive. Mine came with frozen bags of mizithra to stash in the freezer. And of course, paximadia—barley rusks that, by definition, are made to last. They were originally food for shepherds living in the mountains, after all.
Fast-forward a few years, and Crete started getting trendy. Little Cretan delis and tavernas popped up even in Thessaloniki. The ingredients became a bit easier to find.
Then I relocated to Helsinki.
And again, I was far away from everything I grew up with.
No mizithra, no rusks, no kritamo, no nothing.
Once again, it was less clothes, more food in my suitcase. Trying to bring back even a few precious tastes of home. Not for everyday eating—but for those days when homesickness hit the hardest.
And let me tell you—a bite of food tied to your roots or memories can do something magic.
Dakos is such a simple dish. But if you don’t have the right ingredients? You really can’t recreate it. And that makes you appreciate it even more.
Now, with dakos finally getting its moment of global recognition, the irony is… you still can’t get the ingredients easily unless you’re in Greece.
But here’s the exciting part:
My dream came true.
I finally found a way to get real Greek products—yes, even mizithra, paximadia, and sheep’s milk yogurt—delivered to my door in 3 days, even here in Helsinki.
And they arrive cold and fresh.
So I’m sharing it with you.
If you’re craving the ingredients to make dakos—or any of the foods that make you feel close to Greece—here’s where I get mine:
👉 Get Greek ingredients delivered to your door (+ 10% off your first order)
The code is ataraxiafp, through the link it should automatically consider it!
It might sound dramatic, but to me?
This isn’t just about food.
It’s about comfort. It’s about memory. It’s about feeling a little less far away.
How to make dakos
(Quantities are flexible. Use your instincts.)
You’ll need:
🍅 Ripe tomatoes
🥖 Barley rusks (or another type you love)
🧀 Mizithra cheese (or a soft, tangy cheese you like, even feta can do)
🫒 Very good olive oil — preferably Greek 😉
🌿 Dried oregano
🧂 Sea salt
🍇 Red wine vinegar
To top:
A few olives
Or pickled kritamo (rock samphire) if you can find it
Or capers
🧑🍳 How to:
Cut your tomatoes in half and grate them on a box grater, flesh side down. Discard the skins.
Season the grated tomato with salt, olive oil, a splash of red wine vinegar, and oregano.
Place your rusks in a dish and drizzle with a bit of olive oil and vinegar to moisten slightly.
(If using large rusks and you prefer them softer, you can splash a little water too — but I personally like my dakos crispy.)Spoon the tomato mixture generously on top.
Add a big spoonful of mizithra.
Sprinkle with more oregano and your toppings—olives, pickled kritamo, or both.
Finish with another drizzle of good olive oil.
And that’s it. Your very own Cretan dakos, wherever you are.
Let me know if you make it. Or just tell me what dish brings you home, no matter where you are.
For video instructions click here
And if you interested in a Cretan salad(like a Greek salad but better) click here
♥️
Filakia,
Aino
