Dad:                I would like a “koukouvagia” (owl) salad please.
Young child:  But dad can you eat a “koukouvagia” (owl)?
Dad:                I don’t mean the bird son!! That’s the name of the salad!
Young child:  And why is it called that?
Dad:                Because it is served on a big round Cretan rusk that looks just like an owl eye!

Many years have gone by since this childhood memory, but the “koukouvagia” (owl) remains one of my favourite salads… & now I understand why its name is far more fitting than what I thought when I was a child! It is a “wise” salad just like the owl, which was a symbol of wisdom in ancient Greece. It is a salad you can eat for breakfast, lunch or dinner & it is actually the base of the Cretan diet. According to the great “7 Nations Study” the Cretan diet is the base of the Mediterranean diet… a study that also proved the contribution of the Mediterranean diet to a healthy lifestyle.

(by Μediterranean Foundation)

It is a simple but magical salad! Its main ingredient is a barley rusk rich in vegetable fibers. It is then soaked in tomato juice with all its antioxidants. On the top mizithra cheese is added. Mizithra is a soft, low- fat cheese high in protein, made from whey. In fact it is the same whey protein athletes buy in powder form, by the kilo!!! & at the end it is time for sprinkling a lot of our special treasure… early harvest extra virgin olive oil… fat in its healthiest form full of fatty acids! Finally oregano is added with more fatty acids hidden in its essential oils!

All the wisdom of a good & healthy diet & the magic of Greek taste included in a salad!
A much loved snack!