Snails dropped shell-side down into hot olive oil so they seal and steam inside, then doused with vinegar or wine and rosemary. The name means face down, which is exactly how they hit the pan.
Where to eat it: 1 restaurant across 1 city.
Cretans have eaten snails since Minoan times, and excavations across the island have turned up shell middens beside kitchen debris. They are gathered after autumn and spring rains, purged for several days, and cooked in ways that vary by household. Boubouristi is the most theatrical: the pan is hot, the snails go in face down, and the oil seals each shell so the flesh cooks in its own juices. The splash of vinegar at the end lifts the whole thing. Heraklion tavernas serve them as a meze with bread for the pan juices, and eating them properly requires either a pin or a great deal of confidence.
Common allergens: Molluscs
Tip from the editors. Buy purged snails from a fishmonger if you can. Home purging takes three days on flour and clean water.
Parasties runs a Cretan-leaning wine list beside its open fire in Heraklion, with floor staff who match bottles to whatever the oven is cooking.
Signature pour: A Cretan red with the smoked steak
Wine focus: Mostly Cretan producers
Food: Live-fire Cretan menu
Order: A Cretan red poured to match the smoked steak
Tip: The floor staff will steer the list if you tell them what is coming off the fire.
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