In general, people consumed seasonal products, available in the wider local area, which underwent minimal processing or none at all.
The traditional cuisine was widespread in the island until the 1960s when, with improving living standards, alimentary patterns changed towards more meat and other animal-derived produce.
Fresh fruit and dried fruits, pulses, endemic wild herbs and aromatic plants, and rough cereals, whose cultivation was favored by the regional climate, were consumed in great amounts and constituted the base of the Cretan cuisine during that period.
Another essential feature of the Cretan cuisine was the moderate use of alcohol, mainly red wine which accompanied meals.
Finally, the most common dessert was yogurt and fresh fruits, while traditional pastry based on honey had been consumed a few times a week.